I have been riding a bike basically my entire life. I remember my dad teaching me how to ride a bike by running behind me and holding onto the seat and then letting go and catching me if I was starting to fall. I ended up doing the same with my girls when they were learning to ride as well. I remember falling off my bike as a kid and splitting my lip open on the street and bleeding a lot, and then that stain being visible on the street for years. Like most kids o my generation I used a bike to get to and from school from the time I learned to ride until I could drive myself to school. I used to go everywhere as kid in the neighborhood. So, I used my bike(s) a lot. I remember my first 10 speed bike. I sanded the frame down and painted the think blue. It was a great bike for me, and then it was stolen. I was really sad, but then my dad found it. A co-worker (a chemistry teacher at the high school) was saying his bike was stolen that same night and the thieves left an old blue 10 speed in its place, and it was my bike.
I biked everywhere as I got into my teen years. I would bike to my friends’ houses, even when they were 7+ miles away. I would bike to the mall all the time (it was where I went to the movies after all), and the closest one was 9.5 miles one way from my house. I did that every weekend I think. That is just what we did.
When I got to college, I used a bike to get around campus and go to events around campus. I had a car, but the bike was faster and easier most of the time. I remember falling hard due to trolly tracks one time near campus. I cut myself up pretty good, but still made it to the study group almost on time.
Once I got married I pretty much stopped riding. I don’t know why really. I think I was just so fixed on getting things done and getting from one place to another and the bike didn’t serve me well in those cases. I would occasionally get on it, but not like I did when I was younger.
Then the Covid pandemic hit. Since everything had shut down, that meant the gym at my school was closed. My wife asked me what I was going to do about exercising. I decided to get out my bike from college (which was in the garage) and start cycling again. So I did. I started riding everyday. It started with a few miles a day, and slowly built up. Then I had a pretty bad accident when my front tire lost air pressure and I went over the front handlebars. I broke a tooth, had a gash in my chin, broke my helmet, and broke the bike as well. My wife found the tooth and my dentist put that back together. I had to get 6-7 stiches in my chin, and I had to buy a new helmet. Oh, and I realized I couldn’t easily fix up my bike. So, I started looking for a new bike. I talked to a friend that was into bicycle, and he helped me find a really good Velovie Vitesse 400 for what he said was a really good price. So, we went to look at it and I bought it. It is an all carbon fiber bike. I had never experienced that before. The bike weighs nothing (well about 13lbs I think). I started riding it and I am still riding it almost everyday.
My daily biking average has slowly climbed from around 30 miles a week to now I am biking about 100 miles a week or more, and I love it.
I decided I needed something for our place in Pinetop so I bought a mountain bike. After riding it for a while I realized I didn’t like it as much as the road bike. I don’t like the way I sit on the bike, and I don’t like the feel of my arms being out so far while riding. So, I did some more online looking and bought another carbon fiber bike, this time a Scott CR1. It has become my primary riding bike up there. I still ride the mountain bike in the snow and rain since it has larger tires, but I prefer the road bike.
I really enjoy riding, and now things have started to get crazier. My wife and I tried out an OLD and crappy tandem when we went to San Diego in 2022, and I had a blast even though the bike broke on us. So, when we got back home to Chandler I found a lightly used tandem and bought it. “B” and I haven’t used it much together, but I have used it a lot with my youngest daughter when I pick her up from school on Fridays (when it gets cool enough). She loves it. My oldest doesn’t care for it though which I find funny. I even saw a tandem road bike a few months ago, and thought that looked even better than what we have, but I know my wife doesn’t like road bikes as much so that won’t happen.
Look at what we have in Chandler and Pinetop:
Everyone in my family ride bikes. The girls ride to school, and my wife rides to work. We got her a cool cargo bike a couple years ago. It weighs a bunch, but it is certainly setup for carrying everything. I think my oldest might end up with it once she gets tall enough to ride it, and my wife will go back to her bike (the white one with the baskets that my oldest daughter currently rides).
And to top it all off, I have moved to wearing bike clothing when riding. I have tops and bottoms and in Pinetop I even have fleece lined bike close for when it is really cold. Last year I even went as far as getting this Star Trek bike clothing set. I mean look at me. I think I am truly crazy now with all of this.
But I love it. I enjoy biking. It is a time for me to exercise, but I also get to listen to an audiobook or music or podcast. I get to have some me time while riding. I got a Garmin smartwatch to help me keep track of my cycling workouts (and other things as well). I love setting myself monthly and yearly goals, and the Garmin challenges add to the fun of thing. I have started setting myself a 400 mile a month riding goal, and a 4000 mile year (this year due to being in Japan, Singapore and Australia for 7 weeks that is) goal. I have been pretty successful with these so far. Because of the Garmin challenges I have even done a few 40km rides (25 miles). I can honestly say I never thought I would willing ride 25 miles at one time just to meet a challenge. But I have enjoyed it.
Some people think it is dangerous to ride in the city. I haven’t had too much trouble. I occasionally have to deal with someone not paying attention that turns in front of me or pulls out of a driveway, but I have learned over the many years of riding that I have to just pay attention to what others are doing in their cars. I can’t trust them to see me, even though most of my bicycle clothing is SUPER bright. I thankfully have never been hit by a car, and I hope it stays that way.
I have started thinking about bigger goals/desires with regard to bicycling. I will write on those later maybe. Or as I make them actually happen maybe I will write about them then…
Do you cycle? Do you think I am crazy?