I always find it interesting how
our minds work. Specifically, I find it
interesting how memories come to us. You
know, there are times when you can just be sitting there, and memories of some distant
time comes into your mind. Or, you see
someone or something and all of a sudden, a flood of memories that you thought
had long gone come rolling back in. On a
recent trip to Banner Elk I began to recall memories that I had not recalled
for some time.
For as long as I can remember,
bicycles have been a part of my life.
While I don’t remember my first bike, I do remember that just an hour
before we went and bought it, I rode a bike (my sister’s bike) for the first
time without training wheels. Such a
simple joy! At that point in life m
bicycle riding was limited to the one street we lived on…a cul-de-sac that had
a long hill at the end. When you are
young you don’t really think too much about asphalt, road rash, and such things…which
is a good thing. I can’t remember how
many times me and the asphalt of King David Drive got acquainted…but I’m glad
those days are long gone!
In middle and junior high bikes
were still a major part of my life. My
friends and I would take parts off of this bike and that bike and create bikes
that actually worked. One of the things
we loved to do was built ramps and jump things.
Our favorite thing to jump was those plastic pots that plants come
in. There were several advantages to
jumping these types of flowerpots. For
one thing, they were plentiful and easy to come by. But second, on those not so rare occasions
that we miss judged our speed and angle so that we came up short on our attempts…plastic
flowerpots crush…which is so much better than a crash.
When I was in college, I bought
my first bicycle…at the first bicycle that I paid for myself. While it was a department store bike, I made
a few modifications and upgrades to it and it served me well in the several
biathlons I participated in while in college.
But this bike did just about get me in trouble. You see, I bought this bike with a credit
card…but I never told my parents that I had a credit card. When I forgot that little fact and rode it
down to Williams Bryce Stadium to tailgate with my parents my mom asked a question
I had hoped she wouldn’t…“Whose bike is that?”
Well, after a brief moment I answered her truthfully, “It belongs to a guy
who lives in my dorm.” (OK, it was
mostly truthful.)
One of the realities of life is
that as we grow some of the things we enjoyed when we were younger tend to fade…we
outgrow them or other interests come along.
And so, I began to drift away from bicycles. And as hard as it is to believe, I had some
years I don’t believe I had a single bike I could ride. But then, in January of 2005 we moved to the
mountains of North Carolina…to Banner Elk to be exact. Life was good. A year later I was 41 years old, had been
married for 14 years, had two children and had grown quite comfortable with my sedentary
life. There was no life changing event,
no scolding by my doctor at my annual physical (probably because I did get my
annual physical), and I didn’t give out of breath from simply walking around
the yard. (Well, at least no more so
than anyone else…we did live in the mountains and “them there hills” were
pretty serious.) But it was at this point
in life that I knew I needed to make a change…my current lifestyle was simply
not sustainable.
It was at this point that I approached Doug Owen, who was the cycling coach at Lees-McRae College. In the above photo Doug is on the far left…you might think he kind of looks like Santa Clause, but he doesn’t. He actually looks like a pirate! There were two things he did that I believe is fair to say changed my life. First, he directed me to Hampton Trails Bicycle shop in Elizabethton, TN. That is where I bought my first bike…a Haro Mountain bike with mechanical disc brakes.
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| My first mountain bike |
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| Mill Pond gravel road |
I also remember the day that Doug
called and invited me to go on a road ride.
Riding his son’s bike he took me over Hickory Nut Gap and up to the Blue
Ridge Parkway. I don’t remember how long
a ride it was…but it doesn’t matter. I
was hooked. It wasn’t too long after
that I bought y second bike…an aluminum, 2007 Masi Vincere that I still ride
today. I’m not sure I ever told Doug,
but my wife pretty much put her foot down and wouldn’t let me try a new type of
cycling with Doug…it was too expensive because it seemed to always lead me back
to the bike shop. And I never came home
empty handed.
Since that first trip down the
Mill Pond gravel road I have logged quite a few miles…and have continued to
acquire more bikes (pictured below). I
have enjoyed a lot of different types of cycling…mountain biking, road biking,
gravel riding, and most recently I am into bicycle touring. All of these used different bikes…but they
all share the simple joy of two legs turning two pedals which then turn two
wheels.
Over the years Doug has been a
great coach and mentor in m cycling. But
more importantly, he has become a great friend.
And one of the most important lessons he taught me, I want to pass on to
you. Just start!
It really doesn’t matter how far or short you ride…or how fast or
slow. What matters is that you get out
and ride. (You may not be into bicycles,
but whatever it is you want to do…just start!)
I encourage you go out and find your own Mill Pond Road and start a
journey that will last a lifetime!
See You soon!
-
PJ
Just for fun I’m including picture
of my bicycle stable…including my gravel bike that got stolen last Thanksgiving.
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| Current mountain bike |
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| Road bike |
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| Current gravel and all around bike |
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| Fuji Touring bike |
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| My stolen, homemade gravel bike...I still miss it! |
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