Rollers

Over the weekend, I picked up a set of aluminum CycleOps rollers off of Craigslist to complement the off-season/bad weather trainer.

For those of you who don't know what rollers are, they're the equivalent of a treadmill for the bicycle. Two 3.5 inch drums in the back for the rear wheel and one for the front. The front and rear drums are connected by a belt so both wheels move as the crank spins.

What's unnerving about the whole thing is that there's only about two feet of lateral space to ride the bike. It took some gumption to let go of the wall steadying me.

Actually, it's like learning to ride a bike. Flash back a few years into my past. We're going to Heatherbrook Lane in Kirkwood, MO. Dad was there running alongside of me, holding on to what was then my original "old Yeller" - the yellow Jr StingRay Deluxe that was my first bike. I remember hearing his feet and voice of encouragement as I peddled along. Then the voice started fading away. It was at that moment of self-awareness that I was in fact riding a bike that I simply forgot how to do it. I stopped peddling, things went wobbly and down I went.

And it was just like that on the rollers. After I let go of the wall and was gaining confidence, concentration lapsed for just a moment...crash!

Of course you gotta get back up on that horse when you fall off. I did it then and I'll do it again.

Thanks for getting me going, Dad!