SevenTwentyNine

Basically, share a situation from your past where it became pretty obvious to you that you had fallen of the deep end as a cyclist - or taken that little red pill.

My example:
One day, I ran randomly into some friends at the beginning of my ride- casual "Sunday cyclists". We were riding the same route and happened to be at the "start" point together. It was about a 40-50 mile loop and I was going to going to be doing it full gas while they would leisurely make their way there and back. Basically I was going to get to the turn around point and probably see them still heading there as I was already returning again.

We set off together, after about a mile or two I said goodbye, put my head down and dialed it to 400W. I get to the turn around point and start heading back and eventually on my way back I see them sitting on some park benches basking in the sun and looking at the river. I pull over to say hi and they ask how my ride was so far etc etc ... after formalities they ask me if I want to join them for lunch and I was like "oh I already had some food to eat when I stopped to turn around..." and they responded with 'oh nice, what restaurant did you stop at, what did you get for lunch" ... puzzled, I looked at them I was like oh I ate the banana in my back pocket and had an couple energy gel cubes too.

They both looked at me and yelled "THAT'S NOT LUNCH! ... We thought you meant real food etc etc etc".
I didn't know what to say to them but internally I thought to myself "...but that is lunch!"

At that moment I realized ... I was different.


- So what's your story?

halfspeed

It gets better.

Monkey D.Luffy

When I was content riding a Wal-Mart bike (one I rode during middle school) and I go to the park and all of these bozos riding road bike. A few years later I am one of the bozos. Whoops.

mawashi

When I first crashed into a parked car lol!

rjones28 

You stopped?

augiedogie

At my age (62), just riding a bike and exercising regularly makes you very different

Machka 

When I rode my first 200 km randonnee ... and started calling anything under 100 km a "short ride".

wrldtraveller

when a friend asked me how long do I usually ride my bike, I replied, Short ride or a long ride? That threw them off because they couldn't understand the difference. I had to explain it to them, at that time a one day ride of less than 2 hours is considered short ride, and a long ride would be considered 4 or more hours. They were stunned. So that made me realize that Im odd.

wrldtraveller.

TobinH

You mean when did I realize that different folks had different goals and interests? I think I was five or so.

f4rrest

When I was the only one in high school not driving a car and still enjoying the ride.

cyclistca

When I was explaining to a girl at a party why I shaved my legs

gaucho777 

I was 14 or 15 years old. My high school French teacher and team baseball coach kept calling my house to recruit me to play catcher for the jr. varsity team. To appease my mom, I went to the tryout. He kept calling, and I kept saying no. The team ranked in the top 5 in the nation, got first choice of cheerleaders, and were regarded as the it crowd. The then varsity catcher went on to be an MLB all-star. I just wanted to race bikes. Oh, and me and my cycling teammate were the only boys at high school with shaved legs.

BoSoxYacht

Probably when I sold my car in 1991.

I needed a new bike to be competitive in the race series I wanted to win.

I've never owned a car since.

Fox Farm

When people would ask me WHY was I wearing those silly looking skin tight shores and who was the idiot who made my shirt and put pockets on the lower back for a joke.

digger

I tell them that they aren't "pockets" but "air scoopes" that are used to slow a cyclist down when going too fast.

They look at me funny-like.

Got that from a Dear Abby letter I read years ago, used it ever-since.

badger1

When I realized that anyone who could say or write "put my head down and dialed it to 400W" with a straight face is a source of amusement, not wonder.

Of course, the original post could be an elaborate joke.

limbot

Literally just had one if those moments. My sons friend just had a long trip ahead of him to get home to a little country town south of where I live. Just looked it up on Google maps and it's 47 kms. Always seemed a long way when I drive there and we don't go there often as it's so far..... Just realized I rode more than that after work on Monday!

bruce19

I was different before I was a cyclist.

chaadster

That the story had a loop with a turnaround point really blew my mind!

Fox Farm

Some years ago I am sitting on the side of the road changing a flat tire. Bike is upside down, rear wheel off and in my lap, inner tube on top of the tire. A motorist pulls up and asked me, "Did you have a flat tire?" I looked at him with a straight face and said, "no but I am changing the factory air installed in the tire. Want to help?"

indyfabz

When I was drunk and crashed into a newspaper box.

bikepro

It's a variation on the "ugly duckling" story. They'll stop laughing when you grow up and become a pro cyclist.

RoderWrench

There's a little "Tortoise and the Hare" in there too.

BadBurrito

in the late 90's (like 1998 I think). I rode on RAGBRAI and on the century day, there was a 23 mile loop that you could take to increase the daily mileage to 100. Trouble was it was going to be just shy of a 100 miles, like 98+. So I rode the 23 mile loop twice. Later it was pointed out to me that I could've just rode a couple of miles around town to make it 100. That's when I knew I was different.

I enjoyed the second loop very much, I also stopped for pie on the second loop - very awesome pie.

Drew Eckhardt 

You're off to a good start, so keep at it!

With more practice you'll stay focused enough to ride 40-50 miles without stopping, and with better training not need to eat for rides under four hours.