Who got you started on cycling?

[Melstar]

Hey everyone. New here to the forums, so i thought i'll just post to say hi!

I'm wondering, how did ya'll get started on cycling? It seems most of the time its the guys introducing us to the sport. Is that the usual case of things?

And yes I come under the category as mentioned above.

~E~

[GLC1968]

Actually, my OB-GYN got me started (though he is a guy...so I guess that counts). I was trying to lose weight and my flat feet were cramping my running ability. He suggested a bike (as an avid cyclist himself) and I listened! ;)

Two weeks later, my husband went out and bought a bike so that he could join me. So I like to say that I got HIM started. :D

[Lenusik]

Yep, you are right. My hubby introduced me to cycling and now I am hooked. I started on an old LeMond made for men, something that we bought of our friends. It was a purchase to check if I like the sport. Last year we got me a WSD Treck Medone SL 5.2. I love it and I do love riding. I am also pleased that my husband is proud of my accomplishments. Even our honeymoon was a biking tour in CA. We still ride mostly together, but there is no way I will stop riding if my hubby suddenly decides to stop.

[limewave]

Me! Well, actually, it was the Eco-Challenge. I used to be very sedentary and one day I watched this really cool race on TV. I kept thinking I wanted to do that. So, I dusted off my old mountain bike and started riding it on trails and out to the beach to kayak.

And then I met DH. In our first conversation we discovered we both like to mountain bike. Little did I know at the time that there is mountain biking and THEN there is MOUNTAIN BIKING. Later learned that DH was state mb champ. He introduced me to full-suspension bikes, clipless pedals, and padded bike shorts! I thank the TE woman for letting me know about the Terry Butterfly.

And from mb we went to road riding. So, I got myself started but DH did bring to the next level.

[SalsaMTB]

yep, dh (then bf) introduced me to the sport!

[caligurl]

what.... not who.... i dropped a bottle of wine on my toe and couldn't do my other forms of exercise.... so started riding.... now it was hubby who made the "mistake" of saying "if you keep this up... we'll have to get you a road bike".... (i was riding my old walmart/kmart bike that has been hanging in the garage for years!!!!!) well... i did... we did.... and now i put on more total miles than he does!

[Eden]

My mom is the one who got me started. We had always as long as I can remember gone out every once in a while on the weekends and rode our bikes, but when I was about 11 or 12 my mom decided she wanted to try bicycle touring. We did a few weekend trips and then we did a week in Nova Scotia.

When I was in middle school I was in an after school bike club, when I was in
high school I did my first orgainized ride. I have only vague memories of it, though I do remember it was 70 miles and I used the route many times again.

When I was in college and met my husband it was me who convinced him to buy a new bike - his was a ridiculously small hand me down from his mom- and we started doing some touring together. We also did a lot of riding on weekends and I even did some commuting for a semester or two.

After we moved to Seattle we still did some riding, but mostly just weekend rides every once in a while. New jobs, new old house - lots of things to distract us. At this time I was working at the VA hospital as a photographer. They had been sending a team of disabled riders on the STP every year and I decided that I would go with them to photograph the riders. So we started riding and training more seriously again.

About 2 years ago now we took a trip to Spain and did a 2 1/2 week bike tour, when we came home from that my husband decided to give racing a try. He raced for a year and then convinced me to give it a try too. I joined a racing team this year and I've been having the time of my life.

[ACG]

It was me, myself and I.

I never was good at sports in school, never made any of the teams. Knew that cycling didn't involve catching a ball, throwing a ball or hitting a ball over a net or a green. So anything with a ball is out.

As I have a big butt I figured I'd use my biggest asset!

[Kalidurga]

Santa Claus (Mom & Dad, of course) got me started. Ever since I was little, I've always had a bike, the first one being a Christmas gift. When I was a kid, there was no thought to it. I just got on my bike and pedaled around the neighborhood or to and from school. As I got older, I started hitting the local bike trail (the W&OD trail in Northern VA was just a mile or two from home) for some solitary adventure. As I approached adulthood there were periods when the bike sometimes got a little dusty, but about 4 years ago I kind of "re-discovered" that feeling of solitary adventure and the freedom that comes with it. At that point, my biking became a more deliberate thing. Now I plan for it, I read about it, I watch races, I set goals for it... I'm now on my fifth bike in 41 years and more serious about pedaling than I've ever been. It's still one of the easiest and most fun ways for me to just plain escape from everything.

