Why did you start biking?

[nancielle]

I used to cycle all the time as a kid. Kind of had to if we wanted to go anywhere . Since I suck at most other things athletic , this was one of the few things I could do. Fell away from it while in college. When I met my s/o about 11 years ago, he was into cycling (his primary means of transportation, other than the Metro) so I bought a mountain bike. A friend of mine and I started cycling together (nothing impressive, just the local bike trail.) With grad school and working, there never seemed to be any time to actually get out there. Even after graduation it seemed that everything else took priority. Then last January I had a serious fall during a snowstorm (snow covered ice ) and my left knee twisted and bent in ways it just isn't supposed to. It didn't heal properly and I ended up having surgery. When I went to see the orthopedic surgeon for my follow up visit after surgery, he recommended cycling to build up the strength in my leg (after relying on crutches and a cane for 1/2 a year actually walking on my own
was, believe it or not, a little scary.) Using the mountain bike was painful so one weekend my trusty crutches and I head on out to the LBS to check out what was available/affordable. They fit me and outfitted the car so I could take it home. Began building up strength again in the leg (crutches have been in the trunk of the car for months!) The weather here lately hasn't been conducive to riding but once it warms up again we're headin' out.

[roughingit]

I never learned how to ride when I was younger and I just walked everywhere. Then I landed up moving somewhere that caused me to have a two hour long walk to work. Now, the walk itself wasn't that bad really...it was mostly the knowing I was still going to have to walk home after an 8 hour plus day (at a pet store no less, so I was on feet all day as well). I gave my ex money to go buy me a tricycle, and he came back to my work with a three speed *bi*cycle. Only good thing that lout ever did was teach me how to ride. Now I ride all over the place and love long rides and touring. Here I have to wait till it's not so cold and icy-like though to ride.

[Crankin]

I rode a lot as a young teen on my Raleigh 3 speed, in a suburb with many hills. I had various 5 and ten speed bikes in HS and when I first started working, but never seriously saw cycling as an activity I would do. A few times, my husband would mention that he used to ride long distances as a kid, and would go out on his bike, but it was rare. When my youngest son was 13, he rode his old Huffy about 10 miles one day and came back and said, "I want a mountain bike." He saved his babysitting $ and got a really nice one. He started riding to school and then my husband got a mb and they did some serious mountain biking. Then we sent my son on a 3 week cycling trip from Vermont to Maine the summer before he started high school. Right before he left, my husband decided Scott needed a road bike for this trip. We bought it and in the interim, my husband bought a road bike and all of the gear. I just laughed at the lycra shorts. When Scott came back from his trip, they started riding together and Scott entered his first race. He came in 3d, so he joined a team and was training seriously. All of this time, I had been a gym rat, since about the age of 25. I taught aerobics for ten years, but just at the time they started cycling, I was a bit heavier and bored with the gym. I had walked for years, but never really exercised much outside, especially when I lived in Arizona. After about 3 years of my husband riding, he was determined to get me out on a bike, so he set up his mountain bike for me, with slick tires and went and bought me shorts, shirts, etc. without me knowing. My first ride was in Oct. 2000, about 5 miles and he had to push me up a short hill with the back of his hand.... I realized I had become really out of shape and started doing spin at the gym that fall. In the spring I started riding regularly, I remember my first ride was about 15 miles. That was it, I was hooked. I bought my first road bike in Sept. 2002 and my Trek 5200 in July 2004. I am now a trip leader for an outdoor club and just about all of our vacations revolve around cycling.....

[annie]

I think I've biked most of my life....... starting when I was maybe 5 or 6 years old? My dad found a used bike, spray painted it silver, ran behind me until I could balance myself and then I was free!! Well, sorta free....... I was allowed to ride to the end of the block (a long block, at least) and back. I swear I remember to this day the sense of freedom I felt, being able to just take off and go away from home, all by myself. As I got older, if I wanted to go somewhere, I rode my bike. It was my transportation for a long time! To school, to my first job. It wasn't actually something I did for enjoyment. I did it to get places. One of my brothers, however, got into bike racing! Very exciting! I'd watch his races whenever I could. Always thought, in the back of my mind, that I'd try it someday....... But I got married, had kids, biking slipped into the background. Until one day, on a short ride around town with my sister, we saw thousands of bike riders riding the opposite direction as us. We found out that they were RAGBRAI riders arriving in town at the end of the ride. I was amazed at the sheer number of riders and the thought that they'd been riding for 7 days and crossed the state. I told her right then and there that I was doing that the next year. She could come with me if she wanted, but I was going. And we did!! I've never looked back, as far as biking. That was 22 years ago! I've had two more kids since then, but I've never taken much time off the bike. I feel more alive on a bike than any other activity I've tried. I can't begin to list all the good that has come to me from biking. Health, happiness, friends, joy, beauty, and so much more! Could I survive without biking? I hope so....... but I don't know. It is so much a part of who I am. I've been off the bike from injuries occasionally. People ask me : How can you keep riding after that accident? I ask them : How can I not? It is so wonderful to have a place to visit here at TE where I know others share the passion for biking that I have. Thanks, ladies!

[MomOnBike]

I didn't start riding until I was almost in Jr. High (I think, it's been a while). My dad got me a blue, single speed, coaster brake Schwinn, (those of a certain age know exactly the bike I'm talking about). He then taught me to fix my own flats - a chore that involved wrenches back then.

