I've been riding bikes all my life,but as I look across my garage (or as my wife calls it the bike shop) I don't remember it taking sooo much stuff to do it. Some how I've become a collector I have a mountain bike, 3 road bikes, a time trial bike and my track bike. I have extra wheels for each ranging from my heavy duty winter wheels to my sleek carbon zipps and my disk. Oh yeah I also have an older centurion road bike that I bought at a garage sale which has been turned into my commuter bike. and thats just the hardwear, It all continues up in my closet well you know shorts and bibs jerseies and head sweats. I seem to have more cycling clothing than normal stuff.

Now don't get me wrong I really need all that stuff, I think. I'm just amazed that they make this much stuff for a simple sport. I read recently that cycling is the sport that wins the prize for neat stuff to buy (and my TT helmet is really cool). They say the deeper the love for the sport the more you tend to spend on it (I must really love cycling from all the evidence). Then there's all of the organizations USA cycling (I am a certified coach) local cycling club, local racing team and the UMCA.

Anyway I think back to where this all began and I must have had a really deprived childhood. I only had the one bike a couple of cloths pins and what would now be very valuable baseball cards in the spokes. How could anybody ride a bicycle with so little equipment.

In future installments I'll blabber on about how much fun can be had on a bicycle both as I remember my youth and some of the more twisted fun as an ultra marathoner and a time trialest.

On your left
Biker Boy