Success on the Bike!

Well, I got the bike to the basement.  It took several looks at the bike trainer set up video, but eventually, it got turned the right way, and set up was complete.  I remembered where the riser (the thing the front wheel rests on) was, in the end, it looked impressive.

I was thrilled to see that the blue flashing light on the WAHOO RPM was working once the back wheel was in motion.  I decided to try the Garmin 235 watch first.  The sensor paring did not have to be divided by workout mode, so I just went into the setup mode and followed the instructions.  The entire process took less than a minute.  So I gave it a test spin, almost expecting the system to fail in some way.  After about five seconds, it picked up time, distance, and speed, and I just kept on moving, almost out of sheer happiness.  I gave it a one-kilometer test, with only minor issues that, in all honesty, can probably be fixed by going in "settings."

I then went into the WAHOO app, for the first time in about two years.  After I tapped the first screen, everything went black and stayed that way.  Bad sign?  I closed the app and reopened, and had much better luck this time around.  After the obligatory and expected updates and password reconfigurations, I repaired the RPM.  Incredibly, after two years, it remembered the tickerX (the sensor that measures heart rate).  After only about ten minutes of adjustments and set up, I was ready to ride! 

Exercise mode in WAHOO now had only three screen options, if I remembered correctly, there were more options the last time around, but I am not complaining.  Again, it could be a settings thing.  Everything is going smoothly, so I decide to try the Garmin at the same time.  Upon turning the Garmin on, I notice that the sensor is not connecting, so like a nerd, I pause the WAHOO, get a connection with the Garmin, start moving with the Garmin, resume with WAHOO, and ride with a sense of technical accomplishment that has rarely been seen under this roof.

My test ride lasts about ten minutes, of which I cover about 2¼ miles.  The upload to Garmin Connect goes through without a problem.  I tried to upload the WAHOO to Strava (it was a longer ride), and after some mild adjustments, it goes through.  My Strava score for a ten-minute indoor bike ride?  Four.  We have some work to do.

To say I was thrilled about how all this played out was an understatement.  Everything seemed to go off without a hitch.  I do not think the Garmin picked up cadence; I do have a Garmin cadence sensor that I might try to install next weekend.  My goal this week is to do 100 kilometers on the bike and then give running a try next Saturday.  I would also like to try running outside, as my form is radically different, and I am wondering if an outside run would be as painful.  For now, I am just happy and relieved everything worked.  Who knows, maybe I will sign up with Zwift!!