After that, if I really wanted to go somewhere, I walked, rattled there on the Schwinn, or bummed a ride. I didn't drive a car until I lived in the middle of nowhere with an infant daughter.

Backing up a bit, for our first anniversary, DH got me Walter, my 10-speed Raleigh, then he needed a better bike to keep up with me. (He rode that Schwinn to work today.)

The roads were too bad, distances to far, and child-type responsibilities too pressing for me to ride while the girls were little.

When we moved back to civilization, I was out of the habit of riding, until one day at work I had my friend the nurse take my blood pressure just for grins. She turned white, and sent me home with instructions not to stroke out on her. Not my idea of grins, actually.

I started riding again & in the process, I discovered that Walter, as much as I love him, is probably not sized well for me. I just can't ride for long without my hands hurting - not to mention other parts. But, but, but, that's My Bike! We have History! What to do?

A different rehab specialist convinced me that I can actually own more than one bike, & that a recumbent might be good for me. I'd never seriously considered either option before that.

So now I ride (mostly) the 'bent, and my weight, blood pressure & stress are more controlled. Life is good. I want to tour.

[bikerchick68]

It's been fun reading thru all these... we're all so similar in so many was...

I started riding about 3 yrs ago... the ex-husband decided he wanted to get a road bike... in an attempt to have something to do in common I said I wanted one too. His response was that I wouldn't stick with it... in other words why bother? Yep, ya tell me I CAN'T do something and it will be my single handed goal to prove otherwise. LOL... more pride than sense sometimes...

thank goodness for the ex... his attempt to put me down led me to a hobby that has brought me more self-confidence, self-esteem and sense of self-worth than just about any other hobby I've tried, ballroom dance excepted! I'm not a natural athlete so every ride is a bit of work for me... but this is the one gift that the ex gave me that I will be forever grateful for... an introduction to cycling.

I'm proud to say I've become a decent rider... I ride for the sheer joy of feeling the sun on my skin and the breeze in my hair (yeah, going thru my helmet! LOL).... for the cameraderie... and because cycling has made me believe I CAN!

[bcipam]

I have just never not rode. Have been riding since a little kid. I think it's because I could get farther and faster away from my mother... yes I probably need therapy as well but for now, a bike does me better! I started riding sortof serious about 30 years ago and real serious (like doing centuries and week long rides) 5 years ago. I see me doing alot of cycling once I retire and can travel. It's easier on the body than running or even walking. Plus I can still get away farther and faster!!!

[Geonz]

Welp, I moved to Richmond Va. from Culpeper and told my mother "It's flatter here. A person could ride bikes." (I was 31.) That Christmas, there was a bicycle under the tree - a ladies' Schwinn 5-speed that was great for tooling around.
When I'd tooled around for one season I invested in a $400 hybrid from a bike shop, and still was just tooling around. There was this guy I was silently smitten with; he'd guided me through teaching the INtro Guitar elective at school and we'd even gone to a concert together, so I summoned up all my nerve and then some and called to see if he'd let me take him out to dinner as a thank you... his obviously no-longer-ex girlfriend answered his phone.
I decided that was the week to get out and meet new people, and every saturday, even in February, the bike club has its Breakfast Club ride. I didn't think about what kind of people ride in February, and fortunately there's a group of militant tortoises there who didn't mind an extra and gave me lots of encouragement & tips. One thing led to another... that hybrid has over 20,000 miles on it now.

[Eden]

I'm with the gals who seem to have always been there. I remember every bike. It all started with a red tricycle.......
I remember being terrified on my little red one speed with the training wheels and coaster brakes going down the "big hill" with my feet up in the air because the pedals would go around to fast for me to keep up (I'll bet if I went back there today I would laugh at myself over that hill!).
I started touring with my mom on a heavy steel blue girls style bike from Sears. What we didn't know in those days! Jean and tennis shoes were our gear of choice!
I finally got tall enough for a real bike! It was a beautiful red and black Trek with 21 speeds! Boy was I ticked when that one was stolen my first year at college.
The replacement was a powder blue and pink Trek of the same model that served me faithfully for many many years on two continents- until I figured out that it really was a bit big for me.
The current steed an '05 Fuji Provence that has let me find speed and power I never knew I had - this year I've joined a team and will be in my first mass start race in a few weeks! (I did a hillclimb timetrial last year - I came in 6th!)
The dream bike - I'm working on selling some things to afford this one soon - a Specialized Ruby - Its the first carbon fiber bike that I've seen that comes in my size!!

[ACG]

Like bikerchick 68 this sport has brought me more self-confidence....I can't say I've become a decent rider, but I can agree with the sheer joy of it all.

I tried out for every team in grammer school and high school. I could never hit the ball over the net, over anyone's head or catch any ball. Never made any team. I biked on a sears bike for about 2 years in the late 80's, bike was stolen, had a baby and it took me to the year 2002, to think, hmmm maybe I can ride a bike again. I was at the time lacking self esteem. I started with a mountain bike, put road tires on it, bought a road bike, then another. My 3 bikes are the only things I've ever owned that are all mine. Cycling gives me sheer joy, freedom from stress and a few pounds too. I ride to live and live to ride.