Cycling – Or as I like to call it “bike riding”. (Lincoln)

We moved to Lincoln in August 2007. And Rex promptly took us out to the Mopac Trailhead off 84th St. we probably went about 1.5 miles toward Walton and back. The wind I felt in my face that day rekindled a bright orange flame and a freedom I hadn’t felt since outgrowing that bright orange bike from my childhood.

As the sun shown through the branches of the tree lined Mopac it flashed in my eyes, bright – dark, bright – dark, the same way the rising sun would flash in the eyes of that freckled faced little redhead boy that I’d seen in the mirror growing up as he would ride North down the gravel road on a cool fall morning on his way to Dist. 37 the sun shown through mature cornrows bright – dark, bright – dark in rhythm with the bumps of that old washboard road.

How could I deny the child in me? Where had he been since then? As a parent I have the duty to provide the same experience to my offspring, don’t I? So, as a good parent (And a guy who wanted a cool bike) I sold the plan to the wife and we got new bikes.

Throughout my blog you’ll hear me preach the truth about how you don’t need anything fancy to enjoy the outdoors. And that is true for bikes as well. The main thing is that you get out there and ride. But, with that said, I felt the need to upgrade from the 10 year old Wal-Mart mountain bike I had. But, I’m not advocating that you should. Riding any bike is better than not riding at all.

Anyway, we just went to look. And you know how that goes…

We looked at Cycle Works, Scheels, Wal-Mart and Target before going to Bike Pedalers. Bike Pedalers had the Marin Comfort Series bikes. They ride like a creampuff. Really comfortable and easy to ride. I mean truly, it was like going from a Pinto to a Cadillac when I first tried one. They are upright bikes. Like a mountain bike. The handle bars are pretty flat, not like a road bike that you’d ride in an aggressive ‘bent down’ position. They have suspension in the seat and front fork. They have wide tires like a mountain bike (MTB) but they are smooth. By now it’s late in September and we haggled them into a sweet deal for 3 comfort series bikes and a MTB for our oldest. Our youngest had just got a bike a year before and it still fit him good. In the spring of 2008 he he got a MTB from Scheels.

And that’s where it all began. I added things to mine as time went on. Bike Pedalers threw in water bottles, bottle cages, and kick stands (usually sold separate) when we bought them. Over time I’ve added a speedometer / odometer, rear rack and bag, air pump, U-lock, front & rear light, pepper spray in a Velcro holder, and clipless pedals.

Far more than a beginner needs. But far, far less than the bikes that are $2000 - $10,000 that a lot of people are riding. And don't forget all the fancy gear and clothes those cyclist are buying.

My hat is off to these athletes on other local blogs that’ll grind out a century (hundred mile ride) on gravel on a Saturday and follow it with another on Sunday. A big part of the reason I’m writing this blog is to encourage others to get out and ride casually and not to feel like riding is only for kids and killer athletes. I want this blog to have a flavor somewhere between - The Streamers on the handlebars, Rainbows and Fairy Dust Cyclist and the Velo Hells Angles.

At first 3 or 4 miles was an exhaustive ride for us. But before long we were riding twice as far without any trouble. If your just starting to ride you’ll notice your rear hurting, you can buy a softer seat or one of those gel pads, but I promise you, that if you’ll ride a little every day or so for a couple of weeks it wont bother you anymore. I’ve also found that it’s really hard to get out and ride when I haven’t for awhile. But, on the same note, when riding consistently day after day you’ll find that it really doesn’t feel right to go a day or two without riding.

I commuted from around 40th & Old Cheney to work at 56th & Cornhusker. A 24.5 mi. round trip most of the summer last year. I’m not one of these die-hard tree huggers that think cars are ruining our planet. But everyday I rode I saved a little over $5 in gas and that was nice. A lot of cyclist you’ll find on other websites and blogs will commute year-round, and I admire them for that. But I’m not even close to one of them. I yield to cold, strong wind, rain & blistering heat. Now that I’ve put on less than 100 miles in the last 4 months I’m finding it tough to get back into it. My heart is into it, and it’s a lot of fun, but my body hasn’t got the memo quite yet.

Last year we took a lot of casual rides with the kids on the bike trails around the neighborhood. On the ‘single track’ dirt MTB trails at Wilderness Park and on the Mopac going east of 84th. But I was the one that got too carried away with this new hobby. Besides commuting to work on the Tierra Williamsburg trail to the Rock Island then down to UNL then onto the John Dietrich trail and then to the office. I also rode all the other trails in Lincoln. Did the Nacho Ride down the Mopac to the One Eyed Dog Saloon in Eagle. I highly recommend that ride to new cyclist. I also loved to ride downtown about 7am on a Sunday morning and ride on the streets, it’s dead down there and it’s pretty cool to feel like you own the streets. I'd also take the Jamaica North to the Homestead Trail and went south to Cortland. I did that a couple of times on Sunday mornings and had breakfast at the café there. And once went on to Beatrice and back. That ride about killed me toward the end, but I was proud of myself for doing it. The whole family went to Hastings for the Annual Kool-Aid Ride, we got about 10 miles into it before a monsoon rained us out and we got sagged back. Besides riding with the wife and kids I rode with Bobbie, Rex, Jim, Steve, Lance and Dennis as well as several of the kids’ friends during last year.

If your new to riding, I recommend picking up a $20 speedometer. Use low gears, pedeling too hard will wear you out fast. Ride on the right side of the trail, and say "on your left" when passing someone. Wear a helmet. Ride often and encourage other new cyclist.

The picture of me holding my bike above me was when I hit my first 1000 miles. I planned it just right so I'd be at 1000 right when I got to the capital and had the wife meet me there with the camera. All in all I put 2000 miles on it last year. This year as my valentines gift, the wife got me entered into the Tour De Nebraska. It’s coming up in June and I need to get serious about riding so I don’t die out there on the tour. I’m really excited and hope to blog about riding as I get ready and while I’m on the tour. Check back often. I’ll be more encouraged if I think others will know if I get lazy.

My final thought is, again, get out and ride, take your family and friends if they’ll go. And whether it’s a mile or a century (stay tuned, maybe I’ll get my first century this year!) be proud of the riding you can get in.