James Fredrickson – New York, NY

“As I look back on my childhood, I can’t think of a single great moment that didn’t include my bike in some way.  It was everything to me.  I was my mode of transportation, my pathway to pretending I was Evil Kenevil, and my ticket to freedom.  Now that I’m an adult the bicycle allows me to channel that child in me and let’s me escape from what weighs down on me in life.  I am loving the bike.”

Erik Duhrban – Holland, The Netherlands

“I am lucky to live in a city where bicycles are as common as vehicles.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Riding a bike to me is so much more than just a way to get from here to there.  The bike is a part of me and I am better because of it.”

Meagan Smith – Vancouver, BC

“It is now that time of year where I am not able to be on my bike each and every day.  I really like how riding my bike to where I need to go gives me that calm feeling that sets the mood for my day.  Everything and everyone seems so much happier when I’m on my bike.  I think all of us need to spend more time on bikes.”

Jim Northway – Perth, Australia

“Why am I loving the bike?  I can’t put it all down into words, but I can say that something so simple as a bike has brought me years and years of great memories and experiences.  I’m not sure who invented it, but I’d like to thank whoever did for creating such a great thing.”

Lenni Eubanks – Toronto, Ontario

“When I was a kid our neighbourhood wasn’t safe to be outside. On my bike I could escape that a little…and it opened up my world. Suddenly I realized there were clean parks, there were community centres, there were local pools I could get to. That created a love for cycling and to this day, I never feel more joyful, more free, more confident than when on my bike.”

Lenni has founded a wonderful organization called My First Wheels, an organization all about getting bikes to those kids who need them.  Find out more about this fantastic program in this news story:

Welcome to May and here’s to a great month of cycling.  As always, at the top of each month we like to feature the amazing stories and memories of people who are loving the bike.  Please take a look at what our May 2011 lovers have to say. We’d love to hear from you as well….feel free to submit your “Look Who’s Loving the Bike” story to us at any time.

Mark Goonan – Brisbane, Australia

“I was about 7, and my first bike was a ‘dragster’ complete with hi-rise handlebars, smaller front wheel, sissy bar, candy apple red paintwork & a 3 speed shifter on the top tube. Of course I had to get past the training wheels stage, but after that the roads opened up! It remains in my mind the coolest bike in the world (at least in my street anyway). 40 years on and I’m still riding, only now it’s an Argon 18 Krypton, which is a tad faster…!”

Matt Hon – St. Paul, Minneapolis

“My first real bike, I received was when I was 6 years old. It was Christmas time in Chicago, We lived in a small ranch style house in a suburb. My dad told me to go into the kitchen to get some cups, and lo and behold, there stood a beautiful stick shift 3 speed bike! it was a  bananna bike, purple, with the shifter located on the cross bar! I was in heaven! Now I could cruise the neighborhood in style! That bike was by far my favorite bike, I could go faster and farther that summer in my 6 year old imagination. that was over 40 years ago, and in my dreams, still ride that bike. I got back into riding about 12 years ago, I have about 9 times the speeds on my current ride, but never could ride quite as fast as I could that summer… so long ago.”

Gaston Magnée – The Netherlands

“My first memory at a 2 wheel bike was when I was about six years old in the early seventies when I received a purple bike from the Dutch Santa Claus. When I like to start on the bike my Mom want to hold the bike but it was not necessary. I was flying through our street. Now 40 years later. Every time when I started for a ride I have the same free feeling as 40 years ago.”

Ken Walker – Ottawa, Ontario

“My second season into riding all year.  While sometimes a bit hairy riding in snow with traffic it certainly beats being in the traffic.  Often when I pass under the Queensway (the major highway through Ottawa) I see it packed.  Riding through the winter keeps you working on biking and isn’t as boring as indoor training (I’m doing that at least once a week).  Layer up, get some good tires, spend some money on lighting, bike.  As Maxwell Smart would say…Annnnnd Loving It.”

Ken shares his cycling adventures at bikeview.

