The Intro: Part 1

So now the bike adventure begins...! Well actually is began back when I was three, but that is a for a different day. So I am here today, 75 pounds lighter and from all appearances in good shape. This blog is about my journey, with my bike, to get here the past 2.5 years, and my continuing adventures. So as I do this as an outlet for myself I hope that you all find something out of it. I will probably talk mostly about biking, but will drift to other things such as my weight loss, cooking, photography, and other things that strikes me, but hopefully still related to cycling somehow. Enjoy... (warning: I like ellipses!)

So as I mentioned I am 75 pounds lighter. There is so much to say about this, but I think the best thing is that I am thankful. It has made me feel so much better physically and emotionally. So how did I get here? That is the question that everyone asks. No it was not some fad carb only or cabbage juice diets. My friends and family can attest to that. I love food too much. So here are the two things I did: 1) I tracked and moderated what I ate, 2) Cycled my big butt off! I used a program called Fitday (fitday.com) to track my calories and just kept my calories down. Not glamorous by any means, but it works with my strengths (or quirks depending how you look at it). I like gadgets and using them. So this program singularly gave me the toy I needed. It worked. I guess though that is enough for now. I will write more about this part later. Onto the fun stuff...cycling.

So what brought me to cycling? When I got back from a little stint in Indiana I realized just how overweight and lethargic I had become. I was tired of being overweight, and had started to worry about my health. The hard part was finding something I liked to do that involved being physical. I also realized that if I did not do something that got me out of the house I would sit and watch the great Satan...television! I am not a big fan of the gym environment. Do not get me wrong they are great for other people. I needed something different though. Something me. I was not into the traditional team sports these days, and I do not like to run (I tried it once with a friend...that's right Marc). This is where my best friend Bill came in to save the day. Yes, in a way he is my saviour on Earth. Bill, well he cycles. I would hear him talk about it, and he would mention it here and there. As I thought of things to do him and the biking kept coming into the picture. So I wondered if it would be something for me. Let's see...something physical (not something I liked...yet), lots of gadgets to research, ability to get out of the house and not in a gym, can be done solo or with group. It was sounding good. So I asked Bill to help me come look for a bike. Why? I needed his support. Not sure I told him that, but I almost chickened out a few times. Him just listening to me talk about wanting to buy a bike, and going with me to the bike stores though kept me solid. So as I am who I am, I had everything researched. I knew components, the materials, fitting, and all. Well, I thought I did. I soon realized how little I knew. Seems simple...bike...two wheels and a saddle (yes DeAnna a saddle is the seat). It is much more than that though. So after some deliberation I settled in on my choice...a Jamis 2005 Ventura Comp road bike. I will spare the details of it...for now.

Now that I had the bike I had to ride it. This was the wrinkle in my plan. I did ride it , but as this is already long I will save this for part two and other posts.

Before I go though I want to thank Bill again, and my family and friends. Their support, and comments of "Hey you...Mr Skinny!" have meant the world to me.