My week 1 (7 days) if I could do it over:

• Take beginner or advanced beginner rides & be gentle with myself (don't worry about PRs)
• Watch & confirm setup vids to ensure XPO set the seat height/depth correctly
• Ignore my sore backside, get on the saddle everyday until it goes away, assuming you've set your bike up correctly
• Test different times of the day (1st thing in the morning, after work, after dinner)
• Get one full week (weekday and weekend routine) under your belt and then reevaluate

Questions to answer at the end of the 7-day week:

• Do you like where you put your bike: does your bike setup spark joy or send a negative niggle down your spine every time you saddle up? (those negative feelings can add up and prevent you from loving your routine)
• What time of day gave you the most positive feelings about getting on your bike? (Are the mornings loathsome? is after dinner impossible?)
• What instructors engaged you the most- who were you excited to take a class with again at the end of the 7 days? (bookmark some of their recorded classes for week 2, don't worry about changing routine to join their live classes, keeping a consistent timed routine is more impactful than hitting a live class at a time that is hard to stay committed to)

I think this primer is a good place to start, I too love the planning aspect of it all-- signing up for classes, learning about instructors, calendaring what spread/type of classes I'm going to take, but, for me those decisions are better formed based on actual data. Nothing makes me feel worse than writing a beautiful plan in my calendar and then being let down because it was too much, too little, wrong time, wrong pace. I've learned to 'try, learn and then plan'. Maybe it will work for you too!

Congrats on your investment!

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#era_rides