my cycling regrets

- not getting into track racing in my youth

- trying to foist cycling on my non-cycling gf

- selling my first & only store-bought, $1000 new bike in a
cash-strapped desperation move

- leaving my 747s on the above when I sold the above

- being stuck with my stupid, mushy, low-pressure, cheap 1.5" IRC Metro
tires which say "Inflate to 250 kPa (40 psi)" but I pump 'em up to
60 anyway

- cutting notches in my fenders to accommodate the V-brakes


All the rest has been sweet. Except for saying farewell to each
summer, which is bittersweet.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom Keats wrote:
:: - not getting into track racing in my youth
::

Hmm....I just regret not continuing to ride after age 5....up until age
45....A good 40 years lost....

:: - trying to foist cycling on my non-cycling gf

Yeah, that's not a good idea.

::
:: - selling my first & only store-bought, $1000 new bike in a
:: cash-strapped desperation move

Hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
::
:: - leaving my 747s on the above when I sold the above

yep.

::
:: - being stuck with my stupid, mushy, low-pressure, cheap 1.5" IRC
:: Metro tires which say "Inflate to 250 kPa (40 psi)" but I pump 'em
:: up to 60 anyway
::
:: - cutting notches in my fenders to accommodate the V-brakes
::
::
:: All the rest has been sweet. Except for saying farewell to each
:: summer, which is bittersweet.

Spring and fall are the best times of year, IMO. Only problem is, less
daylight, though.

Roger Zoul wrote:
:: All the rest has been sweet. Except for saying farewell to each
:: summer, which is bittersweet.


I am more than ready to say farewell to this summer.....there was no
escape from the heat and humidity. Here in Jersey, while on my
vacation south, and while out west. IT WAS FREAKING HOT everywhere.
I'm looking foward to fall. Would like to hibernate through the
winter...then wake in spring to the kind of spring I think I remember
we used to enjoy.

I don't have any cycling regrets. I don't have any regrets. I've
learned alot of lessons from the dumb things I have done. ;-) And boy
have I done some dumb things in my life.

Starting to ride at 50 was sweet for me. Great way to start a new
decade.
Never explain, and forget about regrets, it's a waste of time...There
are no mistakes, just lessons learned. ;-)

Maggie (sounding like Oprah)

"Tom Keats" wrote in message
...
- not getting into track racing in my youth

Maybe not too late. The local track (Northbrook, IL velodrome) has a
citizens night on Fridays. I have some friends who ride in the "over-40"
races. They didn't start training until a year or so ago.

It's my regret that due to lung problems I can't keep up with them.

- trying to foist cycling on my non-cycling gf

Yeah, I married mine. Even bought a tandem, thinking the problem was she
hated to fall behind. The last vestiges of that effort departed when my
youngest daughter took the tandem off to college with her last weekend (try
getting THAT in the back of the minivan with her regular bike). Luckily she
loves biking and the tandem is good for low-key social interaction (and
cheaper than going to Starbucks for these things).

- being stuck with my stupid, mushy, low-pressure, cheap 1.5" IRC Metro
tires which say "Inflate to 250 kPa (40 psi)" but I pump 'em up to
60 anyway

If this regret makes your top 5, that's not bad. For Christmas, junk the bad
tires and get some good ones.

Mike Kruger wrote:
- trying to foist cycling on my non-cycling gf

Yeah, I married mine. Even bought a tandem, thinking the problem was she
hated to fall behind.


Why do people try to convince a spouse or significant other to ride
with them, if they do not want to do it?

Everyone told me to try to get my husband to ride a bike with me.
Riding a bike is not something he wants to do. I'm sure it is nice to
share an activity such as riding a bike, but if it is forced upon them,
what fun is that?

If my husband tried to force me into going to car shows with him or
hang out with him while he talked with other old car enthusiasts, I'd
be bored to death. I'm not into restoration of old cars. He is
passionate about it. I try to be interested.....but I am not.

Its wonderful if a couple shares their passion for the same sport, or
music and the arts.....but its only nice if it's not forced upon them.
So why do we do it?
You can take this "TWO SHALL BECOME ONE"..a little too far in my
opinion.

Maggie.

Maggie wrote:

Mike Kruger wrote:

- trying to foist cycling on my non-cycling gf


Yeah, I married mine. Even bought a tandem, thinking the problem was she
hated to fall behind.



Why do people try to convince a spouse or significant other to ride
with them, if they do not want to do it?

Everyone told me to try to get my husband to ride a bike with me.
Riding a bike is not something he wants to do. I'm sure it is nice to
share an activity such as riding a bike, but if it is forced upon them,
what fun is that?

If my husband tried to force me into going to car shows with him or
hang out with him while he talked with other old car enthusiasts, I'd
be bored to death. I'm not into restoration of old cars. He is
passionate about it. I try to be interested.....but I am not.

Its wonderful if a couple shares their passion for the same sport, or
music and the arts.....but its only nice if it's not forced upon them.
So why do we do it?
You can take this "TWO SHALL BECOME ONE"..a little too far in my
opinion.

Maggie.


