Do you remember your first time?

I was on my rode bike today and as I passed all the people sitting in their cars I noticed something. Just about none of the people I saw seamed to be having as much fun as I was. I had my tunes and as long as I kept my speed at a moderate pace I had air conditioning. It wasn't costing me much at all to pedal, just what it cost to fill my bottles and I also had plenty of snacks.

I wonder how many people out there have forgotten the feeling a bicycle can give them?. People grow up and start doing different things and gain new interest forgeting of the times when all they needed was a bike to make them happy. I can remember waking up in the morning and only wanting a day to go by where my friends and I could ride all day and not get a flat. I rode my bike to school and checked on it between every class. During the summer months I would leave the house and not come back till dark, on my bike the whole time. When I would break a part and have to resort to getting around on my feet I would go nuts! I can remember sitting on a curb watching the neighborhood kids ride by when I had a flat tire. My dad would make me try and patch my old tubes, instilling a work ethic he would say. They were the kind of patches you would have to burn on the glue, do you remember those. So many times I would stick my fingers to a still damaged tube. Finaly after lots of begging I would get a few dollars tossed my way and off to TG&Y I would go to buy a tube. Damn it if the screw drivers I used to install the tube would puncture the new tube!!!!! I started to steal them. I know this was bad but I had to ride my bike!!!!

I tought my self how to ride a bike. After countless hours of my dad yelling at me as he let go of the rear of the seat and I would take a face plant to the street, every time!! The Huffy Pro Lightning, as seen in this picture, was my first bike. One day while my dad was sitting in front of the T.V. I snuck my bike out of the garrage and walked it down the street. The corner house had a short but steep driveway with a chain link fence at the top. I walked the bike to the top, got on holding the fence, looked for cars and I let go! I did this several times crashing at the end of the driveway! Then it happened, I stayed up! As I started to slow down I remembered I needed to pedal to keep things going. I couldn't believe it. I rode circles in front of the house yelling for my dad to come out nad see me in action. Finally after what seamed like hours my dad came to the door. I remember it like it was yesterday, he said, " that's great Adam, go up the street and get your brother". For a second my feelings were hurt cause he didn't see the greatness that I have learned on my own. But who cares, I was riding a bike, I was riding a Pro Lightning!!!!

My brother was up a the top of Leroy street in San bernardino. He was 6 blocks up at the BMX track with his friends. I was so egar to have him see what I could do. When I finally got to the top of the long hill known as Leroy street, I waited for him at the starting gates of the track. He rolled up and asked if I had pushed my bike all the way up the hill. Dang it man, can I ever get some respect!!!! I told him that I rode all the way up and he didn't even believe I could ride my bike. What happened next I will never forget. He told me that if I could really ride my bike then I had to do a lap on the track. YOU GOT IT BIG BROTHER WHO I SO DESPERATELY WANTED TO IMPRESS!!! The starting line of the track dropped straight into a steep decent and right into a set of double jumps. I wasn't scared a all because I had just seen the movie RAD and I knew how to ride because of it. Can you say OUCH!! I flew out of the gate and down the hill, whoosh! I came to the bottom of the first jump and zipped off the top. I thought, I really can see my house from here! The flight felt like it lasted forever. I had the bike leaned on it's side in a table top fashion and I was looking pretty bitchen. Now one thing I didn't learn from the movie was how to land. Sure fear came over me as I realized this and then SMACK! I landed on the edge of the next jump on my hip still in the table top position. I never felt pain like this before and I thought I was going to die. As I came to from being knocked out I remember hearing my brother screaming to me, " that was great till you EFFED it up dork". I crawled off to the side of the track and layed there curled up next to my bike and the other kids ride by like I wasn't even there. From that day on I was hooked!

Today I still crash quite a bit and I learn a little more every time. I blame getting my first car on my lack of riding skills today. I didn't touch a bike for a little over 6 years and my bike just hug there in my room on a rack. No it wasn't my Huffy, it was an all steel Trek 560 with a white and yellow fade paint job. Later on I would sell my Trek to fund a Nitrous System for my car, Damn it where was the guidance in my house?