How did you get involved with cycling?

[Kranswurm]

My first bike was at 6 years old......from there till the army rode everywhere either by bike ,train or bus

There was no Ou Kaapse Weg in those days.Only way to get to Kom and Scarbs from Claremont was by bike through Hout bay

Used to ride regularly to Rooi Els to go exploring.Wellington was old takkie

[bebop]

Watching the start of the 2011 Cape epic with a mate, still drunk from the night before and still smoking 20-30 a day. Decided to turn the old life around that day. Bought my MTB that week, stopped smoking and started to drink less. Best decision of my life.

[Daideron]

It is amazing how much you remember from your cycling years. If someone asks me about work I did in 1988, my first point of reference for that year is The Star 100 and I figure out the memory from there. I have had over 30bikes in four decades of cycling and remember each one as fondly as the next.

I am not a Tour de France champion, but I see myself as a champion for cycling. The second you sit on that saddle you are free to ride wherever your legs can take you.

But what got me into cycling? Lets just say Eddy Merckx made it look really fun and easy!

[RexFuzzle]

Learnt on one of those multi coloured bmx's with training wheels... Then got a 5 speed little red job and then an Aero505 with grip shifts... rode that till 3rd year varsity- then convinced my dad that a proper mtb was cool and got a raleigh rm4... next was a custom ss and a very old Zini Sport... and so the collection grows.

Mom and dad both ride now- just have to get my brother to join in.

[Kranswurm]

It is amazing how much you remember from your cycling years. If someone asks me about work I did in 1988, my first point of reference for that year is The Star 100 and I figure out the memory from there. I have had over 30bikes in four decades of cycling and remember each one as fondly as the next.

I am not a Tour de France champion, but I see myself as a champion for cycling. The second you sit on that saddle you are free to ride wherever your legs can take you.

But what got me into cycling? Lets just say Eddy Merckx made it look really fun and easy!

 

The Star 100 almost put me off cycling if ii's the one I am thinking of with all the rain hail and sleet

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I enjoy riding, but I cant say I have an undying love of it, to me its just something I do, much like I play golf, go scuba diving, swim, hike and run, if I couldn't ride tomorrow, or ever again I wouldn't really worry that much, I would just do something else, life is too short to see it in a series of circular leg movements.

[Daideron]

Yip, that was the Star 100 that it hailed in!

[Kranswurm]

I enjoy riding, but I cant say I have an undying love of it, to me its just something I do, much like I play golf, go scuba diving, swim, hike and run, if I couldn't ride tomorrow, or ever again I wouldn't really worry that much, I would just do something else, life is too short to see it in a series of circular leg movements.

 

I am the same........I think that comes from riding a bike all those years as a kid where it was transport

A bike is just a bike.Yes you get nice ones and not so nice ones like any car and motorbike but I cannot get anal about it

The only difference was in Botswana where you could take off in any direction and go on an adventure and explore new routes on your mtb.Pack some food and just buggeroff for as long as you want

That is one of the things that gives me the Sh*ts about this place...the riding is crap

[Guest Latent Blue]

For me cycling is something devine... I always feel like I "understand pleasure" better than a non-cyclist does!!!

[Kranswurm]

Yip, that was the Star 100 that it hailed in!

I have never been so cold.It was in October and a huge cold front hit the country.That weekend those hikers died on Mont Aux Sources in the cave

I did finish the race tho

[Kranswurm]

For me cycling is something devine... I always feel like I "understand pleasure" better than a non-cyclist does!!!

 

You probably give your bikes names and refer to it as your baby?

[Daideron]

Yes Kranswurm, thats in fact true. I remember trying to tighten the valve after a puncture and not being able to feel the valve or my fingers! Those were BIG rides in those days, we had about 1200 riders at most if memory serves me correctly.

[Hairy]

finished school and had no idea yet what to do with my life ... answered a add for sports store salesman, turned out to be a well know cycle shop, got there early and browsed .... got the job and fell in love with cycling.

 

That is the short story ... a longer one would have to go with a coffee or a beer.

[martinsnyman]

Wanted to quit smoking, decided that exercise might help to keep the cravings at bay, it is now one year later, I have lost 20kg and love my MTB! Ride as often as possible and do at least one race a month.

 

My first 20km trailseeker took me 2hrs, did the 40km NF quikie last week in the same time. - loving it!

[Prince]

The people at my wife's office had a bet they would all do 94.7. So she entered me in the September when i didnt even own a bike!

[argie1]

Yep this is a great topic, very intersting to read what everyome did.

I got a scooter, then bobo with training wheels, then that famous speed wobble chopper then started a paper round and bought my first racing bike for R 95 from Cymots in Rondebosch. That bike did a few Argi? then bought a Giant about 15 years ago and now busy assembling a schwinn for the road.

 

Will one day get a MTB as I seem to missing a lot of fun.