It started for me in 1975, my first year at the U. of Miami (FL), and no way to get to all those neat places. Bought a very used Raleigh Grand Prix. Rode it everywhere, and after some months, noticed that not many people could keep up with me. Dealt a rich kid out of his pristine Falcon San Remo 76 (531 frame, all Campy NR - that was real style in those days!), and a group of us just rode everywhere. Hardly a hill in S. Florida, so you could just go all day.
Burned out in college, left Fla and came home to KY, started working in a bike shop, kept riding. Started hitting some serious hills, now I see why the TDF riders look so pained... Got tired of working with my hands, went back to college, lost interest in cycling.
Fast forward 20 years. Been working professionally for some time, kids in the house now, so I have to set a good example and quit the filthy smoking habit. That got replaced by weight gain - ugh, how disgusting. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not fat - time to burn it off. By coincidence, some friends were doing the MTB thing, and hey, I used to love cycling, so give it a try.
So we cut a few miles of trails on my rather hilly farm, and I got a MTB. Lots of fun, and we started visiting some of the nearby singetracks, but I noticed I was enjoying the road rides more than the off road rides.
While getting parts for my old Trek Y22 MTB, I had noticed a wild looking street bike Trek made out of carbon, called a Foil. So I ended up getting a bare Foil frameset and putting a Chorus group on it. Started putting in serious road time - 50 to 60 miles a day with plenty of hills, and noticed something that few people in their 40's and beyond get to see - real improvement in physical condition. Started out averaging 15 mph in the spring, was up to 22 by the summer. That's all the motivation I need - if I'm getting better, it means I'm not getting worse.
And I discovered another reason I love road riding - it's a mental vacation. Clear the mind, and think of nothing. Put all the day's frustrations and tribulations on hold, and just watch the average speed and the heart rate. I look forward to the evening ride in the spring, it's as much a mental tuneup as physical. Bought an old Cannondale tandem to get my wife out (I'm smart enough not to comment on HER weight) and she loves it. We're averaging 18-20 mph on it, that sucker will fly on the downhills.
I'm also getting nostalgic - after a two year search, I found another example of my old college days Falcon. The frame is a bit small, but hey, I found it, and it rides every bit as smooth as I remember. To tell the truth, my space age Trek isn't all that much better than this distinguished British gentleman.
So here I am, 25 years later, still doing the same thing, on the same bike, and still having as good a time at it. Come back in another 25 years, and I'll probably be doing the same.