Why did you start biking?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Is it OK to say "just because"? Or "I really don't remember"?

I started riding many many many years ago - as in soon after I graduated from college and had my first full-time job. I did some riding on my own, some riding with a club. I continued to ride on and off, but back then it was never an "all of the time" activity for me. That really changed when I started touring, and when I really accepted my own riding style - which admittedly is slow in comparison to a lot of the gals here on this board. I started going on supported tours back in 1988, and I started to ride more and more so that I'd be in shape for my tours. I switched to solo self-supported tours in 1998, and my riding became more a part of my life.

But why do I continue to ride? Because it makes me feel good. Because I love the quiet, the opportunity to see things along the way - including animals who aren't scared away by a silently rolling bicycle. Because it gives me the opportunity to travel in new places and to meet people along the way. It's amazing how many people will stop and talk with a lone cyclist clearly traveling through the area... Because for me, cycling is magic...

--- Denise