This is me in the 1990. I'm 16 years old and I was convinced I was over weight. I've never been stick skinny. And can you believe here I am a size 8. I grew up with frank in bikes, boys & girl bikes massed together. I really don't remember being taught to ride a bike. I just learned. I grew up on the Oregon coast in the tiny town of Bandon or as I lovely call it Abandon. The town had one signal light, a fudge factory, a functional cheese factory and lot's of storms.
When I was 6 and 7 I use to be able to ride on the road, which the cars were few and far in between. Oh the joys of having a older brother who wanted to kill you all the time. Every single dam time I try to ride my bike in peace, he would chase me and shove me off the bike. I've got the scars on my knees to prove it. So yeah riding was not easy. When I was 8 riding was also a problem, now we live even further out, the 10 miles out and we had no paved road and if I was going to ride it was around in circles. So I just kind of lost interest.
Now flash forward to 1990 I'm 16 and my dad comes home with these green bikes. I really have no idea what kind of bike they were, but they were heavy. Riding with dad was fun, I don't think we when as far maybe 6 miles round trip. But back then it didn't occur to me that I could go somewhere with this as in push my self. I was in a sad state back then and really didn't think much of anything.
You think my brother being old would change our relationship..nope. I went on a ride with him and he rode out further then we've ever ridden then he ditch me. I was like fuck. I didn't know Chico back then at all, so it took me a good 4 hours of guessing my way home. For a while I rode my bike to school every day, that was fun.
I can only imagine in alternate reality where I could have gone with cycling if I had have supportive family. But back then like I said I didn't think much of any thing. Just trying to survive home life and school every day was hard enough.
For a good 22 years I completely ignored bikes.
Then in the beginning of 2013 stopped at a stop light a guy rear ended our van and totaled it. We were ok, just shaken up. Now what?
Well at first we got some bikes from my step father who didn't want them any more, Heavy bikes made out of lead. Our first ride home with them I was so shaky and unsteady I was actually scared I would fall off before we got home. We road those for a very short while. I remember having to walk them over the over pass, riding a small hill back then was impossible.
Then we got the pay out for the van and we got to comfort Diamondback bikes and holy shit what a difference. In the beginning we would go 1 to 2 miles around. Then as we got better and had more stamina I got the mini cycling bug, I wanted to go further. My first further was was a whopping 2 miles and 4 miles round trip to five mile. That was the big out of breath heart beating ride. Then we cross the bridge, then we rode to wild wood park and we just kept going further and further. Eventually Paradise, Durham & Oroville all on comfort bikes. We turned comfort bikes into road bikes.
As of now I own a actual Road bike my Baby. A Airen 1 Diamondback Road bike. And I love it. So that my story and I'm sticking to it.
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