[FreshNewbie]

Eden, that's a very good story!!!
As for me, my bf got me into it, now I am more posessed than he is !!! :D :D

[Geonz]

Sort of my mother - I said, "hey, I've moved to Richmond, it's flat here and a person could ride a bike!" and she put one under the Christmas tree.

What got me into club riding and down that long road of addiction was the guy I called to ask out to dinner to thank him for helping me teach a guitar class. His clearly no-longer-ex gf answered. I decided that it was time to meet new people, so it was the weekend I'd try that "year round all-level" weekend ride.

[Lise]

My dad. He put me on my first tricycle when I was 3. I promptly fell off.

I tried again at 7, on that classic blue Schwinn. Rode to school, rode all over. Got another bike in HS, rode to school, had some classic wipe outs on dirt and ice. Bike got stolen in college.

Really started riding again 4 years ago on a piece of crud Schwinn my mom's friend gave me. Mom had taken up road riding in her 60s, and had this whole group of biking pals. I wanted to do a tri, and "trained" on this broke-down rust bucket. Borrowed a friend's "good" bike to do the race.

Got hooked, and here I am, Bianchi and Larkspur in the basement, and more biking gloves and water bottles than any one person ever needs!

[hurleygirl]

what.... not who.... i dropped a bottle of wine on my toe and couldn't do my other forms of exercise.... so started riding....

Okay, now that's a great story.

[caligurl]

Okay, now that's a great story.

lol! and i forgot the add... the wine (and bottle) were just fine!!!! phew!

[Cassandra_Cain]

Hi melstar - welcome to the forum :)

I'm with ACG on this one - I got myself into riding. Actually I've introduced a few partners to riding rather than vice-versa.

One of the biggest things, maybe the biggest (besides not having a job, scrubbing the tub, and not needing to do taxes) thing I missed about being a kid was riding my bike.

After doing lots of swimming in high school and running later on.....I thought about it a lot and finally decided that I wanted to ride again. That was in, hmmmm, let's see, around 1998ish.

Bicycling is the one activity that never feels like work to me, never feels like a chore, or something I 'have' to do (the way running or jogging does). Even though I'm working out, getting exercise, etc - I always have fun.

[DebW]

Guess I can really only blame myself. Started doing 15-20 mile rides alone on a single speed at about 13. Bought my first 10 speed at 15. Got job in bike shop at 16. My parents didn't ride, but it was always cool when my dad talked about his job as a teenager delivering telegrams for Western Union, riding 40 miles per day on a big balloon tired bike. Hmmm... maybe it was something in the genes.

[hurleygirl]

My story isn't anywhere near as cool as dropping a wine bottle on my toe.

My husband got me into the sport. Such a common story. We had just started dating - I was a poor grad student at the time. He mountain biked and road biked with his sister and her husband.

We first tried mountain biking. They loaned me a bike that would occassionally just freeze up in the middle of pedal stroke. They took me on a very technical single track. I hated every moment, and couldn't wait to get off of the bike. I spent most of that ride off the bike, walking around obstacles.

Then we tried road biking. I had my mother's 70's Schwinn LeTour, and they took me out for an 8 mile loop. I did very well, and actually enjoyed myself. They were amazed that I made it up one little hill - when my husband took up riding he was so out of shape he got up that hill, threw his bike down and collapsed on the side of the road. Heck! I grew up in hilly Bucks County, PA and used to ride my bike several miles to swim team practice every summer. I was also in reasonably good shape.

I was too poor to buy a bike, so I used the LeTour for a while, and for some reason bought a mountain bike instead of a road bike so I was forced to ride the mountain bike on the road for over a year until I could afford a road bike.

