Sorry, I just had to share this…

Invested in clipless pedals and shoes yesterday. Installed the pedals last night and practiced clipping and unclipping in the hallway.

This morning, I go out to a large parking lot and practice starting and stopping for an hour. Made a few adjustments to the cleats in the shoes and got everything ship-shape. These things are great, don’t know why I waited so long.

Rode around the parking lot some more and then headed off to the store to get groceries. 90 percent of the route is on the MUP, about 2.5 miles one way.

On the way back, there’s a traffic light where the MUP crosses a major intersection. I unclip my right foot, thinking I’ll land on that and stay clipped on the left (since I normally start with the left).

Mind you, I’m loaded with about 35 lbs. of groceries in a pannier/trunk combo on the rear rack. My CG is high, so the bike is a little unstable when stopped.

So, when I stop, the bike unexpectedly rolls over to the left. All I can do is go over with the bike, since I’m still clipped on the left. Boom. There go the groceries.

Some roadies are on the other side of the main street taking all of this in. After assuring them I was fine, we had a good chuckle. I packed away the errant items and continued home.

I already love these things. Feels like I have a lot more power, I can spin faster and feel a lot more connected to the bike. Maybe a little TOO connected, but that should work itself out with more practice…

Looking forward to the commute on Monday. I have this weekend to practice so I don't get run over.

Oh, and in case anybody’s interested, my eggs survived the fall without so much as a crack.