Look Who’s Loving the Bike: May

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.”

Tags: Cycling memories