Rides up 'til now - July 1 - 14 miles - Catsburg Village. Me, Dad & Marie. Had to use Marie's hybrid, mine had a flat. Overall, bike too small, but we did adjust the seat and handlebars a couple of times and eventually it was pretty good.

Never felt like I was extending my legs far enough, but it shifts nicely and has a few more gears than my bike. Did ok on the hills, except toward the end, a hill caught me by surprise and I didn't have enough gears to make it. Trying to shift, foot slipped off the pedal, lost my balance and went down. Bit of road rash on my left leg and elbow, no damage to the bike.

Clif shot blox and GU on board - felt good. I definitely prefer this to bars - they can be tough to digest and I usually end up with a belly ache.

June 24 - me and dad. Catsburg village 11 mile ride. Out to the Exxon at 85, down the extra piece at Gorman Church Rd. Halfway up the "goal" hill, turned around.

Used Clif Shot Blox and GU for carbs. Felt good - not sure if it's them or doing better with gears, don't much care!

June 17 - Me, Marie & Dad. Dad hung with me and really coached me on using my gears on the hills. I guess I've been doing them all bass-ackwards all this time! Found it a lot easier getting up the hills today. Arms and legs quite weak and shaky after a short time.