Intro
Cycling has been a passion of mine since 1993. Cycling has been my path to becoming a fit person. Cycling is the best sport in the world! Cycling will keep you very fit for life too…unless…well…you don’t like cycling, but that’s okay. Don’t look for the “ideal” workout or sport. Don’t go on a “program”. Don’t look for “quick” results. Find a sport you can envision yourself doing for life and dive into it 100%. It can be tennis, golf, surfing, martial arts, whatever. For me, having a primary sport like cycling has been life changing, and it also makes supplemental training (e.g. weight lifting) much easier, and sometimes enjoyable : ). But if you’re currently not working out don’t worry about supplemental training or cross training. Just focus on your chosen sport and enjoy it to the max.
Video #1 – check out the current bikes I ride
Video #2 – Lewis Meyers of American Eagle Instruments, Jen Kirkham, RDH and I discuss our passion for cycling
Video #3 – A video/photo montage of my cycling trip to Montana.
Photos (some of my old bikes)
This is my first real, quality road bike. A 1993 Peugeot. This was 1 of 3 bikes that got stolen while I was stationed in Germany.
My first real, quality MTB. 1993 Schwinn.
1994 Cannondale Killer V700. I added a Manitou suspension fork. It came with a rigid fork.
My first MTB race in 1994. It was difficult, mostly because I wasn’t acclimated to the altitude of the German Alps.
Dorm life in 1996, but there’s always room for two bikes : )
Ramstein AB, Germany in the dorm 1996.
1994 Cannondale R500. Triple crank!
1996 Cannondale F700. I loved those headshocks
Waiting for the Tour de France riders to arrive at the finish line (1996)
Racing in Altus, Oklahoma (1997)
MTB racing in Tulsa, OK (1997)
1997 Trek Y-5 and 1997 Cannondale R600
The guy in yellow behind me was a constant competitor.
1998 Cannondale F1000
This was my grocery hauler. A 2001 Specialized hybrid with an Xtracycle kit. It could carry up to 300 lbs. I had that bike many years.
2003 Jamis road bike. No more triple cranks!
2008 Kona Dr. Dew. Added fast road tires, bar ends, flat pedals, and tighter gears in the back. It was the perfect commuter bike. Very rugged.
Mark Frias, RDH
I beat CHF in 2009. My cyclist Doc lent me his Carbon Fiber Pinarello for nine months. I never ridden such a lightweight machine in my life. As a result- I lost the 88 pounds I gained in drug rehab. I had no idea he did this to get me hooked on cycling. It worked.
I read through your blog post about finding a sport I can envision myself doing for life. Very thought provoking. I have competed in sprint triathlons, completed a half marathon and love to bike ride & swim. But, as I’ve gone through surgeries, grown older and gained weight, those sports have become very challenging to me. Swimming is the easiest of those for me so I am going to develop a plan to commit to swimming weekly to start somewhere. Thank you for giving me a new way of thinking.
Thank you for reading the blog post. Swimming sounds like a good choice. What about hiking? Pretty low impact, but still a serious workout if you want it to be.