[Ashgarth]

my now ex BF got me started. He would bike 40 miles a day, and then come back and meet up with me to then go my 5 miles...it was all I could do at the time! LOL (he was very patient though...)
At least I have something to thank him for :rolleyes:

[Bikingmomof3]

Great topic. :)

My husband and sons decided I needed to join them and their love for biking. I resisted for 37 years (I had a fear of bikes-I do not know why). So, reluctently I let them get me a Giant Suede (Mode/Comfort Bike). I found this group-YAY-learned everyone was nice and so supportive. I gained knowledge and confidence. By the 3rd week I had done all my Giant was going to allow me to do. I went bike shopping and bought a manbike (sorry-love that phrase) Trek 1000. That was almost 2 weeks ago. The board has since convinced me (great enablers here) to buy jerseys, shorts, new saddles, shoes, clipless pedals, and my recent purchase (actually it will be in tomorrow) a CycleOps Fluid 2 Trainer. I have learned the importance of an excellent bike shop, even if mine is a long way away. I love them! They are buyng the other bike off me-yippee-store credit!! :D

[Tiffanie]

Last October, Brandy talked me in to a gym membership. Regular exercise was non-existent for almost 11 years (my excuse was having kids, not enough time, blah-blah-blah).

So, I ended up joining after a trial membership, starting going regularly. Began taking Spinning classes 4-6 times per week. About 3ish months ago, I started thinking how nice it would be to actually get out on the road and out of the gym (still go there regularly for weightlifting).

So, here I am! I absolutely love it and am thrilled that it has become such a big part of my life. I just can't get enough!

[Tiffanie]

Oh and I have to add that I still thank Brandy quite often for getting me off of my butt. I was way overweight, out of shape and had no energy. I was always very active before kids and I had forgotten how good you feel when you take care of you!

I have now lost many pounds, tons of inches and the low metabolism. I feel great and am in the best shape I've been in since high school! :D

Sorry for the novel, I guess I got a little carried away. :o

[bcipam]

Actually my mom got me started... OK so my mom's has never ever been on a bike and well, that's why it was great for me.

As a little kid, my mom and I didn't get along (she was physically abusive) and getting out on my bike and going for hours and hours was one way I could get away from her. To me it meant freedom and I've never lost that feeling. I had been riding as long as I have memories.

Now my seriousness about cycling comes and goes and some years I've only been a casual recreational rider, but I've never lost my joy and passion for riding. I hope I never do. To this day my mom (who is still alive and very well - I say meanness and nastiness keeps the spirit going - unfortunately) still can't believe I do all those long miles on a bike - she just doesn't get it and never will. Her loss my gain I say.

[mtbdarby]

I'm in the "me" group with a dash of "guy". Count me in on the generation of kids that rode bike every where. In college I continued - riding my bike to work. After I had my little guy, I was looking for a sport for me that gave me flexibility to do it on my own, with others, and from where ever I happened to be (work, home etc), with not too much investment (yeah, right!). My bf at the time was into mtbing but since it was winter we just talked about it. After he departed:p I started riding my old hybrid on and off road, and now I'm the proud owner of 3 - hybrid, road and mtb (I have a secret motivation to beat him in an annual 24 hour mtb race here he does as a 4 person team in the over 35 division;). Think I could recruit some TE ringers to do this??? Sounds like an Amici Veloci team needs to be formed in Wisconsin!

[CorsairMac]

My parents: it was just a given that when we reached a certain age, we were taught to ride a bike.

[dingster1]

Mom and Dad. Have had a bike off and on since I was 3.

[Tiffanie]

I guess I should also add that as a pre-teen and teen, I rode a bike quite a bit. It was recreational though, nothing like it is now. :)

Ok I'll stop blabbing my mouth now! :D

[caligurl]

I guess I should also add that as a pre-teen and teen, I rode a bike quite a bit. It was recreational though, nothing like it is now. :)


(lol! i had the tricycles and 2-wheelers with training wheels... and then whatever speed bikes while growing up... but when i answered..... i thought you's all meant who/what got me started as an adult rider!!!!!!! soooooooooooo if you go back to childhood... then of course it was mom and dad who bought me my first bike!)

