An unlikely cyclist...

My cycling started with a conversation at a GDA meeting with Kit Ratcliff.

We were sitting next to each other at dinner and I asked him what he did the night before.

He answered, "I rode my bike around downtown Dallas."

As the story unfolded, I learned that Kit--who happens to be one of the most personally committed environmentalists I know--has a Brompton bicycle which he had ridden to the San Francisco airport, folded up and checked, then unloaded at DFW to help offset his carbon footprint from flying.

I was so inspired by the joy he expressed telling about his evening, that I was in. The idea sat in the back of my head for over a year as I determined the Brompton had a large price tag for jumping in as a new adventure.

So as I investigated bicycles, I landed on the perfect thing...a beach cruiser.

After all, I'd been pretty intimidated by my searches on websites. There were so many options. So many differentials that it sounded really difficult to get into cycling. There are helmets and clothes and water you wear on your back. Plus, everyone I know who is into it, is WAY into it--so they are intimidating all on their own.

Beach cruisers are easy. Most don't even have gears. And you sit up. AND they have coaster brakes. It's like the bike you loved when you were six...upsized. (Just after I ordered mine, I read a design article about a gear manufacturer in Japan--Shimano--who actually created the Beach Cruisers specifically to that premise so that cycling would be appealing to a larger percentage of the American market.)

So, here it is. My new Micargi Rover. Initially I had dreams of bicycle commuting, but since then I've learned that I am really slow. (It took me an hour on the test run.) So, I've settled for running errands or simply riding for the joy of it--like Kit inspired me.

Today, I ran a particularly joyful errand...I rode to the post office to RSVP for my friends, Shane and Michelle's wedding. They are getting married on John's and my anniversary. Will be fun to celebrate with them. (Don't you love it when good things happen to people you care about?)

So, that's me. The unlikely cyclist. Having a blast. Just like when I was six and had a white basket with hot pink daisies on the front. You know, I bet I could get one still...