My Lonely Cycling Life

Sometimes I wish some of my friends had gotten into riding and racing road bikes. I've made a lot of good friends since I started riding and training hard, but none of the friends I had before I discovered cycling came along for the ride, so to speak.

A former roommate of mine bought a road bike the same time that I did, nearly three years ago now, but he never got into like I did, and now hardly rides at all. A close friend of mine who lives in Alabama is a cyclist, but I was already getting into the sport when I first met him a couple of years ago. Whenever we're together we ride, but sadly that's a very rare occasion these days.

I have a few friends that would make excellent cyclists. They're built for it, they are in good shape, and they're relatively competitive. Unfortunately, most of them are either restricted by financial concerns or simply have no interest in riding a bike all the time. I think I can understand their point of view, but not really. Many of my friends are into bikes, but not cycling. They ride cruisers and hybrids for transportation and recreation, but don't take it very seriously---and that's cool. Above all else, bikes are just plain fun. At least they ride! I don't expect my buddies to sprint for the win on the Tuesday group ride with me every week, but it would be nice if I had a few old friends who got the same rush and satisfaction I get from bike racing.

Luckily, even though none of my old friends got into the sport with me, all of them offer support and encouragement whenever they see me. It's rare that someone doesn't ask how much I've been riding or if I'm excited about racing in the future. They ask me questions about the bike, the clothing, the leg-shaving, the racing, everything. I love talking about cycling, so their interest in it makes me excited---even if I still have to ride without them...