I was a nerdy, uncoordinated kid completely devoid of athletic ability. We tend to gravitate to our strengths (music, math, construction toys in my case) and avoid our weaknesses, and the relatively low level of physical activity led to obesity.

The summer I turned 12 I finally figured out how to balance a bicycle (please don't laugh), and I bought a Schwinn 2-speed "middleweight" from a friend. Quickly hooked, I requested and received a low-end Bianchi road bike for Christmas that year. Bicycling was a complete game-changer -- freedom to explore, physique-changing exercise, camaraderie with classmates who shared my interest in the sport.

As a grad student at UCLA I got a weekend and summer job at a bike shop to help make ends meet. I recognized one of our customers as the father of a boyhood friend and west Los Angeles neighbor, but it took him quite a while to figure out who I was. "Oh ... you were that little ROUND kid."

My current fitness regimen involves three workouts at the YMCA per week, a lot of bicycling and fast walking for transportation, plus some (not enough) pleasure cycling. Cycling remains the only sport I have ever truly loved, and it has saved me from family tendencies of obesity, diabetes, etc. I have met some delightful people on the road and online, and I have spent pleasurable time building, maintaining, and restoring bicycles.