The PROD

First things first - Rach is awesome.
Massive thanks to Rach for taking so much time in setting up the Valkyries and all of her associated efforts to increase women participating in cycling. I'm a "fringe competitive cyclist", having dabbled in it occasionally, but through a range of circumstances have never fully committed to it. Hopefully that will change over coming months. :-)

Second things second - the PROD was heaps of fun!
I went of my first Valkyries ride this morning, which was part of the PROD (Vikings Permitted Ride of Delight for those that are less into acronyms than, well, the average Canberran). I finally met Rach in person and met a few of the new Valkyries recruits (Liz and Anna), as well as some of the regular Vikings boys, and it was great to put a few faces to names. The bunch was a good size with maybe 15(?) of us rolling out of ANU into perfect Autumn / Winter conditions with practically no wind and moderate - warm temps (a sharp contrast from yesterday!). Everyone was really friendly and it didn't feel like my first ride with the group for long. The outcome is that I'm super inspired for more. Yay!

Third things third - I need to learn how to change a tyre.
A few of us had to turn around early for a variety of reasons so didn't get to finish the ride with the group. Given the fantastic conditions, we had a quick trip back into Canberra from Shingle Hill Road and were flying down the last hill on the Fed Hwy when I realised my back tyre was completely flat. I tried to call out to Milto and Liz that I had a flat, but they didn't hear me with the wind rushing through their ears. So I pulled over on my own and attempted to change my tyre. I know how to change a tyre in theory. How hard could it be in practice?! Apparently very. :-( It took me a second to even figure out how to get my back wheel off (!), and then it took prob 5 minutes to get the tyre levers in and then get the tyre off to be able to get the tube out. At this point a very nice passerby stopped to help me and I could see Milto riding back up the hill to check that I was OK (sorry for making you do that Milto!). Other than showing me how unbelievably amazing Milto is at fixing a flat it did indicate that I really need to learn to fix my own flats. Apparently theory isn't enough - I need practice! So this week, after the kids are asleep, I intend to sit in front of the TV and practice fixing a flat (work permitting). Funny that Rach was talking about the "changing the tyre time trial" at the start of the PROD...

Thanks again to everyone for today's ride. Hopefully I'll get to meet the rest of the Valkyries over coming weeks and we'll have a lot more stunning Canberra Autumn / Winter weather like we had today to ride in. :-)