Take it in baby steps, they say. It’s good advice; but not always so easy to follow! I’m eager to be riding again; and it’s rather had to hold myself back.

I’m getting back into doing errands by bicycle!🙂 But yesterday I decided not to try riding to the salvage store. Sure, I wanted to go there; but I’m not sure my hand is ready yet for ten-mile rides. On top of that, I would have had to battle a strong headwind on the way back home; and when I’m fighting the wind, I tend to grip the handlebars more tightly.

So I rode to Whole Foods instead. I really prefer visiting the brick-and-mortar store to online ordering, because I can see what I’m getting; and I can get only one of an item. When I order online, that isn’t always possible.

Now I have apples and bananas!  I got sunblock; and sourdough bread. I bought a few RXBars; now let’s see whether I can keep myself away from them until I can do long rides again!

Today I didn’t ride until mid-afternoon. This morning the temperature wasn’t much above 40; and again there was a stiff wind. I wanted to ride to the regular grocery store; but that wind made me change my mind. By 3 pm I was tired of sitting around; so I kitted up and went out on the hybrid. The wind was still strong; but I needed to get outdoors and get moving.

For the time being, I think it’s wise to stay off the road bike. No matter how much I want to bypass baby steps and dive right into it, I think that using the road bike would put too much pressure on my hands. What little I’ve been doing with the hybrid might actually be too much stress, too soon. Above all, I’m making a conscious effort not to use my left-hand shifter!