I did indeed ride home, but it was quite the adventure. First of all, I messed around in the parking garage for a good 15 minutes trying to get the hang of my new pedals. Finally, I figured I had the technique downpat, so I took off. I got about a mile and a half in to my ride, and I had to stop. I called Jeremy and told him I didn't think I could make it home - I was on the verge of tears. I was finding it sooo difficult, and I was absolutely exhausted and convinced I couldn't make it the 20 miles to home. After further inspection, I discovered that I had been riding with my front brakes locked! Oh my! No wonder I was having such a hard time! With that sorted out, I was back on my merry way.
Fast forward to the first intersection I came to where I had to unclip myself from my pedals...Well, I got my left foot out just fine, but I somehow managed to clip it back in immediately after. By that time, I had lost most of my momentum, and...well...you all know what happens when you lose enough momentum on a bike - I toppled over. Yep. I fell flat on my back at a busy intersection, which I'm sure provided some entertainment to some lucky motorists. Luckily the only thing I hurt was my pride. And my poor bike - I hit the pavement so hard that it bent the shifter on an almost 45 degree angle. Hopefully it's only cosmetic and I'll be able to get it fixed.
The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Jeremy had started riding out by home, and ended up meeting me just past the halfway point, which was nice. It took us an awfully long time though - with all my mishaps at the beginning, I had given up on trying to make it in under an hour. Oh well. Hopefully we'll have better luck next time!!
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