Out of the blue (why isn't it out of the green? or pink? or even purple? I love periwinkle). Any how, out of the blue, I got to thinking about life decisions. You know, one of those moments that you know has been or will be a life changer. Made me think about decisons related to cycling that altered the course of my life.
Some of them.
1995 Into cycling. What got you into cycling? For me, it was friends struck by MS combined with my foot neuroma. I know: Talk about odd fellows.
The foot neuroma squashed my tennis playing and I was playing A LOT of tennis. Then again, anything I get into becomes "A LOT". Those close to me would replace "A LOT" with "OBSESSED".  The doc told me no more tennis until I had an operation to clear the neuroma. Well, I wasn't going to get cut unless I had to, so that was put on hold. In the meantime, what to replace tennis?
Someone said I might enjoy cycling. No real pressure on your knees or feet to speak of.
Around the same time not one....not two....but three people I knew came down with MS. I took one of my kids bikes into the local bike store, and on the wall was a flyer about an "MS 100 Bike Ride". Now I had seen these funny dressed cyclists come through my town in the spring in droves and while questioning "what's that all about", never really asked anyone. Until that day. "So Mike, what's this about an MS 100 Bike Ride.". He then explained the two day, 50 miles each day, fund raising biking activity. And yes, those are the cyclists you see coming through town every spring.
I decided I wanted to raise money to fight MS. Started riding the clunker I owned. Y'know the bike you drag out of the garage for annual week or two week vaca? Really tough on the hills of northern NJ. On my birthday I was surprised by my kids with a hybrid. Little did they know about bikes. That sucker must have weighed 90 pounds. Back to Mike at the LBS. "Mike, how do I train to bike 50 miles day?" And behind that was the thought: "How can anyone bike 50 miles in a day???" He told me. I said: "That's a joke. Right?" So I began training on the hybrid. Still tough going up hills in northern NJ.
Completed the MS 100 ride and as I remember it took me most of the day to do those 50 miles, but oh my what feelings and emotions during and at the end of the ride. At the concluding ride party I was chatting with a couple who were handing out bike club flyers touting their upcoming annual ride. "What's this?" says I ever the more curious about "another" ride.
Turns out the bike club met about 20 minutes from my house. "Come join us any Satruday. There are folks to help new riders." says she.
Life Change.
Foot neuroma + MS = New Lifestyle. Changed my life forever.
(Continued next day blog)
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