Today was our first beautiful day of spring (60+ degrees!), which of course meant that it was time to take my new bike out on an inaugural ride! Marissa and I went out for a 22(ish) mile ride south of Champaign-Urbana. She's had her bike since last summer, so she was kind enough to take me out and show me the ropes. She was our navigator and shared a few tips (and an extra pair of bike gloves), all of which was very helpful. The biggest news about my first ride using clipless pedals is that I didn't fall!! Woohoo! Marissa and I really enjoyed the deserted country roads and it was really nice having the time to chat and get to know each other even more.After today's ride I'm really feeling a lot more relaxed about this summer. Knowing that I could ride nearly 25 miles without much difficulty makes me feel so much more relieved about the ride this summer.Prior to today's ride, I had said that I was 70% super excited about the ride and 30% scared beyond belief... now, I'm happy to say that those numbers have definitely shifted. Nonetheless, fear is a good thing. It means you're challenging yourself. And as my mom often reminds me, we must all "Go Fearwards" and go towards the places that scare us!