Now for some more how to\’s!

You\’d think this would be easy: to be a cyclist, just get on the bicycle and ride! But since so much seems to have been written about it, I must conclude that it\’s not quite as simple as that. Need some more how to\’s?

Here\’s how my own personal How To has unfolded over the years:

I started riding an adult trike. My legs said, \”Wow, we love this!\”; so I kept riding.

I soon discovered that riding the two miles or so to work didn\’t satisfy me; and I started putting in extra miles before going to work. Before long I was rising earlier and earlier in the morning so I could ride those miles.

Next I got my first pair of cycling shorts; and I noticed how undressed I felt while wearing them. It took a while for me to get used to it, and stop feeling indecent.

Before I knew it, I was doing longer and longer rides on Sunday mornings. I started to take along food, extra water, and electrolyte drinks. My interest in long-distance cycling grew. Then I got in my first 50-miler; and I thought more and more about doing a century.

So I set my mind and worked up to it — and I did it! I felt great about this considerable accomplishment.

And all that was before I graduated to two wheels!

Then, over a period of about 15 months, I got going on a hybrid; and then a road bike. I decided to let the old tricycle go; the guys at the shop had told me that it was \”on its last legs\”, and I didn\’t use it much any more.

I kept riding, and realized that I was hooked for life.