[Googlie Wooglie]

My doc. I wrecked my knees running, and he said cycling might prevent surgery. So I ordered a Trek the same day and can't believe I ran for so many years - cycling is so much more fun! My fiance ordered a bike too, once he saw how excited I was, and we have been on them almost daily since they arrived.

[Aggie_Ama]

Well if you are talking about the avid cycling... My old work and DH. My work was awesome and wanted everyone to be active (they paid all our insurance so it kept their costs down). I had been there almost a year and they offered to pay for the Shiner B.A.S.H. for employees AND spouses. I only signed up DH, but after seeing him ride 93 miles on a mountain bike I was inspired. He bought me a bike two weeks later for our first anniversary (May 2004) and two months later I did a 50 mile ride with my work!

It took about a year and my work sponsoring us in the 2005 MS150 to really get me hooked. Prior to that I was running more than cycling. The bug bit me hard last year and now I am shooting for 3,000 miles this year (and a new bike). I only run about 1-2 times a week. Sadly, we moved from the town with the fabulous company but they definitely helped get me started.

[hurleygirl]

[QUOTE=caligurli thought you's all meant who/what got me started as an adult rider!!!!!!! [/QUOTE]

Me too. As a child, I rode out of necessity. My bike was transportation until I got a driver's license and a car.

Ironically, I learned how to ride a bike late. Most of my peers learned by first grade, and I couldn't get my balance right until second grade.

I never thought of the bike for recreation or fitness until I met my husband.

[Tiffanie]

(lol! i had the tricycles and 2-wheelers with training wheels... and then whatever speed bikes while growing up... but when i answered..... i thought you's all meant who/what got me started as an adult rider!!!!!!! soooooooooooo if you go back to childhood... then of course it was mom and dad who bought me my first bike!)

That's what I thought too! But I was seeing a lot of posts about childhood riding so thought I'd chime in there as well. ;)

[mimitabby]

Being a serious co-dependent, I approached this in my typical bass-ackwards sort of way.
DH was having a lot of fun riding and i pretty much avoided it. He even took our sons and got them involved, I did sag.
He had a group of friends he rode with and a few years ago; they all moved away. So DH sat and vegetated and got depressed.
I realized that the only way to get him off HIS butt was for ME to start riding... Even though I said more than a 5 mile ride was too much for me...
So I got him to "train me" for the STP ride, what, in 2003. and I haven't looked back.

[chickwhorips]

i always had some kind of bike since i was a wee-one.

did a few rides in the summer with my stepmom and her sister. the big higlight of that was going to taco bell, we didn't have fast food where i lived in the country. use to ride around everywhere, mainly to get away from my stepmom when i got older.

when i turned 16 i begged for a mtb from my parents when we moved to phx. want that instead of a car. i got the car. :(

finially once i moved up here i got the mtb that i always wanted thanks to my BF and am now really into cycling. i actually know about it now, instead of something i just did to get away. well i still do it just to get away, but you know what i mean.

[winddance]

My dad got me started. He's always had a passion for cycling. When he was a kid, he used to put together complete bikes from parts he would find, and he put my brother and I on tricycles and bicycles as soon as we were big enough to reach the pedals. I always had a bike available, but never really liked my last mtb, so I stopped riding.

He bought his first schmancy road bike a year or two ago, and I got jealous. I rode my mom's hybrid while visiting and couldn't keep up with him, so I decided that I wanted a road bike too! Whenever I go to visit my parents, I bring my bike with me and my father and I chase each other to the beach. I definitely have cycling to thank for bringing me closer to my father.

