I mentioned in the last post that something like cycling or anything else of the sort does not define who I am. What brought this about, was having all these issues with my back and the fear of not really being able to ride again.
Cycling has been an interest of mine from as far back as I can remember. I loved watching the Tour de France with my grandma when I was a little kid. Back then the only coverage was what you could find on a hour long version of NBC or ABC Sports. In that hour they would cover 6-7 stages of the race so you really never got to see much racing. Today, with all the cable channels and the Internet, you can watch many races in their entirety.
I also remember watching them race down through Pinetop finishing the 100 mile loop from Show Low, through Eagar, and returning via Pinetop. As a naive little kid, the thought occurred to me, "What an easy sport, you get to carry your own water and you can drink whenever you want". This at the time meant, you never get tired. Of course later I would find out that the ability to carry your own water doesn't amount to much.
I started racing during my sophomore year in high school. I quit baseball (my favorite sport) to focus on cycling. This was not a popular choice with my dad. It became even more unpopular when he found out that cyclists shave their legs. When I say unpopular, I'm not kidding. The words, "If any son of mine is going to shave his legs, it won't be under my roof" sounded through the house more than I want to remember. Needless to say, there wasn't much support at my house.
My grandma was my biggest fan. In fact, my first racing bike, which my grandma help me buy, is still hanging in my garage. I still remember our first trip to Flagstaff to buy my first wind trainer and my first pair of cycling shoes. Grandma was looking out for me. I never had the best stuff, but I was never lacking in gear. A blessing I'm sure I took for granted at the time.
Two friends of mine, Kevin McDaniel and Chuck Hess were instrumental in developing my love for cycling. Kevin was one of the best riders in the state and that's saying a lot for a kid from Pinetop. One funny story about Kev. One day he had ridden up to the top of Hawley Lake. If you've ever been up there, you know it's a windy road with some very sharp corners. Coming down from the top you can really build up some good speed. Kevin apparently had too much speed coming into one of the corners, hit some gravel, and flew off the side of the road. Covered in road rash and unable to walk, he said all he could do was lie there and pray. Not long after Kevin commenced his praying, two ladies found him and stopped to help. And here's the power of prayer, the two ladies were nuns. You really know God is reaching his hand out when he sends two nuns to find you:).
Chuck, even to this day, is one of the most talented athletes I have ever met. From wrestling to cycling, the guy had a heart and lungs that could go forever. I remember our first race together, the start line was only about 100 yards from a cattle guard. I reached down to get a drink at just the wrong time. As I reached for my bottle, we hit the cattle guard. I guess it was nerves, but I foolishly dropped my only water bottle with 30 miles to go. Chuck, who of course was already out front, rode back to me, gave me his only bottle, and not only finished the race, but won it without ever taking a drink.
I was pretty good on a bike back in high school. Never as good as Chuck or Kevin, but I consistently placed in most races. If Chuck and Kevin were there, I could usually count on 3rd place. If they weren't then I was hopeful for 1st or 2nd. Those were the good ol' days, then you start to get older:).
Once I left for college, I rarely placed in the top 3. In fact I was lucky to place in the top 10. I found that I was starting to enjoy the riding more than the actual racing. Partly because I didn't have the motivation to put that much time in on the bike. Working full time as well as going to school full time just didn't allow for much workout time. There's no way to compete when you can't commit to riding 5 days a week. Over time, riding started to take a back seat to college life. Not partying, but studying and working (yes I was a dork).
It wasn't until after I got married that I started riding again. I was amazed at how uncomfortable I felt on the bike. Thankfully, it all came back fairly soon. Being back on the bike, I remembered how good it felt just to be out on the bike. The burning in my legs felt exhilarating. The more I did it the more I enjoyed it. Over time, cycling became my way of escaping the stresses of everyday life.
Over the years, cycling has become a huge part of our family. Everyone in the house (including little Keevan) has at least 2 bikes. One for the pavement, the other for the dirt. I know it sounds insanely pathetic, but it's really the coolest hobby we can all share. In fact, for Spring Break, we'll all be doing South Mountain together.
Even more...........uh....pathetic.. I have 5 bikes of my own in the garage. I have my commuter bike (aka the Dork Bike), my Trek Madone (my racing bike), my Gary Fisher Rumble Fish (mountain bike), my Beach Cruiser, and my Schwinn Prelude (my first racing bike 1987). I don't need this many bikes I know, but other than the Schwinn, they all get ridden at some point. I actually want two more, (my wife will kill me) but I think I'll will have to wait for a while. I want a cross bike and a Surly Fat Tire. A cross bike is like a road bike with skinny mountain bike tires and the Surly, well it's just flat cool. Check this bad boy out http://surlybikes.com/bikes/moonlander. Neither would probably serve any more of a purpose than my other bikes, but someday, I'll have em:).
My back has taken a lot of enjoyment out of riding. I'm hopeful though that with all this therapy (physical, not mental), I'll be as good as new someday soon. I'll once again remember and experience all the reasons I love to ride. Riding 40mph with a tailwind while all you can hear is the whisping of the tires floating effortlessly along the pavement. The intense burn you get in your legs when summiting a steep climb, then the excitement of flying down that same steep climb. Hauling ass at 50 mph and pedaling to see if you can hit 51. Hitting a corner without touching your brakes. Feeling exhausted after a 5 hour ride, but feeling great knowing that you did it.
I may claim that riding does not define me, but it has become a huge part of my life. An important part of my life that I would never change. It's taught me about hard work, dedication, commitment, and desire. It's a feeling you wish everyone could experience and enjoy. I can only hope that my boys will find the same joys and accomplishments on the bike as I have. Lance Armstrong's book "It's Not About the Bike" is only partly true, because to many of us, it truly is all about the bike.
