Hi everyone!

My name's Leslie. I'm 22 and I live in Southern California. I was an Athena until about a month ago, but I still kind of straddle that line. At 5'3 and 147 pounds, I want to lose about 10-12 pounds and I think biking is going to be a big part of helping me accomplish my weight loss goals.

I taught myself to ride a bike when I was 6 years old by riding in circles in my neighbor's driveway until I could go in a straight line without falling over. About a year ago, I bought a comfort bike with my boyfriend at the time so we could ride together. I let the habit slide after we broke up in September because it kind of brought up memories, but I recently got back into the habit and I really like going fast and being propelled by my own legs. I test rode a Fuji roadie probably a month and 1/2 ago at an LBS and I fell in love. Its going to be a while before I can afford a 'real' bike, but I want to get more educated and become a better and more confident rider before I make the investment. My ultimate goal is to ride a century this summer and I think I can make that happen. I'm looking forward to just kind of being a sponge and learning a lot around the forums

Welcome to Bike Forums, Leslie! You should be able to ride a century this summer if you get out on your bike consistently. Check out the Long Distance forum for tips on training for your century ride.

Stop by the Southern California regional forum, too - we have lots of riders in the LA/OC area.

There is also a women's forum you are eligible to gain access to after posting for a month. Send a PM to Siu Blue Wind (administrator) to get access.

Thanks for the welcome!

I've already been browsing through the LD forum.. I'll have to head over to the regional and introduce myself too