What got you into biking?

[anabanana]

Well, I've always loved bike riding!

As a child growing up in a small town in Florida, I used to ride to school, the beach and to my friends' house. It was how I got around. I always loved it and was never afraid of traffic. Once I got married, my husband and I got bikes and would ride around first alone and then with the kids. When we moved to Georgia, we started mountain biking. I didn't do it all the time though. In the meantime, my husband began mountain biking with some friends and did a few races. He was seriously into it now. He always wanted me to do it with him. I finally got into cycling (seriously) last year. I got my first road bike for my birthday in 2007 but rode maybe once a week. Then last November I started Weight Watchers because I had gained a lot of weight. So I decided what a great way to exercise than to do something I really love and I can do it with my husband! I got a new mountain bike this April... it's absolutely beautiful. And for mother's day my husband upgraded my road bike... it's also beautiful. Yes... he spoils me when it comes to anything having to do with cycling. I ride 4 to 5 times a week. I'm in great shape now and have lost over 40 lbs.

I did my first group ride yesterday (the Hospitality Highway Century in Atlanta, GA). I've always been scared to ride with a bunch of people. I loved it! I did 61 miles and felt great.

I know I'll be 70 years old and riding along side my husband.
It's a great way to spend quality time together. It also keeps me in shape and healthy.

[skhill]

My one year anniversary of starting to ride again was this last weekend, too! I pulled out my old piece o'crap bike from a big-box store, and started down the road. At the time, I had been doing as much of my life on foot as I could, for exercise and to save on gas, and I saw the bike as a way to speed up my trips and extend the car-free range. Then I realized how fun it is....

Now I have 2 bikes, I routinely ride more miles in a week than I drive, and I've dropped almost 20 more pounds and I'm in the best shape of my life... And on top of that, it's absolutely liberating to get around town under my own power. I've also gotten to know (and love) my neighborhood and city and the surrounding rural areas better than ever.

On the downside, now I'm known at church as the crazy bike lady. Just because I turned up at a MLK event with panniers full of home-baked desserts on a morning with a negative wind chill.... Why not?

[Loraura]

Spin class at the gym is what got me started. I loved it so much. After a few months I thought to myself "I could do this on a real bike!"

And so it began!

I cancelled my gym membership many months ago. Don't need it! My gym is outside my front door now.