Tom Stormcrowe

Well, good morning, and here's the contest. In this thread, give us a quick overview of how cycling has impacted your life. The catch is to do it in 100 words or less, in a single post, in this thread. The prizes for the best two are free iPhone Apps to be given out. This contest will run for a week here. Good luck, and have fun with this!

Midol_Mohawk

I like so many stopped cycling in my youth and didn't pick it up until after college. My intermediary was the skateboard. However, after college I came across a friend finishing a two day, two hundred mile trek to raise money for the ALA. He inspired me to ride and make a difference. I started riding again, commuting to jobs in town (riding at night is incredible), raising money for nonprofits, and beginning to be a bike nerd. I even asked my wife out on our first date on a bike. I hope this feeling for riding never stops.

acidfast7

"Better Living Through Cycling!"

(inspired by Fatboy Slim, who was inspired by DuPont)

SurlyLaika

I'm kinda disappointed this hasn't taken off yet. I would submit but honestly I don't have much time now that I'm working full time.

cogdriven 

In the fall of 1993 my kidneys failed. I was worn down, weak, sleepy all day and twenty
pounds underweight. I received a transplant from my brother three months later. Started
out walking a mile a day. Began commuting by bike a year later. Worked up to riding
centuries and putting in 5,000 miles a year in the saddle. Last fall, at age 60 I rode 193
miles, from Quebec to Massachusetts, in 16 hours.

I was sick and old at 42. Now I’ve got wings and feel better than I ever have thanks to my
bike and my brother.

dramiscram

Riding a bike not only changed my life but really freed me. I stopped junk food and cigarettes and started riding at 35 years old, I'm now 37 years old going 61 kms commuting each and every day. I lost 60 pounds and I'm seriously thinking about selling my car. It completly changed the way I see life in general, it brought me peace and gave me my life back!

mtalinm

can't really beat cogdriven's amazing story, but here's my humble tale:

I took a job where driving is impractical due to Boston traffic and public transit involves multiple transfers and frequent delays. bought a cheapo "comfort" bike and made the 13-mile ride in an hour and twenty minutes at 305 pounds. four bikes and forty pounds later, I've got it down to 45:30 and feel better than I have in years. I rode 5,000 miles last year, do all of my own maintenance, and am training to climb Mt. Washington this summer! ride to live, live to ride (87 words)

truman

Bike commuting and recreational mountain biking took me from a sedentary 250lb pack-a-day smoker at 40, to a trim, active expert on All Things Bikish and Fitness at work, church and home - and a solo, cross-country tourer by 45.
It's opened doors to many new friendships and, I’m told, provided much inspiration and understanding to others. It makes my food and beer taste infinitely better, made me better looking.

Mostly, getting up in the morning I may ache, but it's the ache of having DONE SOMETHING yesterday; not the fragile, "something's about to break" pain of long idleness.

alan s 

Freedom.

Tom Stormcrowe

And we're judging the entries now. We'll announce the winners tomorrow.

dramiscram

Can we bribe the jury? ;-)

LOGICK ONE

How cycling has affected my life: I now attract more hipster ***** than I ever have before and it's been nothing but a blessing.

Tom Stormcrowe

And the winners are:

cogdriven
and alan s for his sheer brevity.

Tom Stormcrowe

Due to a technical problem with the codes, I am adding a comped Titanium membership and will still issue the app codes just as soon as the issue is fixed.