[HappyAnika]

When I was little I started riding bikes with my next door neighbor, a girl about my age. I loved riding for fun. Didn't ride at all when we lived in the mountains, steep dirt roads, and all of my friends lived at least 15 miles away. Then in junior high we lived in a city again and my parents got me a 10 speed so I could ride to school. My brother and I would go out on evenings and ride around the neighborhood and the parks. We would race each other and I loved going fast and feeling the wind rush by. Then I quit riding again . . . in college my (ex) bf was a road racer, along with several of my friends. I was baffled that anyone would ride 100 miles for fun! I thought about taking it up, but never did. 3 years ago DH decided he wanted to start riding to work to get some exercise and decrease his dependency on his deteriorating car. I thought, wow, I could never ride 10 miles to work! Then last summer some more of our friends starting biking, including 2 women. That's what put me over, I knew if they were doing it, I could too. I started riding a crappy mountain bike that my best friend had some how left in my garage . . . I remembered loving that feeling of speed and quickly decided that I needed a road bike. Now I ride 20 miles to work (and 20 miles home)! So to sum up I was influenced by a lot of men, but it was the women who inspired me to just do it. :D

[GLC1968]

Just thought I'd ditto Caligirl...I also only gave the most recent road biking reason...I've also pretty much always had a bike since I was a little girl.

Actually, my college roommate got me on a mountain bike back in the 80's. She had this gorgeous yellow Trek that would stare at me across our dorm room. A year of that, and I had to have my own. I bought a bright red one! I rode that baby all over New England until I was ready to upgrade to a Specialized Rockhopper with actual shocks! Woowhee! ;) I had to really scrape to come up with the $800 to by a previous year's model, but man I loved that bike. I still have it...and still ride it...over 10 years later.

I didn't become totally obsessed with biking until I got out on the road though...that's where my previous story started. :D

[makbike]

I have my older brother, Johnny, to thank. He cycled across the UK and France one summer and I thought that was just so cool. While he was there some stole his bike and he had to purchase a cheap/used bike while in France. He brought that bike home with him and sold it to me for $12 (I might mention that was $12 too much for this bike). It was in reality a piece of junk (didn't shift well, brakes barely worked, etc), however, I loved to ride that bike and ride I did until it died on day out on the road. Johnny made arrangements for me to purchase a used Univega Grand Turismo from a local shop and it was love at first ride. I still ride this bike today and I can't image not riding it. So thank you big brother for being such a great role model and for introducing me to bicycling!

[Brandy]

I started taking Spinning classes last year and one day in the spring, I was reading a copy of the local free newspaper, OC Weekly while I was on the treadmill at the gym. Their cover story was about a local cycling group and the article planted a seed for me. I tried riding my hybrid/town bike a few times after that and it just felt all wrong to me. It was too heavy, too upright and too slow for me! I wanted the power I felt in the Spinning classes and I knew I needed a road bike. I searched Craigslist for months with no luck and then finally found a near new 2005 Trek 1000 WSD in my size, so I came here to ask if they thought it was a fair price and then snatched it up. I've been hooked from day one!

[vicvroom]

Well, I rode a bike as a kid. I even delivered pizza in Philadelphia in the late 80's on a 3 speed I picked up at a thrift store.

I hadn't ridden since.

Then I started running 3 years ago, and really wanted to try triathlons, so DH and I went got a couple entry level mountain bikes (I figured I could use it on and off road, and if I really liked tri's, I woud either get a better road or tri bike).

I really liked riding, and I was pretty fast on my mountain bike, so I got my road bike last year - a steel de Rosa, and I love it!

I wish I could get DH to ride more. He goes out on short rides a once or twice a week, and we did the Rosarito-Ensenada ride together - his longest ride ever.

[Melstar]

Thanks for sharing your stories! From childhood family activities to romantic courtships, medical advice and family bonding time, not forgetting Caligurl's falling wine bottle cycling roots!! Really fun to read all about other peoples experiences haha.

I actually got sucked into cycling when i was working overseas for a bit. I got to know some friends who used to invite a group of us to their countryside estate on the weekends, where we got to go biking/sightseeing. I loved it so much that i decided i simply had to get a bike when i got back.

I was in fact toying with the idea of going on a tour around the country, but after chatting with some people who have done it, it sounded pretty tough, so i guess i've put it down as one of those things I would like to do in the distant future. :p

~E~

[rheidis73]

Hey everyone. New here to the forums, so i thought i'll just post to say hi!

I'm wondering, how did ya'll get started on cycling? It seems most of the time its the guys introducing us to the sport. Is that the usual case of things?

And yes I come under the category as mentioned above.

