The Importance of Shoes

So I rode my bike this weekend. I know I said I wasn’t going to talk about that if I could help it, but this was not the usual kind of ride. This weekend was the CVIM charity ride. It was their first try at a ride of this type. Even though it was a route that I do all the time, I figured it would be worth doing because it’s a really good cause. Also, several friends were doing it so I decided to tag along.

The ride took place Saturday morning. The other thing that happened Saturday (morning, noon, and night) was it rained, a lot. I don’t mind if I’m riding my bike and it starts to rain. It’s a lot more difficult for me to get on my bike if it’s already raining. However, as I said before, it was for a good cause so Scott, Betty, Cathy, and I decided to gear up and head out.

The route we were doing was only about fifty miles. Normally, with proper gear fifty miles isn’t that tough. What makes a ride of this distance a bit more challenging is when a key piece of equipment is left on your kitchen counter, like cycling shoes. I’m obviously bringing this up because that’s precisely where Scott decided to leave his shoes for our ride on Saturday.

Clipless pedals are designed to be ridden with cycling shoes that have cleats mounted to the bottom. They’re not as effective when wearing approach shoes. You lose a bit of science (and look a little goofy as well). Fortunately, we weren’t in any great hurry to get through the ride. The deluge of rain kept our speeds low and casual. We were all pretty soggy by the end but it was fun. At least Scott’s cycling shoes stayed dry.