Cycling has been an interest of mine from as far back as I can remember. I loved watching the Tour de France with my grandma when I was a little kid. Back then the only coverage was what you could find on a hour long version of NBC or ABC Sports. In that hour they would cover 6-7 stages of the race so you really never got to see much racing. Today, with all the cable channels and the Internet, you can watch many races in their entirety.
I also remember watching them race down through Pinetop finishing the 100 mile loop from Show Low, through Eagar, and returning via Pinetop. As a naive little kid, the thought occurred to me, "What an easy sport, you get to carry your own water and you can drink whenever you want". This at the time meant, you never get tired. Of course later I would find out that the ability to carry your own water doesn't amount to much.
I started racing during my sophomore year in high school. I quit baseball (my favorite sport) to focus on cycling. This was not a popular choice with my dad. It became even more unpopular when he found out that cyclists shave their legs. When I say unpopular, I'm not kidding. The words, "If any son of mine is going to shave his legs, it won't be under my roof" sounded through the house more than I want to remember. Needless to say, there wasn't much support at my house.
My grandma was my biggest fan. In fact, my first racing bike, which my grandma help me buy, is still hanging in my garage. I still remember our first trip to Flagstaff to buy my first wind trainer and my first pair of cycling shoes. Grandma was looking out for me. I never had the best stuff, but I was never lacking in gear. A blessing I'm sure I took for granted at the time.
Two friends of mine, Kevin McDaniel and Chuck Hess were instrumental in developing my love for cycling. Kevin was one of the best riders in the state and that's saying a lot for a kid from Pinetop. One funny story about Kev. One day he had ridden up to the top of Hawley Lake. If you've ever been up there, you know it's a windy road with some very sharp corners. Coming down from the top you can really build up some good speed. Kevin apparently had too much speed coming into one of the corners, hit some gravel, and flew off the side of the road. Covered in road rash and unable to walk, he said all he could do was lie there and pray. Not long after Kevin commenced his praying, two ladies found him and stopped to help. And here's the power of prayer, the two ladies were nuns. You really know God is reaching his hand out when he sends two nuns to find you:).
Chuck, even to this day, is one of the most talented athletes I have ever met. From wrestling to cycling, the guy had a heart and lungs that could go forever. I remember our first race together, the start line was only about 100 yards from a cattle guard. I reached down to get a drink at just the wrong time. As I reached for my bottle, we hit the cattle guard. I guess it was nerves, but I foolishly dropped my only water bottle with 30 miles to go. Chuck, who of course was already out front, rode back to me, gave me his only bottle, and not only finished the race, but won it without ever taking a drink.
I was pretty good on a bike back in high school. Never as good as Chuck or Kevin, but I consistently placed in most races. If Chuck and Kevin were there, I could usually count on 3rd place. If they weren't then I was hopeful for 1st or 2nd. Those were the good ol' days, then you start to get older:).
Once I left for college, I rarely placed in the top 3. In fact I was lucky to place in the top 10. I found that I was starting to enjoy the riding more than the actual racing. Partly because I didn't have the motivation to put that much time in on the bike. Working full time as well as going to school full time just didn't allow for much workout time. There's no way to compete when you can't commit to riding 5 days a week. Over time, riding started to take a back seat to college life. Not partying, but studying and working (yes I was a dork).
It wasn't until after I got married that I started riding again. I was amazed at how uncomfortable I felt on the bike. Thankfully, it all came back fairly soon. Being back on the bike, I remembered how good it felt just to be out on the bike. The burning in my legs felt exhilarating. The more I did it the more I enjoyed it. Over time, cycling became my way of escaping the stresses of everyday life.
Over the years, cycling has become a huge part of our family. Everyone in the house (including little Keevan) has at least 2 bikes. One for the pavement, the other for the dirt. I know it sounds insanely pathetic, but it's really the coolest hobby we can all share. In fact, for Spring Break, we'll all be doing South Mountain together.
Even more...........uh....pathetic.. I have 5 bikes of my own in the garage. I have my commuter bike (aka the Dork Bike), my Trek Madone (my racing bike), my Gary Fisher Rumble Fish (mountain bike), my Beach Cruiser, and my Schwinn Prelude (my first racing bike 1987). I don't need this many bikes I know, but other than the Schwinn, they all get ridden at some point. I actually want two more, (my wife will kill me) but I think I'll will have to wait for a while. I want a cross bike and a Surly Fat Tire. A cross bike is like a road bike with skinny mountain bike tires and the Surly, well it's just flat cool. Check this bad boy out http://surlybikes.com/bikes/moonlander. Neither would probably serve any more of a purpose than my other bikes, but someday, I'll have em:).
My back has taken a lot of enjoyment out of riding. I'm hopeful though that with all this therapy (physical, not mental), I'll be as good as new someday soon. I'll once again remember and experience all the reasons I love to ride. Riding 40mph with a tailwind while all you can hear is the whisping of the tires floating effortlessly along the pavement. The intense burn you get in your legs when summiting a steep climb, then the excitement of flying down that same steep climb. Hauling ass at 50 mph and pedaling to see if you can hit 51. Hitting a corner without touching your brakes. Feeling exhausted after a 5 hour ride, but feeling great knowing that you did it.
I may claim that riding does not define me, but it has become a huge part of my life. An important part of my life that I would never change. It's taught me about hard work, dedication, commitment, and desire. It's a feeling you wish everyone could experience and enjoy. I can only hope that my boys will find the same joys and accomplishments on the bike as I have. Lance Armstrong's book "It's Not About the Bike" is only partly true, because to many of us, it truly is all about the bike.
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