Clips: The Bane of my Cycling Existence

Alright my cycling-loving readers, how many of you struggle with clipless pedals?

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I’ve been riding clipped in for six years now; my first ever ride in clips was on the Belgian cobblestones on a proper Flanderian cold, wet day, which was all sorts of scary, especially when the sirens of an ambulance started blaring right behind me in a funky roundabout moments after I started riding and I had no idea what to do beyond veering right and pretty much riding into a parked car to stop myself.

Least I didn’t fall over.

Least there was no one in the car.

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Belgium 2010: My first foray with clipless pedals.

But I digress.

So yeah, six years, and for the most part I’m pretty okay in them. At times I struggle getting my right foot clipped in after a stoplight, but usually the left foot, my leading foot, I’ve got no issues.

Until recently.

I don’t know what the heck’s been going on, but my goodness, neither foot seems to want to clip in. At all. Seriously, practically every time I clip out, I’m struggling to get back in. Sometimes it feels like 5 minutes before I finally hear the desired click of the pedal to cleat.

And let’s just say, that moment you feel like you’re clipped in only to realize a JARRING second later that you’re not when you slam down into your hard-as-heck seat as your foot flies off the bloody pedal – not cool. Ohhh, my poor, poor nether regions!

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I thought maybe it was just one ride, I thought maybe it just wasn’t my day, but nope, it was consecutive rides. One ride, I nearly ripped the bloody pedals right off the bike. Not exactly the most rational act, I mean, without pedals, it’s a strider, and, well, I think I’m a little too old for that style.

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Big Ring says I’ve been thinking about it too much, focusing too hard on the act of clipping in, and not just letting it come naturally. Maybe I was, maybe he’s right, but wouldn’t you be putting all your energy into it too if say you were stuck at a bloody light for TWO crossings because you couldn’t get your feet in??? Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration 😉

 

Since getting back on the bike this season, I’ve tried to have a goal with every ride: don’t get lost; keep good form, back straight, shoulders down, belly sucked in; push the legs; etc. And so, with recent pedal issues, yesterday when I went out for a quick solo ride, I took Big Ring’s words to heart and decided not to overthink the clipping in process. And you know what, the veteran cyclist was bloody well right – not ONE clipping in issue!!!

Now, don’t go thinking I’m gonna start taking everything he says as gold right off the hop; I am stubborn after all 😉

RIDE-DIABETES-RIDE:

• 1:15 p.m. BG before: 9.8 (had lunch with a partial bolus an hour earlier)
• Temp. basal: -70 per cent
• Distance: 21.92 km
• Time: 1:21:34
• Average pace: 16.1 km/h
• Ride BG-FUEL: @45 min: 2.9 (yikes!!! 6 Honey Stingers; temp. basal -100%)
• 2:30 p.m. BG after: 6.4
• Temp. basal: +70 per cent (2 hours)

1 thought on “Clips: The Bane of my Cycling Existence”

  1. LindsayOnTheGo

    I have had those awful foot-flying-off-the-pedal moments. I learned last year that replacing cleats actually helps quite a lot- apparently they are not a forever item.

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