Sprechen Sie Deutsch

Like most cyclists, I have a trip computer on my bike.  Mine is a little fancy in that it is also a heart rate monitor and an altimeter...because 50 miles and 300 ft of climbing is completely different than 50 miles and 3000 ft climbing.  My trip computer may be smarter than me, I do confess.  It is one of those gadgets, like my "smart phone", that has many more capabilities than what I use it for.  I must admit that I get a kick out of tracking how many miles I have put on the bike over the past year and how many feet I have climbed.  I am interested to see my max heart rate over the course of a strenuous ride.  But, my nifty gadget is temperamental.  Sometimes I can ride for miles and it won't show a reading and then, miraculously, it will start working again.  Just like how your computer is completely fine after a reboot.   So, when the trip computer started to blink on and off, I assumed it was just being pissy and left it alone.  And then the dreaded battery icon.  I don't have a watch battery laying around and as soon as I step away from the bike, the battery icon is a distant memory until the next ride.  This sequence went on for about 2 weeks until, betrayal...a blank screen.  So my personal bike mechanic and loving husband replaced the battery for me.  To my dismay, the reading is now in German.  I do not speak German nor can I calculate kilometers to miles in my head.  Being the fancy trip computer it is, she speaks many languages but seems to prefer Germany these days.  I have absolutely no idea how to change the language setting on the trip computer but I am sure there is a F.A.Q. on the manufacturer's website that can instruct me which 7 buttons to press simultaneously in order to get back to English.  Although if my last ride is any indication, I may be a stronger rider in German!

The real bummer is that ALL of my saved data is GONE!  I have ridden 0 kilometers.  I have 0 max heart rate.  Climbed 0 meters.  Nothing!  Nada!  Zilch!  Null!  It is like my cyclist self never existed.  I feel so unaccomplished, so beginner.  Wait, maybe this is a new beginning.  A fresh start.  All of those weenie flat rides can no longer bring down my average!  I AM FREE!!!!