Getting Back On The Bike.

I have always been an active person. Probably not a "health conscious" person, but active anyway. I used to live on a lake. The main road around the lake is about 9 miles.

Sometime in 2002, the gym I had been a member at posted a note on the door. Essentially, the message was, "sorry for your luck, but we are out of cash and business, so go away!"

My membership was almost due so no big deal. As I was about to follow the instructions and go away, another member showed up. After releasing a phrase a sailor would have been quite shocked by, the guy told me he had paid his annual fee that week. Too bad for him. I told him something which resembled the phrase, "sorry for your luck."

My dilemma was how am I going to keep up my exercise, so should I just say the hell with it, and eat more pizza and drink more beer. I opted for the exercise, and found myself at Walmart buying a bike.

The bike was a 5 speed "cruiser" and cost me somewhere between 50 and 100 dollars. I went on to just about wear the bike out. I rode around the lake on a daily basis, stopping to swim at either one of 2 beaches. Working 3 days per week, I had time to enjoy life at the lake.

Eventually, I moved away from the lake, and my cycling ability surpassed the "NEXT" 5 speed cruiser. My point here is that for me, I found Bicycling at a point in my life when I needed the exercise. I was 40, and trying to stay active. What I discovered was that riding a bike was way more than just exercise. It made me feel good, and forget my problems.