You Don't Have To Be A Cyclist To Ride Your Bike

You Don't Have to be a Cyclist to Ride Your Bike!

I wasn't a cyclist before this trip.

I would never have argued that my longest ride of 17 miles was enough to qualify me as one either. Now, 7 months, 9,000 miles, 38 flats, 3 sets of tires, and 2 saddles later, I still wouldn't qualify myself as a cyclist.

The Tour De France was on the past few weeks and I didn't even have the slightest desire to turn it on. I'm pretty sure the test in becoming a true cyclist has to do with watching this race and understanding it and the racers. That is one test I would fail. I couldn't even name more than one racing cyclist!

I could list for you a whole bunch of touring cyclists, though. Does that count?

So what makes a "cyclist?" The term "cyclist" almost has an elite feel which might be why I could never feel comfortable qualifying myself as one. I have ridden quite a few miles this year, but they are slow miles with plenty of rest stops.

Over the course of this year, I have fallen in love over and over again with riding my bike and we see so many others doing the same thing.

But being a cyclist? Even though Adam and I look like them with our spandex and jerseys on, I just don't feel like one.

The good news? You don't have to be a "cyclist" to ride your bike. You can wear whatever you want, carry however much you want, and go a slow as you want. No, I'm no cyclist. I'm a traveler using the bicycle as my mode of transportation.

Christy and Adam are currently in Wyoming. To find out more, check out their blog at http://giveabike.blogspot.com/ or their Facebook Page at https:/ /www.facebook.com/giveabike. To see where they are, you can check out this map at Track My Tour. Christy will be writing occasional stories for Patch as she and her husband make their way through the U.S.

Madison Patch is proud to be the Connecticut sponsor for Adam and Christy's trip. If you'd like to sponsor their trip, visit this page on their website.