2008: From the beginning...

I suppose the best place to start is before I actually started cycling in the first place.

In college (2005-2009), I had some bad habits to break -- without going in to too much detail. Luckily approaching graduation (and seeing how crap my grades were) changed my perspective a touch, and I started focusing on career. I had long-known since high school that I was fascinated with psychology, so despite my early attempts at biology, chemistry, pre-med, and even mechanical engineering, I finally hunkered down and started making "career-oriented" decisions.

Look at this guy trying to look all nonchalant.

One of these was starting a job with Trinity In-Home Care (shout-out! seriously, Google it. I'm still in their Google profile picture, for some reason) in Lawrence, Kansas (yes, I am a Jayhawker, born an bred). Essentially my job was to provide respite to caregivers; giving a much-needed and deserved break to caregivers of others dealing from a variety of challenges, be it developmental disability or normal aging. I loved the job, and got to meet some amazing people. One of the children I took care of had Aspberger's disorder (what now is the lower end of the Autism spectrum). We shared in a variety of activities like video games, trips to the Robinson gymnasium, meals at Steak-n-Shake, and...biking.

Now, I hadn't been on a bicycle since maybe 8 years young. I borrowed his father's bike and helmet, and we rode from home to a nearby school and did laps in their parking lot. Eventually I grabbed my old bike (yes, the one I used when I was 8) and a new helmet so as to not potentially-kill his father's cycle, but quickly (and painfully) realized that 14 years in a garage means a lot of rust and broken spokes. Beyond that, the open air, the sound of the tires against blacktop, the feeling of independence...I had wondered why I quit cycling in the first place. Time for an upgrade.

Meet Allie. Look at that black beauty!

Walking in to our LBS (that's cyclespeak for "local bike shop") in Lawrence, Sunflower Outdoor & Bike ('nother shout-out!), I was shell-shocked. Had there always been these many types of bikes? Was bicycle shopping always this involved? Have bikes always been this expensive? Where's the nearest Sears? Luckily, the guys at Sunflower are rock-stars (still one of the best LBS's I've ever walked in to -- local or otherwise) and helped me organize my thoughts. A many questions had to be answered that day, though. Namely, did I want a road/mountain/hybrid bike? (Road, definitely) Did I want it geared towards comfort or competition? (Oooh...competition sounds fun.) What was my budget? (Is $80 possible? No? Okay, $700, then). I was finally matched with Allie, a 2009 Specialized Allez Compact in matte black paint. A race-inspired bike built with comfort and budget in mind. Perfect.

Beyond finally having a suitable bike to putz around the neighborhood with with the child I looked after, I took Allie to the trails around Lawrence. The scenery, the freedom...I loved it all. Summer came around, and I was on my bike a solid three days a week. I noticed charity event flyers posted at the LBS, and decided that might be a nice way to tour an area I wasn't familiar with. Better yet, I checked out flyers at bike shops around my grandmother's house in Des Moines, Iowa, and noticed a flyer for a ride in conjunction with a Danish settlement festival called Tivoli Fest, hosted by a small Danish settlement town in Iowa called Elk Horn. It was a small event, in a small town, in the middle of nowhere, and was supported by all of the townsfolk. I registered. I rode. I fell in love with the camaraderie and sense of community.

Race around the Campanille? Yes, please!
(image credit: John Sprengelmeyer)

Throughout the remainder of 2008 I found close-community charity events and registered for them. They were great -- but my legs were itching for more (and no, it wasn't just from having shaven them). Even from the very first charity events I found myself racing the guys next to me (they perhaps didn't know it, but I was). One time biking near downtown Lawrence, I came across a road-closing sign, road blocks lining the streets of New Hampshire St., and what looked like spectators all around. Just then a group of cyclists whooshed by. A cycling race (The Tour of Lawrence, in fact)!!! They actually do these things in Kansas!?? I gotta....I hafta....I will...