Mark Lushell - Indianapolis, Indiana

“As I pondered your question there were so many that came to mind that couldn’t list them all. One of my favorites was Spring Break my freshman year of college. My uncle and I biked the Smokie Mountains in TN. That probably helped hook me on doing long trips.”

Alison Hill – Oxford, UK

“Being brought up in Cambridge I was on my bike around the city as far back as I remember.  But I was say that The Netherlands is the best place I have ever cycled. We didn’t even need a cycling map as we could be so sure that there would be paths alongside any road or canal. But we have had many memorable rides in this country on our wonderful national cycle network.”

@Strick9 – Austin, Texas

“My favorite kid “first bike” memory was getting my sweet Tornado bike & rolling away from the house. Getting 1st taste of freedom.  My first adult “fave bike” memory: Getting road bike, going up hill near the house, almost killed me. Now roll up it effortlessly.”

Anibal Martinez – Blackman Eddy, Belize

Andrew Kerslake – Taichung, Taiwan

I am an American expat living in Taiwan, which is great for a bike lover as Taiwan is where many of the finest bikes are designed and produced. Furthermore, the landscape is truly spectacular.  Taiwan is 70% mountainous with peaks that reach from sea level to nearly 14,000ft. within 30 miles.  You can ride from the beach through the subtropical jungle and into an alpine meadow within the course of a day’s ride. There are surprises beyond every hill as tiny roads creep along hillsides into hidden valleys and along river banks. The people in Taiwan take an almost personal pride in bicycles, with Giant turning out the majority of frames worldwide.  It is not uncommon to have people share food and drinks with you when you are out on a long ride. There is always a friendly wave or a car load of people who want to root for you… even if you are just on a recovery ride.

My best memory of riding in Taiwan was the glorious morning my riding buddy and I crested the Wuling Pass. After a day of climbing to 8000ft. we awoke to the brightest sunshine and climbed the remaining 3000ft. It looked like something out of a European grand tour. We then rode an additional 60 miles home as fast as we could go on weary legs taking turns pulling. The rush lasted for days.

Enjoy more Taiwan cycling stories from Andrew at www.taiwanincycles.blogspot.com.

Simon Vollam – Czech Republic

One of my favourite cycling memories is about my brother. When he was about ten years old, our parents decided to buy him a new bike for Christmas. When we all rushed downstairs to open our presents on Christmas morning, the bike was hidden behind the curtains in the living room. All of us knew it was there except my brother, who didn’t see it even though it was protruding rather obviously into the room. He did notice, however, that he had far fewer presents under the tree than everyone else. The downcast look on his face suddenly turned to delight when, eventually, the curtains were drawn to reveal a shiny new Raleigh Grifter.

The only problem then was that he couldn’t go for a ride because there was snow on the ground (a rare occurrence in central England even in the days before global warming). Bing Crosby might have been dreaming of a white Christmas, but my brother was praying for a thaw.

Postscript: My sister (rather cruelly) pulled the same trick on her young son last Christmas. And again, snow and ice stopped him testing out his new machine once he had found it!

Simon’s Czech adventures are at www.circuitridercz.com.

Send us your memory
At the top of each month, we highlight the stories and memories of why people are loving the bike.  Please share yours with us by contacting darryl@lovingthebike.com or commenting on our web form.  Keep on Loving the Bike.

Starting today, we’ll be running our “Look Who’s Loving the Bike” feature at the top of every month. It’s our chance to share with you some wonderful memories and stories about cycling from around the world. We are quite confident that most of the population share in the fact that a bicycle was involved in some amazing times and events. We know it’s been that way for us, and that many more great memories involving the bike are still to come. Thanks to all who shared with us this month. To the rest of you, please let us know about yours so that we may include it in the future.

Heidi Swift – Portland, Oregon
“I tear into a shiny metallic package from Santa Claus to reveal a long-coveted toy: a motorcycle noise-maker for my bicycle. I beg my father to install it immediately and then sit on my hot pink banana seat in the garage revving my new engine with a wild, reckless look in my seven-year-old eyes.”

Read more about Heidi’s memory at www.gritandglimmer.com.

