what made you start biking?

[Mr. Beanz]

I actually started riding after a challenge by coworkers. I've always been competitive and a big guy. I pumped iron and played a lot of softball tournaments. We had a company team that I played on as well. 3 coworkers who were on this fitness vegetarian kick told me that I was a big strong dude but that I probably had no stamina. They challenged me to a bike ride.

I'm all up for challenges so hey, let's go! Planned 60 mile ride. After 5 miles or so warm up I took the front. We only completed 20 before one of them almost puked!

After that I thought it was really fun being on the bike so I bought a bike and never looked back. That was in 1992. 4 years later got my wife involved, got her a bike and a tandem. She's been riding consistently for nearly 20 years!

That's her in the black on her single bike.

Last week on the tandem..... and the back scratch. Nice things about tandems.

 

[elvisish]

Most of my riding is fairly casual and for leisure but I love riding short and long distances. Started riding when I was a kid and have never stopped! Always had a bike in the garage cos its great fun, great exercise and great for commuting.

 

[limerickman]

As a kid I got a Christmas present of a bike (raleigh chopper ). From messing about on the street, that planted the cycling seed in my mind.

There was an ancient racing bike in the garage and I tried to restore it when I was about 12. I saved up for the parts, cleaned up the existing parts and got that bike back on the road. It was a racing bike. That ignited my interest and having friends who all were interested in racing helped as well.

Plus the old TI Raleigh jerseys - as worn by Jan Raas - caught my imagination.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

Topic resurrected so I'm responding again.


Wow, my post above was 5 years ago?

Since 1902, been 28 years of cycling. And still here we are still riding our bikes.

Gina will be 58 in October so I'm happy we aren't just old couch potatoes with remote in hand. She has had some major setbacks in life, death of her 38 yo son last year and the second son, major stroke and heart attack, very disabled now at 33. Both kidney failure dialysis patients. Gina herself only has one kidney after donating to her son back in 2000, the hard way pre microscopic or whatever they call it. She's got a big 10 inch scar on her side.

But yet, here we are still riding our bikes. Even with all the setbacks and not much time in the saddle, she can still whip out a 32 miler at 16.5 average speed.

Not bad for a grandma of 9, one kidney, 58 year old grandma! I think she will only get stronger as time goes by. Maybe not as much as 15 years ago doing an 18 average on a 43 mile ride but as long as she keeps riding, I'm good!

Maybe we need a "WHAT KEEPS YOU RIDING?" thread.

Rather recent rides: Even with the virus in the air, she continues to ride!

 

[Mr. Beanz]

I probably would never have ridden if my girlfriend hadn't offered to ride bikes on the first date. We met her on a Dating site https://romancecompass.com neither of us really rode bikes, but on our first date, we went for a ride together. We really enjoyed it and now we ride every weekend.

Post #24 and 26 the same, only 2 posts, I'm guessing spam to promote the dating site.