Tell Me About Your Mentor

To be honest, I don’t really have a bike mentor. When I was younger, I used to ride my bike a lot, but without any thought of training or bike maintenance. (For some reason, I never got a flat tire. I did smack my face into a driveway once.) Then I stopped riding for many, many years.

I started swimming casually, partly after watching the Summer Olympics on TV in 2004. Then in 2008, I got inspired to be active and to train for some sort of (amateur) race after watching Michael Phelps and the Olympic marathoners on TV. That race ended up being a triathlon. To do a triathlon, you need to bike, and so I started cycling. Stationary bike at first, and then a real bike later on. I’m not going to win any races, but I enjoyed that first race, even though I was woefully undertrained.

I’ve read up on training, sports nutrition and later bike infrastructure and local bike resources. I’ve met many local triathletes and bike commuters. On the training side, I have been inspired by many pros, but also by people like Sister Madonna Buder (a nun who started running in her 40s, continued with marathons and triathlons, and finished an Ironman race at the age of 80 or 81) and Rudy Garcia-Tolson (who finished an Ironman despite being a double above-the-knee amputee). They show that age and missing limbs aren’t good excuses for being sedentary. Not everyone can finish an Ironman but most people can get a few hours of exercise each week.

I try to talk about general health and fitness with people I meet. (Unfortunately, I meet some very sedentary and unhealthy people through work. I’m not sure if I’ve motivated too many people to take up cycling, running or walking. I think I might have spurred some people to start running or biking online though, on Facebook.) I also make a point out of being helpful to beginners and tourists who are trying to figure out Capital Bikeshare. In D.C. and in Arlington, it’s not unusual to meet out-of-town visitors who have decided to try out CaBi. Sometimes I will point out some basics (such as lifting up on the seat when undocking a bike, instead of pulling back on the handlebars). Other times, people will ask me how the system works, as I approach a station.

So while I don’t really have a bike mentor, I do think that cycling has opened up new experiences and new interactions with many people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I’ve also learned a lot more about local neighborhoods and areas in the D.C./Arlington region. Other than a few areas like Georgetown and downtown D.C., I didn’t do much exploring in the past. Many times I’ll ride around on CaBi or the mountain bike, at slow to moderate speeds, just to see what all the side streets, paths and buildings look like in various areas. I would have never done that if I hadn’t taken up cycling. I still (sort of) train for races, but the bike exploration is almost as important to me now. So is learning about bike infrastructure issues. I had never thought about any of that before I started riding. The WashCycle has been a great resource and newer sites like GGW and even ARLnow and Washington Business Journal. But so is this forum. Maybe the forum is kind of like my collective mentor. I admit to ignoring some of the technical bike component discussions, but I follow most of the other topics. One of these days, I might even make it to a happy hour. (But don’t hold me to that.)

Some of you have heard this story before. I had a co worker who was a very avid rider – he did triathalons and other long rides, but also bike commuted to work most days, from MoCo to the Navy Yard area. He talked about it a fair amount – not obnoxiously or proselytizing, but simply as something he liked to do, and that folks naturally asked him about. I had always been an avid walker and had done transportation biking on occasion when I was much younger, and he inspired me to think about at least a partial bike commute. From spring of 2012 to BTWD 2013 when I did my first commute, he gave me ideas, advice and support (and listened to my stories of my weekend rides.) He retired shortly before BTWD 2013, but rode with me (as promised) from the Jefferson into the Canal Park pit stop. Since then I get most of my ideas and advice here, but I probably would not have gotten to that point had it not been for my colleague.

My high school auto shop teacher taught me two things that stuck: KISS and never say “It’s not my fault.” It’s very likely your fault, but you can fix it.

I hate when I agree with Alec Baldwin.