Katy (aka @CenturyChick) – Illinois
“Pie Day. Need I say more? Cycling north out of Springfield, IL we were on the first leg of the trip back to Morris, IL. The previous nights storms had kept us up all night, but graced us with southerly winds-tail wind the whole way! We stopped in a small town at the local cafeteria for lunch – we had the best service and pie. Oh my lord, the pie. Made by a 90 year old lady that came in every morning to make pecan, cherry, apple, all sorts of pies. There were about 60 cyclists on this ride and we cleaned this place out of pie. We found out later that people would drive 20 or more miles just to get her pie. The hills on the way to our next stop were ever so more delightful being fueled by that pie and the wonderful tail wind. The next day it rained & was only 50 degrees-so we paid for the wonderfulness of Pie Day. So worth it.”

One of Loving the Bike’s own, Myron Glova – Saskatchewan, Canada

Nancy Sathre-Vogel – Currently on a bike in Peru
“I think the most magical time I can remember was when we pedaled through northern British Columbia on the Alaska Highway and a massive bison ran alongside us with his thundering hooves kicking up little clouds of dust and we pedaled faster and faster in order to keep up with the beast but in the end he outran us anyway. Or maybe it was when I crested the top of a pass in Colombia and gazed upon miles and miles of valley ahead and my breath got all tangled up in my throat at the sheer magnificence of it all. Or when a family who had next to nothing graciously offered to share it with us and we felt guiltier than hell taking their food but knew all along that we couldn’t possibly decline. Or when Davy snuggled up next to me in the tent after a tough day on the road, put his arm around my chest, gazed into my eyes, and said, ‘I love you, Mom.’ “

Many, many more amazing stories from Vogel’s at www.familyonbikes.com.

Tim Starry – Austin, Texas
“When I was 17 and really stupid (No helmet, cutoff jeans, tank top…) I took my brand new Nishiki 10 speed up the Pali Highway from Kailua to the overlook. Had lunch and then rode my bike back down the hill.
At the bottom of the hill is a stop light, which was red when I got to it. As I stopped, a car pulled up next to me and the driver yelled in an astonished voice: “do you know how FAST you were going?!”
He claims he clocked me at 60 mph. Exhilarating.”

Tim’s adventures continue on at www.oldguy2wheels.wordpress.com.

Rhett Dopwell – Grenada, West Indies

Ray Niekamp – Austin, Texas
“I remember living in Rochester, Minnesota during the early ’90s. A rails-to-trails bike path, the Douglas Trail, runs 13 miles northwest from Rochester to Pine Island, a town of about 3,500 people. We weren’t real bikers then, but both my wife and I had decent bikes. So one day, we took them to the trailhead and started riding. We were glad of a rest stop halfway up the trail, but then we kept going and made it to Pine Island. The return trip was tougher, because we just weren’t used to that many miles on the bike. But we did it. And we both realized that we liked being out in the summer air, seeing the countryside close up from angles not available to cars. We got away from biking for a number of years, but when we picked it up again, we recalled those trips on the Douglas Trail and other bike trails.”

More stories from Ray at www.bikenoob.com.

Mari-Jo Lamarche – Mont Tremblant, Quebec
“My first serious bike was a Trek WSD 6500. Yes, a mountain bike. A Weird colour; orange. With my tennis background, I did not know much about bikes. At the time, more than 10 years ago, I was working in a ski & bike shop on the resort, in Tremblant. Staff price. I figured “why not?  Cost, minus 20% seems like a pretty decent deal!” It was indeed an excellent price.”

….and the memory continues at www.marijolamarche.wordpress.com.

Leona Cunningham – New York
“My best summer as a child is the summer some neighborhood kids taught me to ride. It was on a beat up bike with no brakes – some may say a recipe for disaster, I say – a recipe for great memories.
I skinned my knees, palm and the bottom of my feet (I was using them for brakes) I also crashed into bushes and a parked motor bike (it was a NINJA). My dad told me that “all the great ones fall down” “the very best ones get back up”…. Some experiences are worth having, some memories you never forget. My first bike was a cobalt blue BMX. Sweet Ride “