How it All Started
My cycling career started early; at the ripe age of 37. But really, we could go further back. My first memory of being on a bike was riding my Big Wheels up and down our city block. Unfortunately, that first memory also includes being surrounded by a gang of tough, Big Wheel-riding little boys. That memory ends with my mom leading me by the handlebars away from that tough gang…
Although I’m sure I got back out there after that traumatizing experience, I don’t have any other memories of riding until my family moved to the suburbs. We lived in a U-shaped development, where all us kids would play outside until the streetlights came on. At this point, I was tough. I was about 10 years old, playing soccer (mostly going for the ball when no one else was around, and otherwise running away from it) and very active in ballet, so grace and balance should have been my thing, right? Well hold on to your helmets!
Back to that next bike memory – I was riding down our super steep (about 1% grade) U-shaped street at terrifying speeds (about 5 mph). Because the neighborhood was U-shaped, our street was safe as safe could be. But sure enough, flying downhill at breakneck speed, I see a car that I swear is driving towards me. I do what any tough 10-year-old kid would do – completely panic. To avoid the car, I wrench my handlebars to the left… and go flying off my bike. It’s amazing how bloody you can be after skidding across the macadam at 5 mph. I ran crying to my parents, bloody from head to toe. Afterwards, I realized that that car coming towards me? It was parked, and empty. Maybe riding a bike wasn’t for me. And that was the last time I got on a bike as a kid.
Present Day
Fast forward about 20 or so years, and that’s where this blog picks up. These are the stories of a non-athletic, non-outdoorsy, and not super-graceful adult woman learning how to ride a bike. And I do mean wishing-she-had-training-wheels, hold-my-seat-and-don’t-let-go, learning how to ride a bike. The cool thing? I have learned a great deal, and not just about biking. Sure, I’ve learned about gearing, tire pressure, and suspension, but I’ve learned an amazing amount about myself, the world around me, and how these lessons apply in life, and not just in cycling.
My Goal
My main goal is to share these stories with you, and to hopefully inspire other women (or men!) to get out there and ride their bikes. Or, to get out there and face their fears, in any aspect. That thing you’re so scared of? Truth is, it’s not so scary. (OK, it is – but I promise you, taking on that challenge? Facing that fear? It’s totally worth it). And you will be amazed at what you’re capable of, what you can learn, and what you CAN DO!
In my cycling experiences, I have laughed. I have cried. I have sweat…a lot. There’s been blood. There’s been cursing (probably more than I should admit). There have been ups and downs, new friends and old friends, excitement and disappointment. I can honestly say that learning how to ride a bike, and then riding itself, has been one of the best experiences of my life thus far.
So get out there. GO FOR IT!
