An early start can be helpful.

For example, the cycling enthusiast who aspires to ride in Grand Tours might have an advantage if he* got started as a little tyke on a balance bike. Of course it\’s important not to push training too hard, too soon; from all I\’ve ever read, that can be disastrous.

No matter what ambitions you might have to compete, enjoying your time in the saddle is important. If you want to improve, of course that means putting in the effort; and I\’ll be the first to admit that that\’s not always fun!

I\’ve long had the idea that an advantage to beginning while young, is that the muscles are getting strengthened and trained as they grow. Youngsters have more energy than adults; and the younger you are, the more quickly you can bounce back from minor injuries and muscle soreness.

An early start is important in other ways, too. Take century-ride day, for example — especially if you\’re using an adult tricycle. I began that ride before 5 am; and struggled with the wind all day. It slowed me down so much that it was almost 8 pm when I at last hit the triple-digit mark. I had trained up as well as I could; and even gotten a 3-speed hub. But that wind was almost too much.

Today I started early in another respect. After work, I got Chinese take-out: \”Christmas dinner\”! My fortune cookie read: \”Only one who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible\”. It reminded me of that long, tough day on the tricycle, putting in 100 miles. I had once thought such a trek was impossible. I sure fooled myself on that one!

*\”He\” is gender-neutral here; there are big, important bicycle races for women, too!