My very first bike was a gift from my GodFather for my Confirmation into the Catholic Church. Paul (my GodFather) went to a police auction and bought 3 bikes and completely restored them to like new condition. He brought them to Wyoming for my younger brothers Chris, Jamie and me as our Confirmation gifts. We were so excited and I had never owned something quite so cool, something that belonged to me and me alone. I’m not sure whatever happened to that bike. The next bike I remember was another gift from Jerry Ramsey. We were living in Missoula, MT and I used to ride my bike from Grant Creek into town for coffee or just where ever. The rides were just fun outings and nothing special.

Fast forward to today. I’m learning the basics…really. So many things that I didn’t know. Like how the exact fit of my bike frame to my body size makes a huge difference in my ride. I have no neck pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, back pain,  or knee pain.  But, let’s face it my butt pain was an entirely different issue I needed to conquer. Only time in the saddle would help heal that pain. I am currently riding 3 to 4 hours 6 days a week. I’m riding mainly flats with a few hills. The rides have been cold, freezing and mostly wet. The rain just won’t stop. So, a few days ago Team Medicine decided to give me a lesson and a push out of my comfort zone, we went for a team ride. My first question to them was, “Are you going to make me cry”? They promised they would be kind…and then we made our way to “Cemetery Hill” (my name for the hill), but it did go up hill into a cemetery.  I think they were trying to tell me something, if I didn’t make it up the hill it would be easy to do away with my body…a small push to the side of the road and a little fresh dirt kicked over me and my bike. Well, it took me four days to conquer “Cemetery Hill” and I’m waiting for my next lesson out of my comfort zone. I’m also learning about the equipment on my bike and becoming very familiar with it…which is preparing me for next week and my introduction to clipless pedals and new bike shoes. I will be calling this lesson “CRASHING 101 FOR BEGINNERS”.