I had biked my small town roads as a kid but I must admit it didn't play a role in my starting to ride seriously. I always had a bike because I live in the city (Montreal) and it is so much more convenient than driving, but I never actually spent money on one, just picked old busted bikes at yard sales. Sometimes I rode them on the long bike path that winds by the St-Laurent river but honestly I was always ashamed because the old bikes rattled and made awful noises... I checked out the racer bikes as they zoomed past me, but I never thought this was accessible to me... Cyclists - real ones - were from another planet.

Then I started going out with a guy whose parents had become big roadies in their early 50s. My BF himself was into mountain biking, but did take his mountain bike on the road once in a while. I thought cycling together would be a cool thing to do because you don't have to go out of town to do it, we have plenty of nice places to ride around here. We were at some outdoors store for something else and I dragged him downstairs to check out the bikes. I was a bit disappointed that he was not that enthusiastic, but I felt like getting one for myself anyway so I bought a Trek hybrid on sale. I didn't want to spend more than 500$, so for that price I got a bike that was a bit less expensive but with clipless pedals and shoes. Honestly, I'm nearly sure that those pedals made the difference. I was physically hooked the first time I took the bike out and in one month rode about 500 km, which was a lot for me.

Then came the road bike, which I traded against some work on a bike manufacturer's web site. The 18-pound baby just grabbed my heart and won't let go now. I've kept on riding 500 km/month and I can feel myself becoming a better road biker.

And you know what? I'm currently breaking up with the mountain bike guy, which is sad after two years of living together, but I feel that this bike thing is one of the best gifts that relationship has left me, plus riding is my way to remain sane during the breakup. (And he just got a road bike too. *sigh*) And even a 3000$ bike comes cheaper than Paxil!!!

The feeling of flying on the road is what I love best about cycling. It IS close to nirvana: I just ride and ride and ride and stop thinking, totally. I love the speed. Being self-propelled also feels like a statement to me. The health benefits are a good point too, as my family has a history of heart disease and various cancers. Plus, I too love the legs and butt, and am learning to live with the tan lines. I kinda like being pointed out as a cyclist now, and maybe it has taken me to another planet...

And finally it has allowed me to meet - virtually or in real life - tons of new cool people. And that's another great reward! Thank you girls I love chatting with you on this board.

Keep riding!