I have enjoyed cycling since I learned to ride. It always seems that I'm enjoying different aspects of it, but I always seem to enjoy the basic experience of rolling on two wheels and propelling myself by my own power.

My draw to cycling was probably due both to where I grew up and my own predispositions and interests. There wasn't any pavement for miles, so other activities with wheels, such as roller-skating and skateboarding, were not a possibility. Furthermore, the neighborhood was sparsely populated with kids my age, so solitary activities were the easiest to come by. Cycling was a way to pass time, and encompassed so many things I loved as a kid (and still do), including speed, wheels, and mechanical things I could take apart.

As a teenager, cycling became one of the things I was good at. It kept me out of trouble, because I could always hold my head high without needing to seek the approval of my classmates, many of whom weren't engaging in the most wholesome activities. I ended up riding a few miles a day for many years, spending much of it climbing long dirt hills for some reason or another, and often for no reason other than to come down quickly. I spent many summers at a cycling camp called "Y-Riders", which brought me closer to the activity I loved, and introduced me to Eszter, one of the most important friends in my life. But, that's another story altogether.

In my later years of high school, sickness got in the way of riding, though I still got out on my Ibis and stretched my legs on my better days. When I got to college, the bike became my preferred method of transit, due at first to parking prices, and due later to the fact that it really brightened my days. Once my cancer treatment ended, cycling became a conduit by which I could finally reclaim the physical strength I had lost over the past 3.5 years. I bought a Trek 5200 road bike, and ended up riding over 250 miles a week for many months.

I still ride to work every day I can, and I figure I only drive to work about 10 days a year. I also try to bike instead of drive whenever possible, as long as distance isn't too great and I can carry what I need in my backpack.

I now have 4 bikes, recently pared down from 5. The garage is growing full, and if the expansion continues, a larger garage will be necessary, because getting rid of any of them would be unthinkable. Below are the bikes currently in my stable.