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TheCuda's Return to
Cycling
My First road bike: 1980 Schwinn Traveler
Several weeks after my High School
Graduation I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma on my right arm, it
had advanced to Clark's level IV. That was over five years ago.
Today I share my story about rediscovering the enjoyment of cycling that
I have recently found. I ride not because it's popular, not just
because another cancer survivor rides in the Tour De France. I
ride for me, and for my fiancée. I ride because I want a future
that is healthy, active, and long. This is why I cycle...
Years ago, before College, and before
High School really started making my days ever more busy, I would hop on
my bike any given morning, day or evening. I can't honestly say
how many miles I covered around the neighborhood when I was younger, but
I can say it was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. However,
like all of us as we get older, our free time gets shorter, the demands
for my time grew, and the bike got stored away in the shed, where it
gathered dust, and a pile of other discarded items piled up on top of
it. The summer of my Junior year in High School I underwent
reconstructive jaw surgery to correct an under bite and lost nearly all
of the muscle that I had gained from the years of cycling and Marching
with my high school's band during the month long recovery on a
liquid food diet. The summer after that, the summer of 2000, I had
the melanoma removed from my arm, as well as 4 other moles that the
doctors deemed suspicious. By the time I had fully recovered I
started college, and found a whole new drain for every moment of every
day.
Five years later, with my
Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and Software Engineering behind
me, and the marriage to the woman of my dreams in front of me, I knew it
was time that I retook control over my health and my life. Moving
from a retail job that kept me on my feet to a desk job programming
removed the last source of regular exercise from my daily life and
unless I made a decision to make a change it was a one way trip to what
we call - "The Programmer's Spread." I made the decision to return
to what I had enjoyed so much years ago - Cycling. Pulling the old
bike out of the shed, a fully rigid mountain bike, I soon discovered
that it lacked in many areas necessary to help me pursue my desire to
get back into cycling. Enter a bit of good luck, and a bit of
being the right place at the right time, and soon I would have not one,
but two new bikes that are now bringing about a healthy change in my
life. With every stroke of the pedal, with every mile that passes
under the two wheels that I ride on, I remind myself of why I am out
there, for myself, for my love, for my life.
I have a varied number of long term and
short term goals for myself and my bikes. Primarily I want to get
back into shape, to have a bit more bounce in my step every day, and to
know that I'm doing something healthy and active instead of becoming yet
another over weight American couch potato. I want to enjoy the
outdoors, the cool morning air, and the stillness of dusk while I pedal
along on two wheels under my own power. My target weight is 160
pounds, by May 13th of next year. The day I get
married to my wonderful fiancée.
That will be just at one full year after beginning in cycling again.
When I weighed myself that first few days I was just a hair under 180,
not heavy by any real means for a man of six foot, but I certainly did
not want to become any heavier. So my 1 year goal is to be at 160
pounds. Shorter
term goals, some of which I have already met, include completing my
first Metric Century by the end of 2005. I am happy to report that
I successfully did so on September 17th. Full ride report is found
on my Ride Report page. I want to finish this year with a grand
total mileage on my cyclometer of over 1000 miles. I'm not sure if
this one will be completely fulfilled, but I have faith that I'll get
close. Next year I want to do double that mileage and complete at
least 2 Metric Centuries and maybe set my sights on a full 100mile ride.
And above it all, I want to have fun doing it all. There is some
inherent pain that comes with cycling, especially when you start talking
50 miles or more at a time. But it's a good kind of pain, a pain
that tells you that you are pushing your body harder and farther than
you ever have before. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, and
that I enjoy thoroughly.
I am currently offering an electronic
manuscript of my first book, River Runners, and donating 50% of all
proceeds from them to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Link here for all
of the details.
The Barraucda Mk.I - Custom
paint by Jon P. Fischer with a Shimano 105 Golden Arrow group.
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