Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Leslie


They call it the bicycling bug. I caught it from a client named Leslie and I want to write down the story about how I caught it from her before I forget it.
Leslie is a true lover of bicycles. She rides to work, to play, to run errands (sometimes with a couple of kids riding on the back of her Xtracycle). Leslie also rides for fitness and when she rides she really rides. 50-60 miles rides on her Lemond road bike are the norm for her in the summer and like me she is a great lover of hills.
Last July, Leslie was preparing to ride her first Cycle Oregon and we were talking about riding. I confessed to Leslie that I love to ride my bike but I get so scared of the cars that I always ride straight to the Springwater Corridor to ride on the bike paths. Leslie said, "You just need some education. Try taking the bike streets which are designated for bikes. Many of them have speed humps to slow down the cars." Then she explained how to get to Mt. Tabor which is her favorite weekday ride.
That night I rode to Mt. Tabor on the bike streets and up the Lincoln side for the first time. My whole first set of gears didn't work so it was a pretty tough ascent, but riding around the top of the mountain for the first time I was hooked.
That weekend, Leslie rode her first Cycle Oregon and I started riding all around town. My enthusiasm for riding has not faded and in truth has grown from that day.
Oh, and one more thing about Leslie. As you can see from the picture above, she is definitely one well-dressed cyclist.

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