It is 7:30am and I just got back from trying out my friend's road bike. What an experience! I had a fantastic time on the second half of the ride; the first half was fraught with danger and anxiety. I had to figure out how to stay upright, first of all. Then I had to figure out how to shift while moving and pedaling (and staying upright). While I did all these things during the race in Maryland, it was just survival there; today I was working on actually learning what to do when. I rode for an hour and a half and I didn't wipe out at all! I am very pleased!! Now I am definitely going to buy a road bike of my own! Along with actually riding the road bike, I also wore my bike geek clothes so I could look the part. Wearing a costume is a great way to pretend you can do something -- sometimes it even carries over into actually doing it! I even managed to fool the other cyclists on the road -- no one called me an imposter and suggested I go back to a hybird bike.
All in all, a terrific ride.