So this is my first blog. I heard everybody was doing it so I thought I would just join in. I'll just dedicate this first post to introducing myself and give a little bit of my cycling history.
I was born here in Utah and lived here until I was about five when I move to Oregon with my family for two years and then up to Alaska, which is where I grew up. In Alaska my only mode of transportation growing up was my bicycle. I got my Cycling merit badge for boy scouts with a crazy heavy, full suspension, Toys 'R Us mountain bike. That included doing a 50 mile ride, which I did regularly as a young teenager, from Anchorage to Eagle River and back to Anchorage.
When I turned 14 I decided that I wanted to race mountain bikes. I bought a Mountain Bike Magazine and read all about different mountain bikes and I had finally picked one out. My Dad took me to a real bike shop to look at the mountain bike I had read about. One of the shop workers approached us and I started to tell him that I wanted to race mountain bikes. He started to tell me about how mountain biking is a crazy sport. He explained that I would have mere milliseconds to make a choice that could keep me cruising down a hill or fly head first down a hill without a bike! I explained that maybe I didn't want to do anything like that. The bike shop worker asked if I would be interested in Road Cycling. Road Cycling? With the skinny tires and spandex? Uh...I though only weirdos did that kind of thing.
He just laughed at me and actually explained the strategy and the speed involved in racing road bikes. I didn't know anything about road bikes! But I liked to ride, I wanted to race, and I didn't want to smash into trees. Road cycling it was!
So my parents bought me my first road bike and it is actually still my current road bike 8 years later. It is a 2002 Giant OCR 3, bright yellow. The bike was so weird to me. The power transfer difference between the road bike and the Toys 'R Us bike was incredible. I did my normal 50 mile ride and blew past the spot where I always took a half hour break before continuing. Riding on the road bike was easy! I loved it!
I then decided to join the Arctic Bicycling Club and raced in 2002. I placed first in every single race I entered for my division...of course I was the only one in my division qualified to win...but hey! First is first baby!
And so began my tale of cycling. I will try to get some pictures up of my races and dig around to find some old news paper articles with me in them. I am excited to do this blog!
