Lucas Atmangaara is Loving the Bike

We don’t officially post to our Look Who’s Loving the Bike section any longer, but whenever one of our readers writes in to share their love for the bike….we are certainly going to put it up.  Have a read about Lucas and his Loving the Bike story:

“As a kid, I loved to ride. Once I got to college and was able to drive, I never looked at my bicycle again. Life gets in the way and 15 years later, I was married with kids a mortgage and very unfit. I found out that I had type 2 diabetes and my doctor told me that diet and exercise was the best way to control this.

My wife loves running but I never have, I never saw the point. Then I thought about getting on the bike again. I loved it as a kid, maybe I could rekindle an old flame? I bought a second hand bike from a friend who was very much into cycling and remember my first 6km ride and how hard it was. I persisted but since I had bought a mountain bike and was mostly riding on cycle paths and roads, it was the weight of the bike that was holding me back, I had convinced myself.

So I told my wife that I NEEDED to buy a road bike. That’s what I road at school and it would make my time on the bike easier. She believed me and I got to go bike shopping. I was looking at spending about $500 and found something that suited my needs.

But, as all good salespeople do, they got me on a $1000 bike, “just to see”. Of course it felt better and to my surprise my wife said I should get it. I felt so guilty about spending that much money on a bike, that I rode it 5-6 times a week.

In my first year I’d clocked about 3500kms and the next year I managed 4600km. I was hooked again! I even managed to get my runner wife into cycling (although she still prefers running) and we regularly drag the kids on 20km rides on the weekends, riding either mountain or road bikes.

The health benefits to me personally cannot be understated. I’m fitter than I was 20 years ago and my doctor is really happy with my blood sugar levels. In fact, just before I started cycling, I went to an eye specialist who was concerned about the blood vessels in my eyes, related to my diabetes.

She had asked to see me again in a year but being slack, I didn’t go back for two. To hers and my surprise, the condition she was worried about had completely reversed itself and she was very pleased with how the blood vessels in my eyes now looked.

Riding my bikes for me is meditation. I can clear my head and let the world go by, at a pace set by my legs (depending on how fresh they are).

I don’t have to be KOM on Strava for anything, as it’s the journey that gives me the greatest pleasure. I now can’t imagine a week without cycling and have even taken bikes on holiday, so I can ride new trails or cycle a town to really see its sights.”