My wife is Italian, which according to her father, explains many of the
things that she does. In any case she never had much interest in
cycling, and was quite content to do her thing when I was away on a
ride, until, one day, I mentioned the I'd helped fix a flat for a girl.
An hour or so later, she asked, "was she on the ride with you?" And
later still, "How many girls are there on your rides? And later, "you
know that bike you bought me, do you think I could ride with you sometime?

She became an ardent cyclist, and even delighted in riding a tandem with
me. We had many good years together on our bikes. Alas, She can't ride
nowadays. Old age came, did its thing, and made her an invalid, but
still she asks, "were there any girls on the ride today?"

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

Bob Wheeler wrote:
:: My wife is Italian, which according to her father, explains many of
:: the things that she does. In any case she never had much interest in
:: cycling, and was quite content to do her thing when I was away on a
:: ride, until, one day, I mentioned the I'd helped fix a flat for a
:: girl. An hour or so later, she asked, "was she on the ride with
:: you?" And
:: later still, "How many girls are there on your rides? And later, "you
:: know that bike you bought me, do you think I could ride with you
:: sometime?
::
:: She became an ardent cyclist, and even delighted in riding a tandem
:: with me. We had many good years together on our bikes. Alas, She
:: can't ride nowadays. Old age came, did its thing, and made her an
:: invalid, but
:: still she asks, "were there any girls on the ride today?"

Nice story, Bob.....I hope to be able to tell it someday (well, parts of it,
anyway)

"Maggie" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mike Kruger wrote:
- trying to foist cycling on my non-cycling gf

Yeah, I married mine. Even bought a tandem, thinking the problem was she
hated to fall behind.


Why do people try to convince a spouse or significant other to ride
with them, if they do not want to do it?

In my case my girlfriend-who-became-spouse kept insisting she liked to
cycle, but was too slow / didn't have the right equipment / didn't like the
route I'd chosen, was worried about becoming separated from me, etc. I
checked with said spouse before buying the tandem and got enthusiasm which I
took to be real. Silly me.

A little bit of honesty would have saved us much trouble. But I was
recently married and wasn't fully aware of when I was getting a real answer
and when I was getting an unreal answer. (Let's face it, I wanted to believe
her.)

Maggie, as to your general point that spouses don't have to share every
enthusiasm, I'm in full agreement.

Maggie wrote:
Roger Zoul wrote:

:: All the rest has been sweet. Except for saying farewell to each
:: summer, which is bittersweet.



I am more than ready to say farewell to this summer.....there was no
escape from the heat and humidity. Here in Jersey, while on my
vacation south, and while out west. IT WAS FREAKING HOT everywhere.
I'm looking foward to fall. Would like to hibernate through the
winter...then wake in spring to the kind of spring I think I remember
we used to enjoy.


Maybe someday your future regret will be all the opportunities you might
have lost because the weather was either too hot, too cold or too
something else. At some point, you just have to dive in and do things.

My regret is running and walking for so many years. Cycling is a lot
more fun.

On Thu, 01 Sep 2005 17:30:48 GMT, "Mike Kruger"
wrote:

Mike Kruger wrote:

Yeah, I married mine. Even bought a tandem, thinking the problem was she
hated to fall behind.

In my case my girlfriend-who-became-spouse kept insisting she liked to
cycle, but was too slow / didn't have the right equipment / didn't like the
route I'd chosen, was worried about becoming separated from me, etc. I
checked with said spouse before buying the tandem and got enthusiasm which I
took to be real. Silly me.

A little bit of honesty would have saved us much trouble. But I was
recently married and wasn't fully aware of when I was getting a real answer
and when I was getting an unreal answer. (Let's face it, I wanted to believe
her.)

I'm attempting a similar thing. I showed the Erie Canal route to my SO, and
she was very excited to go ride that with me.

She claims that riding a bike is not a workout for her, and is boring.
She's ridden with me a couple times and seemed to have fun and at the end
of each ride was flushed with vigor and enthusiasm.

She's part Cherokee and says she has more than the normal amount of
endurance. I was skeptical of this, but took her on a ride to the hill
where I do hill repeats (actually a trail but steep enough that nobody
walks dogs on it, and very few people hike it).

She started out ahead of me and I passed her at 1/4 of the way up, having
told her if it gets too tough to turn around and go back and wait at the
car.

I made the top and turned around and came back down to the first (and only)
intersection with a mountain road and there she was waiting for me having
ridden 2/3 of the route. I was stunned. It took me almost a year of riding
to get to the point where I'd even dare to ride it and she does it on no
training. No bike riding, no jogging, no walking, nothing. (she does TJ)

I'm hopeful that she'll ride with me some more and I've got a good bike for
her that fits her, but I'm not going to push it.

I have a heck of a time trying to convince her that riding can be
'exercise' . She already knows it is fun - back in our college days she
actually bought my first bike from me and rode it around campus.

The other day I had her go out and motorpace me in my car and she was
shocked and surprised to see me going 26mph on the flats. When I tucked in
behind the car and then jumped out at 35 and passed her, she started to get
the idea that it might, in fact, be a bit of a workout. ;-)

jj