My dad got me my first road bike as a gift for my 14th birthday. He had started riding a lot, and wanted a buddy. It was a perfect excuse for father-daughter bonding, except he's got some serious thigh muscles. At least once a ride, he'd get into a pace, start thinking of other things, and end up miles ahead of me. I'd chase after him on my sleek red LeMond, hoping for the day I could keep up.
Father and Daughter (and the world's ugliest jerseys)
In high school, I rode on our poor excuse for a cycling team for one year, until the team was cut. I tried a few triathlons and rode plenty with my dad. In Boston, the fact that I was clipped into my bike and clad in spandex made my friends think I was a little bit insane. I thought it was cool.
I brought my bike to college in NH, where it proceeded to get stolen 2 separate times. The first time, it was stolen from the basement of my freshman dorm. 15 months later, I got a call from an operations manager who told me he found an old piece of paper in the pouch with my name and parents' home address on it. That was something my dad always made me carry, and it clearly was helpful.
I brought my bike to college in NH, where it proceeded to get stolen 2 separate times. The first time, it was stolen from the basement of my freshman dorm. 15 months later, I got a call from an operations manager who told me he found an old piece of paper in the pouch with my name and parents' home address on it. That was something my dad always made me carry, and it clearly was helpful.
The second time the bike got stolen, I emailed out weekly for over a month. One day, my friend said, "Every day I walk to school and I see this bike flipped upside down in a tree outside of Alpha Delta." It was a red LeMond, and it had taken a trip through the air from the second floor porch of the frat into a tree out front.
When I moved to Boulder, I spruced up the bike and started riding a lot. Every time I brought it in for service, people would laugh at my 10-year-old frame with failing components. I liked it, and I thought that, coupled with my worn camelback and cotton tshirts, it was an East Coast badge of honor. In early August 2008, I flew back to Boston to ride the Pan Mass Challenge with my dad, and for the first time (and, perhaps, only time), kicked his butt.
When I moved to Boulder, I spruced up the bike and started riding a lot. Every time I brought it in for service, people would laugh at my 10-year-old frame with failing components. I liked it, and I thought that, coupled with my worn camelback and cotton tshirts, it was an East Coast badge of honor. In early August 2008, I flew back to Boston to ride the Pan Mass Challenge with my dad, and for the first time (and, perhaps, only time), kicked his butt.
Pan Mass Challenge 2008
Two weeks after Venus de Miles 2008, I gave in and bought a carbon fiber frame. I felt like I was betraying an old friend, but my new bike was super fast and super sleek. My old LeMond sat, sans pedals, in my laundry room for 9 months. I considered selling it, but it had been with me for over ten years. One day in March I went to do laundry, and it was gone. After a minor meltdown, my roommate told me to call my boyfriend. He told me, "We're not talking about the LeMond." A few days later he wheeled it back into the house, spiffed up as a single speed with new handlebars and flat pedals. Best birthday present ever.
My sweet new ride
My sweet new rideI love my LeMond, and I ride it to work every day. It's been with me through a lot, and I hope I get a lot more time on it before it's gone. Which is why I bought a really nice lock.
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