Rediscovering Cycling

A few years ago, I was invited to go on a 20 mile bike ride by a couple of friends. I accepted the invite and grabbed my 10 year old GT mountain bike and headed down to the rendezvous point. I thought that I was in pretty good shape and figured my mountain bike would be up to the challenge. We geared up and headed out on what seemed to be pretty easy at first. The first mile is relatively flat and my knobby tires were standing up to the poor conditions of the road. Then...our first hill, actually it was a slight incline, but it kicked my ass! At about 4 miles into the ride, I was spent. I think that I actually turned around and came back. Needless to say, I did not take that bike back for that ride again. I had to have something more equipped and made for the purpose. I went to my local bike store and purchased a race level (with entry components) TREK Alpha SLR 1500. This bike only weighs 16 lbs! I grabbed some other essential gear and energy supplements and immediately prepared for my next ride.
The second trip on the 20 mile loop was an eye opener. I thought for sure that, with this new bike, I would dominate and be able to keep up with my friends. I did complete the entire ride, but played catch-up most of the time. I was exhausted again. Every part of my body hurt and I couldn't catch my breath for almost an hour after the ride. What the heck! I was in worst shape than I had thought. In addition to that, I found out that I have exercise induced asthma. From that moment until now, my vow was to get into shape and conquer road biking.
In the Fall of the same year that I started riding, the guys that invited me on that first ride talked me into doing a triathlon. Morgan's Little Miami Triathlon (in northern Cincinnati) is a 6 mile canoe, 6 mile run, 1/4 mile hill climb, and 18 mile bike ride. It sounded more fun than anything. Once again, I felt tough enough to accept the challenge. By then I will have had 3 months of bike training under my belt and running has never been that hard for me. The canoe part was my only worry. I have never canoed before. The guys all said not to worry, it's easy. WRONG! I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and being that there was only ten inches of water that year because of a drought didn't help matters either. My canoe mate and I spent more time in the water (literally) than anybody else. Oh well, we got through it and I went on to finish the race in just under 4 hours. The finish time sucked but I was glad just to have finished.
I have been biking for almost 3 years now and am totally addicted. I even picked up mountain biking last year when they opened a 4 mile course in Mitchell Memorial Park near my home. The course is entry level, but it is what you make of it, and can be a ton of fun. Of course, I had to purchase a new mountain bike since mine was out dated. I bought a Gary Fisher hard tail with front suspension fork. It has disc brakes and it is fairly light considering it is a mountain bike. I am looking forward to more adventures in the great outdoors with my mountain bike.
One thing I have learned about biking is that everybody has a different style and pace. I will never be a Lance Armstrong and that is fine with me. I do it more for the exercise and to challenge myself. I only wish that I had more time to ride because "saddle time" is what makes all the difference in the world. I am hoping to get out at least three days a week this season whether it's on the road or off in the trails. I am also hoping to participate in the GOBA (Great Ohio Bike Adventure) in northern Ohio this year. It is a week long tour across the northern tier of the state. I am also planning on doing the triathlon again this fall. It will be a challenge because I have not been in a canoe since the first triathlon, but it is a lot of fun and I want to beat my first finish time.
Biking is a great sport. Be warned though, it is not for everybody. If you have a fear of sharing the road with cars when you are on a 16 lb piece of aluminum (or carbon fiber), then it is probably not the sport for you. Most drivers are considerate but you WILL encounter the occasional idiot. I have to practice extra grace and keep my rage under control when somebody does or says something stupid to me. Also, biking is expensive. Most entry level bikes cost around $1,000 and race level bikes can get up into the $10,000's (don't ask me why, you can buy a motorcycle for the same price). It can be addictive, so don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting to upgrade components on your bike that will assist in making you faster.
All in all, I LOVE IT! I am glad to have rediscovered the sport. It brings back a part of my childhood that I have always cherished.