Starting Over

I have heard the quote, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, and rich is better.” My experience with cycling is, “I’ve been fit and I’ve been fat, and fit is better!” For better or for worse, I have had to start over riding a bicycle quite a few times since I am and forever will be a “recovering fatty.”

Riding a bike when fit is easy. You can go anywhere you want, everything works well, the handling skills are honed and you can take for granted how much effort it takes to be a human-powered vehicle. This is not the case when learning to ride a bike as an adult and certainly not when starting to ride after a long layoff.

When I was a full-time bike racer in the 1980s, 125-mile days were common. I didn’t have a car, so I shopped on the bike, commuted on the bike, trained on the bike and, of course, socialized in rides while on the bike. It felt awesome to be proficient on a high-performance bicycle. I could easily beat a car from one end of Dallas to another if the traffic was heavy.

Fast forward to another period in life, 110 pounds heavier. I knew it was time to start riding again as I felt absolutely awful. Well, here goes! I had done 700 mile weeks, right? Not so fast, buster. Not so far, either. I soon found out that 5 miles was a long way when starting over. Not only that, but all the things I had gotten accustomed to had exited stage left. I wasn’t smooth on the bike anymore. The saddle was uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to traffic. Wow, this is not what I signed up for.

As time went by, things started coming back and I regained my friendship with the bike. I still got dropped by faster riders and still had to train hard to get fit again, but it did happen. Nobody was more amazed than me, as I truly felt like it was impossible at first. I remembered how fun cycling was and how tough things were when restarting and knew I could never get it back. I was so wrong, thank goodness.

Since I started KGS Bikes in 1996, I have gotten fit and detrained twice. Each time I get back on the bike I swear that this will be the last time I start over, and every time I get closer. I just want to never take for granted how much one really needs to know to ride a bike well. I also have my mission in life defined, helping others get back on the bike and make it a major part of an active lifestyle with stress on physical fitness rather than a passing fad.

The other part of my discovery is that I am “starting over” many times as I mature and my cycling experience changes. I used to race full-time. Now, I am a recreational cyclist who may race on occasion but racing does not define my life like it used to. My position on the bike has changed and I have learned how “grown-ups” sit on a bike as we have a more mature body. The saddle may have to move aft. The handlebars will need to be raised and moved closer. Our bodies don’t react as well to poor fit or hard rides with poor conditioning. Recovery takes longer.

The things that are changed for the better are also noted. A vista at the top of a hard climb is much more beautiful because it is earned through a great effort. A precision pace line with everyone working together and not against each other is extraordinary. The feeling of accomplishment after a century ride is still there, but seeing all the other people with graying hair is a reminder that Baby Boomers are a tough group of folks that are not taking aging lying down.

I joke with people who come into the KGS Bikes studio, saying “I’ll work with you until you’re 90 and after that you are on your own!” The fact of the matter is, I am seeing more and more people in their prime of life “starting over”. It is beautiful and amazing seeing how adaptive humans are and how much we can turn back the clock simply by getting on a bike and rebuilding ourselves. My hope is that I can continue to start over every day, since yesterday has gone and tomorrow isn’t here yet.

To sum up, starting over on a bike is a challenge, but is one that is worth it. I hope you join me in encouraging others to take charge of their lives, and learn how to really ride a bike. Whether the reason is to be “green”, to lose weight, stress management in today’s pressure cooker of a society or just to enjoy the feeling of freedom one has on a bicycle, please help spread the word. It’s worth the effort.