What I'm Not

I am a scooter skirt cyclist. I don't wear Lycra shorts with padded bottoms. I don't wear candy-colored, tight jerseys made of some rubbery material that clings like a second skin. I wear scooter skirts, sporty skirts with built-in shorts underneath. I wear plain white tops made of wicking material. I ride a modest 21-gear Trek Navigator comfort bike, which means I sit upright, my trunk nearly perpendicular to the road. The handlebars extend sideways; they don't curl downward like ram horns. Because I am uncoordinated, my shoes do not click into the pedals as I consider that too great of a risk. I spend a lot of time squeezing the hand brake to maintain a low safe speed. My helmet makes my head feel too big, but I value my head so I wear it faithfully. I am a scooter skirt cyclist.

I am looking for places in or near Northern Virginia to ride my bike. I like smooth, shady trails with gentle slopes and gentle riders. I have a bike rack, so the biking location does not have to be within biking distance.

I would also like to monitor and share with you my progress as a cyclist, which means that I need a bike computer. My husband, an avid cyclist, told me the features that I should look for: auto stop/start, speedometer, odometer, trip odometer, average speed for the current trip, and elapsed time for the current trip. Wish me luck as I dip my toe into the intersecting worlds of cyclists and quantitative thinkers.