Happy stories from my LBS
Today I went to my LBS to get my clipless pedals, have the owner rewrap my bars and teach me maintenance stuff etc. So I was back behind the counter with the owner for a while, chatting while he alternated between working on my bike and waiting on customers. A couple of their stories made me smile.
One guy who came in was a big old local guy in his 60s with a bushy gray beard going halfway down his chest and a great big belly. He test drove a $1600 recumbent bike - and then bought it! The owner was very pleasantly surprised, and not just because of the sale but because he never thought this guy would decide to get in shape.
A woman in her 50s came in just to say "hi" to the owner. She chatted for a while and then left. She was obviously in great shape. After she left, the owner told me that he met her a year and a half or so ago when she was 150 lbs heavier than she is now. He was at the gym, running on the treadmill, and she got on the bike next to him. Her goal was to go 1/4 mile. He said she finished up the 1/4 mile and he looked at her and said "is that it?" She looked at him, surprised, and said "what?" and he said "Are you getting off already? You just got here. Why don't you at least just sit there for a while longer - maybe pedal real slow or something. It's fun." So he chatted with her and she stayed on the bike for 20 minutes and went like a mile or something and she was so proud of herself. She couldn't believe how far she'd gone. He got to know her and learned that she and her husband had been very sedentary for all their lives - just sitting around all day doing nothing but eating and watching TV. Now she's 150 lbs lighter and running 5k races.
It was so inspiring.
