Ed in GA

Uh, well.

I got tired of my wife going on rides with an ex-boyfriend and decided she should be cycling with her husband.

RideCO

Developed a bad knee from the high impact sport of trail running, my passion was running down steep technical sections. When I realized my knee would stop me from achieving/maintaining the level of fitness I wanted I decided to supplement my training with a MTB, figuring it would be as much fun as running downhills. But there weren't a lot of good MTB trails where I lived then, so I rode it on the road, I believe I was hooked on road riding after the very first road ride, never looked back.

Naterider

Dude. You are cruel...But that's some funny $hit.

subframe

You know, I remember the exact instant I knew I loved riding a road bike. While getting my commuter tuned up, I finally worked up the courage to test ride one of "those cool road bikes". Within seconds, flying down the road in back of the shop at nearly 10mph, tucked deep into the drops - or at least the hoods - I knew that that feeling of flying was for me. fun stuff.

Dice

I always built bikes (Ever since I was eight), and had a fetish to cannabilize road frames and make crazy rides. Than I found it - the 30 pound Supercycle bike with friction shifters at Canadian tire going for 99$. After spray painting it, I could ride around without being laughed at.

Than I somehow did my first century while the bike was deteriorating, got pissed off with it. Decided to be serious, changed my diet, changed my sleeping patterns, lost 40 pounds, shaved my legs, and invested in a 1500$ bike off of Craigslist.

Plus, I haven't meet a girl that thinks, tight clothes and a really high seat isn't sexy

tinrobot

what event/experience gave birth to your love of cycling

Birth.

My mother had poor eyesight and couldn't drive, so she always rode a bike. When I was little, I'd ride on the back of her bike until I was old enough to ride my own.

dallasmike

Careful with those commas...

Bantam

I grew up riding bicycles around the neighborhood, just generally tearing it up. And I was a speed junkie, bikes, scooter, inline skates, running, Downhill Skateboards, but the competition was missing something that I needed (it wasn't there or it wasn't the right kind). I got a rode bike last March and I knew I was in love, I started racing last July and it was game over.

JoesInBoston

Do you play ice hockey or inline hockey? I can't imagine you'd have issues finding a flat place to ice skate.

umd

1. Rode down the street without training wheels for the first time as a little kid
2. BMX'ing around little dirt piles in empty lots
3. Riding to elementary and middle school
4. Riding to campus in college
5. Commuting to work (all of 2 miles each way) 4 days a week
6. 20ish mile weekend rides on a mountain bike, mostly on bike paths and dirt trails

But the biggest event of all...
7. My girlfriend (now wife) introduced me to the Tour de France and that opened up the world of road bike racing in general to me. I honestly had never heard of Lance Armstrong before that, and a road bike was a completely foreign concept. I think I had seen one in a bike shop once and took it for a test ride and thought it was funny.

Note that it was not Lance Armstrong that motivated me. If anything it was CSC and Cervelo. I really wanted a Soloist Team and was going to save up for one by "earning" a dollar for every mile I rode. After a about a month I said screw it and bought an Allez. It was half the price of the Cervelo and I figured I would rather have a road bike now. I also figured I wouldn't appreciate the Cervelo without putting my time in on a more basic bike first. I think there is a lesson in there for people on BF...

Iwannagofast

good story! and judging by the sound of # 7 congrats on picking a winner

Surferbruce

for me it started with mtb back in about 88' when i went to school in tucson. had a fisher with canti's and a steel fork and fell in love with all adventures on the awesome singletrack through the saguaro ntl. forest.
back when tomac was the upstart and overend and kloser were the top dogs.
good times.

BMOCmj

Went to the Little 500 as a freshman at IU, loved the experience, trained hard and rode in the race for my fraternity 2 years later, been riding ever since.

seb1041

Someguy stole my mtb so I stole another guy's roadbike.

Iwannagofast

hahaha, that was really funny but I am hoping you are not serious...?

seb1041

Neh...just got tired of being dropped in my rollerblades

RacerOne

Started riding with my church youth group on two week 500 mile trips around the midwest when I was 12.

Dice

:O Noooooo my valued attempts of trying to redeem myself from English class by using commas, were thwarted by a spelling mistake.

KiddSisko

1. Tricycle between age 2 and 4
2. Training-wheel free bicycle riding between ages 5 to 12
3. During the Eddy Merckx reign, I saw a new kid and his parents riding "racer" 10 speeds nightly through the neighborhood. New kid schooled me on all things 10 speed and I've been hooked ever since. Within months of that first introduction, I bought my first touring road bike after working 8 hours a day at my father's plumbing shop for half the summer. I think I worked for $1 an hour.
4. Worked in bike shops over the years for extra $.
5. Rode a bike exclusively during first 3 years of living in Los Angeles back when gas was less than $1 per gallon, and fixies didn't exist.

So to answer your question, I've never been without wheels under me, so I don't really have an event or moment that stands out. Maybe buying that first road bike at age 12.

I think bikes are alright!

Tequila Joe

Me too!

dmb2786

you are way too cool for BF

bostongarden

In 1987, a severe ankle sprain that resulted in some arthritis which prevented me from running 10Ks and marathons, led me to cycling and then racing, which I learned to like through the first half of the 1990s.

In 2007, with lots of cartilage thinned out in my left hip, I came to Austin on sabbatical with bike in hand and hopes of easing some pain; I found that I could ride again, eventually without pain for the most part, taking it slowly and carefully, and then even race again. Being able to exercise again, riding and racing with the Austin folk on weekends, Tuesday nights and Thursday nights is when I first loved cycling. If I could somehow run again, I believe I would still prefer cycling.

mazdaspeed

NICE

mazdaspeed

I like racing and going fast, I want to get into shape but I hate the gym and normal exercises, I am obsessed with anything that's engineered well that I can work on or mess with, it gives me another competitive outlet, it's nice to get outside, my legs are WAY STRONGER than before

Lazyass

In 1986 when I was 18 my uncle, who was the president of El Chico's corporation and a cyclist, let me borrow one of his Peugeots and took me riding around lake Lavon in Dallas. We went something like 15 miles which seemed to be an unthinkable distance. I thought I was ready for the TDF even though I could hardly walk afterwards. It was the most fun I ever had with the speed, since all I had ever ridden was bmx bikes, and blasting around curves and drafting and everything. Been hooked since.