Another Reason to Ride

There must be a million reasons not to ride your bike. Over the years I have heard them all, well almost.
Too Hot, Too Cold, Too Wet, Too Windy, Too Dark, Too much Traffic, Too much Glass, Too many Puddles,Too Many Pot Holes, Too Many Puddles with Pot Holes, Too many Leafs on the Trail, Too Muddy, Too little Time, Too Expensive, Too dangerous, Too much Snow, Too much Sand, Too much Ice, Too many chores. I actually heard one fellow say he would never ride the Charles River Trail because there were too many Geese!
I call these folks, "Team Too Much."

Its never been easier to ride your bike. There is something for every problem. Studded tires, Winter Boots and Great Rain Gear come to mind.

Of course there truly legitimate reasons not to ride your bicycle, But in the case of Tyler Hamilton in the 2003 Tour de France and his broken collarbone, too much pain didn't stop his ride.
For those of us that don't remember, Tyler broke his Collarbone in a crash in the second Stage. He not only finished the Tour, but did with distinction. Fourth place overall and 9th place in the Mountains Class.
Truly a case of determination, Tyler turned the heads of many proving again that if you really want something, you can do it.

In the case of a fellow by the name of Dennis. Those of you who have ridden the North Shore of the Merrimack River in Haverhill, Merrimack, Merrimack Port have all seen him. He rides every day,rain or shine. His foot is so bent over, he pedals with his ankle.

Bicycles were invented as a walking machine. I don't think the first builders were thinking of a racing bike until some one challenged another rider. I know I took up cycling as a 5 year old so I didn't have to walk. I loved the coasting part, something we as cyclists seem to forget when we tell people, "I Rode a Century!" How much of that 100 miles was just sitting there? Not much if your doing it under 4 hours in the case of Beryl Burton. Check her out sometime!

Hopping in the car is common here in New England, but there many that use there bicycles as there car for as many reasons as there are not to ride one.

In the case of Jothy Rosenberg. Jothy lost his right leg at 16. He was told by his Doctors that he didn't stand much of a chance surviving. Since he has ridden thousands of miles and has completed the Pan Mass Challenge 7 times. His new book explains it all. His "Who Says I Can’t" book launch event is on December 16th in Needham,Ma at the PMC headquarters. Anybody interested?

The reason for this Blog is to get us to ride. Don't look out the window, Just go for a ride. Short distances are good! You don't need to ride the Tour de France, or 50 miles to do it right. Around the block is enough to put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. How about you?