Hello dear friends and everyone in the #cycling community. It's been a while since I stopped by to share what I've got with everyone but today is the day.
In today's post, I'll be sharing with everyone my cycling story, from a novice to a pro who now uses his cycling skills to save transport expenses and boost his self confidence.
Here's how it all started. Back then in high school, it was mandatory that every student in the graduating class lived in the dormitory. So I had to leave home for school for months and returned for a break just for a few weeks. After our final papers in school, we had free time and engaged in several extracurricular activities. One of these activities was riding the security men's bicycles.
That was a kind of minor offense though which we knew might attract some form of punishment from school. So after “bribing” the security guards who had BMXs, we take the bicycles to the back of the chapel and ride till we are short of sweat and glucose.
That time in school, I was a novice. I was always assisted before I could ride. I was so ashamed to be the only guy who couldn't ride a bicycle among my mates who all rode the bicycles with flair and displayed several amazing stunts. This didn't make me feel bad though, I was rather motivated to go home, learn riding on my own and see how to be better.
After I finished everything I had to do in school and signed out of high school, I finally went home while still awaiting the graduation ceremony. Among the things I asked my parents to get for me as a graduation gift was a bicycle.
My parents got the bicycle for me before graduation and I began to learn riding. I sustained injuries on different parts of my body but I remembered what my sprint coach taught me, “no pain, no gain.” So I knew injury is part of cycling.
I was able to use the sloping topography of our front yard to propel myself while learning how to paddle, balance and maintain the right direction. After learning the basics, I still had to go meet one of my friends whose brother taught me basic stunts which I brag of today, lol.
Remember, I learned how to cycle at home but one of my aims was to learn cycling and make it an alternative means of transportation to school. So this also prompted me to learn how to cycle on the highways where cars and trucks would test my confidence. I needed to leave my comfort zone and try the outside world. So every Sunday which is a less busy day, I would always go to the main roads and cycle with other bicyclists.
I did that several times till I became a confident bicyclist which had always been my dream. I was no longer a “local champion.”
During graduation, I was bold enough to gist with my friends about my cycling story. Though they laughed at me reminding me of how I used to behave like a baby before while riding but at the same time, they were happy for me.
Now, I cut down transportation expenses as cycling has become my alternative means of transportation especially for short distances to school, work and running some errands.
One thing I love about cycling is that it's a lifelong skill, no bicyclist would forget how to ride even after 10 years of not climbing the bicycle. Learning how to ride a bicycle is one of my greatest achievements and I'll tell my children the same story.
Thanks for stopping by friends, enjoy your day cyclists😊.