~E~

I was living on Maui and met two men from the Czech Republic that were racing in the Exterra race that year and I was able to go on a cycly ride with them. That was only last October and I have been addicted since then! Then I had only a heavy mountain bike...Of course, I had to upgrade! :D

[mlove]

I started watching cycling on tv when I was in France in 2000 and got interested in it as a sport. Then I thought maybe I could take up riding. Eventually I started taking spinning (my gym calls them cycling) classes to see if I thought I would like riding. Finally, after two years of talking about buying bikes with my husband--who still doesn't have one--I went out and bought a bike this year. Riding isn't much like stationary cycling, but I really enjoy it. As a nonathelete I feel that I have accomplished something when I finish a group ride.

[Hub]

My beloved Big brother . . . and 9/11. He got called back into the Army just after 9/11 and he had to get fit again. His knees were too worn out to take upi running again so he went to the bike shop in Augusta SC (he was stationed at Fort Gordon) and bought a bike.- a Trek X/O we both call blackbike. He really started digging it so we went back to the bike shop and bought a 5200-(carbon fiber baby:D ) He brought it to my house at CHristmas and told me to ride it . ." it's faster than Harry Potter's broom.";)

I had not ridden a bike since I sailed over the handlebars of my roommate's
(way too small) 10-speed in college- about 18 years ago- I took the Lord's name in vain- in front of the Baptist Student Union- shortly thereafter went to the ER for stitches- I was done with bikes.

Forward a lot of years & it's cold And I'm riding down my street on 2 teeny tires that look as big as my pinky- my tennies grasping at clipless pedals... scary, but cool.

He took the bike back to SC with him, but left a copy of "It's Not About The Bike". That made Lance my hero and showed me how cool bikes can be.

Brother gave me my Giant Sedona for Xmas the next year- I was riding sporadically there for a while, but now I'm on a roll- planning to ride across the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock on October 1-
http://www.bigdambridge.com/

The Sedona is named Boo-sikki ( It's blue, Boo is my brother's nick name and we're country). Boo also promised to take the X/O to the shop for a tune up and pass it down the line-- Besides he's got the 5200, a Madone & A rock Hopper

[dachshund]

I started when I was a kid and kept going until I was doing regular centuries in my late 20s. When we were kids we all rode bikes to school, so everyone had one. I started with the blue Schwinn, too.

Sometime in my 30s I stopped due to back problems and other distractions. I've been going to a gym, but lately it seems like such an artificial activity. That and I'm 50, and while the 30-year-olds are nice to look at, I sometimes feel old and rumpled there.

So I started walking on my local multi-use path, which follows the creeks and is quite lovely. Then I started noticing the people go by on bikes. :cool: They were going a lot faster! Most of them had smiles on their faces! Somehow I must have mentioned this at home, because one day my GF said, "why don't you buy a bicycle?" That did it! That was in May this year. Now I feel strong and not the least bit rumpled. And I've met some really nice people here.

[cherinyc]

I rode my ten-speed to school in 6th and 7th grade - and of course before then - but not after.
I knew nothing about cycling when I started dating my bf, who has been cycling for years. Gradually I became interested, and once I decided I wanted a bike of my own, I was hooked. Here is a pic of my angel who lead me to cycling :D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52127842@N00/212738379/

[latelatebloomer]

A trainer at my gym, who coaxed me in to his spin class and taught me that, completely unbeknownst to myself for 44 years, I had an inner athlete waiting to come out.

[Kitsune06]

