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FROM THE SUMMIT Do you remember what got you started riding a bike? Like a lot of people, when I was a kid, my bike was my means of transportation and imagination. When I played with my friends, it was the Millennium Falcon to my Han Solo and the CHP motorcycle to my Ponch. As I got older, my connection to my bike changed. It was as if, all of a sudden, my world got bigger and my bike was my main tool of exploration. Last month, I met a kid who helped me rediscover those things that I love about cycling. Recently, I began mentoring a junior cyclist named Noah. He’s thirteen years old and is excited to start racing. His parents contacted the team to see if there were any rides that their son could join us on. I invited Noah out for my Monday and Friday recover rides for a chance to introduce him to organized cycling and to get to know him a little more. Meeting Noah was like stepping back in time 25 years to when I started riding. I first became a Fremont Freewheeler back when I was 14 years old. After watching the movie “Breaking Away” during the summer of 1983, I fell in love with the sport. I was completely new to cycling and in need of some serious guidance. That is when I met the Fremont Freewheelers. John Tarbert stepped into the role of teacher for me when I joined the club. His instruction and coaching has left a huge impression on me. In this day of training with power meters and heart rate monitors, I find myself returning to the lessons that I learned from John, learning how to “feel” the efforts on the bike and gauge my training accordingly. When I started riding, I was on a Suteki 10 speed my parents bought me from Sears. I wore a cycling cap and t-shirt from Mervyn’s and my “cycling shorts” were a pair of rubberized exercise shorts used to make people sweat that I had turned inside out so they would look like the black shorts I’d seen on television. Didn’t realize that I could buy cycling shorts. Following John’s advice, I went to Tri-City and bought my first real cycling clothes. Noah is riding a 20 year old Centurion with stem shifters, bar top brakes and rat trap pedals. It was a bike that had been donated to his middle school bicycle club. When we ride along and I hear him shifting his gears behind me, I smile. I can remember those days on my Suteki, hunting for the right gear as I pedaled behind John on his shiny Colnago. Noah rides in board shorts, Nike running shoes and has his Discovery Channel jersey hidden underneath his sweatshirt. There’s no complaining from Noah, not one bit. He’s just excited to be out on his bike. As I ride with Noah now, I find myself stepping into the role of mentor that John had been for me. I hear him ask many of the same questions I asked John long ago. “Why are cycling shoes stiff?” “Why do racers shave their legs?” “What is the pad in the shorts for?” I do my best to answer his questions and watch as he absorbs all of the information. So, as you head out on your rides this month, take a minute to remember what it was that you love about cycling. Cheers, |