well... mom and dad started me on this little trike before I could walk terribly well, and I loved it- I could go SO much faster than when I was walking... after that we (my sis and I) always had bikes that fit us reasonably well... her with pink and streamers, mine black with threatening mudguards. :rolleyes:
My last bike was a *heavy* blue 26"er... no idea the frame size, but Huffy... I rode with Mom on her Schwinn around town, but it always tired me out so much (and I'm sure my undiagnosed exercise-induced asthma didn't help):rolleyes:
Back then, a mile was walkable, but why walk that far if you could drive? It was a mile to downtown, but "only the trouble kids" hung out there... and it was "dangerous". :rolleyes: So I didn't leave much.
...until I got my car at 18 and my (now ex) dh and I drove to Eugene.
He'd always been on his 'bent, and said "You need a bike. It's the only way to go in Eugene" So like a nice little co-dependant I said "Okay" having never biked in a city so large, and got this Huffy that was (honestly) a poop magnet. Ride it ANYWHERE on the sidewalk or MUT and it had dog leavings SOMEWHERE on it. Got old real fast- esp the weight, size, and geometry ($8 goodwill bike) so after being a good girl, I got my first 'real' bike...
Miss Cakes (B*tch Cakes is her full name, but she's more the respectable lady now)
...Miss Cakes taught me that I was perfect the way I was... and the chains of my co-dependancy were slowly broken...
Cars come and go (with nasty insurance dealings, etc)... but bikes are forever.

[Delta7]

My dad bought my first bike, a $5 fixie at a garage sale! My bike messenger ex-bf got me interested in riding bikes, he helped me pick out my first road bike/hybrid (Specialized Crossroads). But, I would say my friend got me started in cycling, she invited me to go for a ride with a Cinderella training group, and now I love it :D


Cheers!

[deedolce]

Great stories~

Had a pink bike with streamers and a banana seat that glittered when I was small. Rode to school until I got my license and a '65 Corvair to drive.
Cheap 10 sp in college. I too, flew over the handlebars. But being a jock, I took a roll and stood up, no worse for the wear. (No helmet) Same college years, my bf-turned husband-turned ex, got me on the road for one ride. I hated it. He had ridden a large part of the country to get to UCD, did the double century (was it double then?) soon after we moved in together. I did NOT like it. I didn't see the point to ride out somewhere and then come back. It was no fun, I was hot, uncomfortable and sticky. I much prefered my tennis and karate to this.

Didn't ride afterwards. Had kids, raised kids, got out of shape. Then one day, I was at a stop light in my car, when two trim, lycra clad riders sprinted through the intersection in front of me. It was our quiet secretary from school! Hey, she looked pretty awesome zooming on her bike behind her husband, and I wanted to be like that again. Started riding downtown and on bike paths. I remember almost bonking at the bank after riding a whopping 5 miles one day. :-) Started on a few club rides. Bought a Specialized Dolce Elite last year. Lost 20 pounds. I can now wear a tanktop from college that wouldn't even go over my shoulders 2 years ago!

In the hopefully not too near future, I want to get a Greenspeed GT3 and do some self supported touring. It would be great to meet a guy that would be willing to do the biking/triking thing with me!

[Bad JuJu]

It's great reading everyone's stories! It's almost like a collection of testimonials--
"Why YOU Should Start Cycling!"

My own story starts, like many others, when I was quite young and my dad (in the navy then) brought home from Greece two fancy-shmancy European bikes, but in miniature, for my brother and me. They were the talk of the neighborhood--skinny tires (mine were 24"), hand brakes instead of coaster brakes, and multiple speeds (3 or 5, I think). I learned to ride a two-wheeler on that bike--Dad didn't believe in using training wheels. And it hurt me mightily before I caught on, but when I did--well, I still remember that feeling.

Fast forward through a couple of less spectacular bikes after I outgrew that first one, to the Schwinn touring bike I got when I was in college--only for "tours" across campus, of course. I still had it but hadn't ridden it in years when, in my mid-30s, I was driving home and saw a club ride going on--people cycling and smiling--not at all like the grim faces I saw when I'd go out running. I got home, lubed and tightened up the old Schwinn in the garage, pumped up the tires, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Well, not quite. I hit a bad spot a few years ago--back injury, knee injury, time-intensive family obligations. But now, I'm ba-ack, and loving it as always.

[light_sabe_r]

I was never really into cycling as a child. I had a crappy bike it was heavy and because I was in and out of hospital a lot with a bone infection I was warned to stay clear of any exercise whatsoever.

So I can REALLY say that BF has gotten me into it... and he was annoyed yesturday that I was DROOLING over the SUB zero Pro for AU$3200 for over an hour... abike which he's fuming is better and more expensive than his. I want it!!!