Random Facts About Me

1. When I’m trying to think I whistle in a low tune.
2. When I’m Working I snap my fingers.
3. When I’m Nervous I Bite the Inside of my lip.

My Biking Speech Rough Draft

Imagine riding your bike on a winding country road as the fresh cool wind brushes across your face, as you hear a truck approaching you make your way to the edge when you feel something SLAM! Against your head and you fall on the ground; half confused and half furious. As you pick yourself up you look at the full (unopened of course) can of beer that recently exploded on your head- This has happened to me and countless other cyclist in Owensboro and when it happens I always have to ask myself 3 questions.

1.      Why does ever other car in Owensboro give me a near death experience?

2.      Whats so hard about moving your car or truck over 3 feet to the left on an empty road?

3.      (Maybe the hardest question to answer) Why is it ALWAYS beer cans?

I think the city needs to heighten the awareness of cycling and promote such a healthy lifestyle to reduce these stories.

There’s nothing quite like the joy that comes from riding a bike. Whether it be on pavement, through dirt, or over rocks. Hopping on a bike is one of life’s simple pleasures. Bikes are a way to get around town, to relax, to have adventures, and to stay happy and healthy. And every time we pedal our way forward, we not only get to where we’re going, but we also show the rest of the world just how powerful human power really can be.

Here are some other reasons to ride your bike:

47% of American would like to see more bike lanes, trail and bridges

1 pound of Co2 pollution is cut for every mile pedaled

50% of Americans trips are less than 3 miles

$8,000 each year is spent on owning and operating a car

3 Hours a week of riding a bike can reduce Heart Disease and Stroke by 50%

$10 is saved each day by commuting 10 miles round trip by bike instead of car.

In general biking is a fun healthy way to get one place to another. For me it is a frame of mind; an enhanced way to view the city. On a bicycle, I can feel, hear, smell, and view the city all at once. But most of all, I ride to clear my mind. There is nothing like riding through a refreshing Portland shower before school Many more people than I expect ride bikes throughout Owensboro, I’ve met many people who have influenced me and it seems like every cyclist just has an instant connection, so don’t miss out on a fantastic opportunity to ride your bike and raise awareness for cyclist in Owensboro.

When I learned I wasn't too bad after all.

25 hardy souls line up for a photo before starting a 30-mile ride on a cold and windy New Year's Day. And there I was, Like a kid being thrown into a pool to learn to swim. This had to be one of my favorite rides I've had though, and even though it was 34 degrees out, i didnt get cold at all and for one I was in the front of the group. This was a nice boost for my self-esteem and it wasnt too bad to have a nice Lunch waiting for us back at Panera,

Im the lad in the Yellow, 7th from the left.

My First Ride on my Bike

As soon as i got my bike i quickly called my Uncle and told him to count me in for the next ride he goes on. That Friday I get a text from my Uncle "Ride from my house Saturday 8:00AM. The thoughts in my mind were: Its 16 degrees outside, and Why so early on a Saturday? I got up anyways. The group who met at my Uncles house had already decided a route when they saw me pull in, and they turned to my Uncle and said "Uhhh Joe I don't think he can handle this route, its the toughest on we have, maybe we should go easy on him" well they didn't, in fact after about 20 miles I had to stop and puke everywhere there wasn't any way i could go any longer I felt drunk, My vision was blurred, i could go straight, and i wanted to throw up every pedal i took. I finally called my parents to pick me up in Philpot and my Uncle Joe said "We'll never let you live this down, in no time you'll be passing us left and right, but we'll still never let you forget this" and he hasn't. I got back home and realized I could do it because i ate bacon and drank absolutely nothing before the ride…the thing you lean. That day I got back I had to drive to Nashville and we were going caving with a bunch of guys…but thats a different story.

It was finally time to Get My Bike!

Christmas Morning I wake up know exactly what I was getting, although all my brothers got like 10 things and I only got one, I think I was more excited than anyone. When I look back at it i feel like i was 8 again and i walk in the living room with a new bike. Except this bike was a bit more expensive…okay maybe a lot more expensive but the feeling I got was the same. I Just couldn't wait to take it out for my first ride on it!

My Quest for $859.00

After I paid my down payment the mission was created. I needed $859. There was a small problem though, track season was just beginning and finding a job that could give me hours was nearly impossible with my track schedule. I talked to my manager at Franey's and told him and all the other employees to call me if they needed a substitute. Slowly but surely I made about $60 a week and my parents decided to pay for $250 to make it my Christmas present and in what seemed like no time I got my new bike...I just wasnt allowed to ride it until Christmas. The waiting game was on.

Logans Firenza

This entry may seem a bit random, but its about Logan's first road bike. Logan and I bought our bikes at the exact same time and while I bought a more race-type bike Logan bought a touring bike. It's definitely the most beautiful bike of all time. It's a 15-speed italian made bike called a Firenze. Its a red bike, yellow wiring with a yellow bottle cage which didnt sound appealing at first but ended up being and still is the most gorgeous bike I've seen.

Finding My New Bike

After finding me new bike I had a long good farewell to my Schwinn World Sport and one last time took it on a long ride alone. I went about 60 miles that day. The next day I took my bike back to the man who sold it to me, he really loved that bike too so he bought it back for the same price I paid for it since I took good care of it and it still looked like it was out of the shop. The next week I began my search for a new bike, as I walked into a relatively new bike shop called the Bike Doctor. As I walked in a bike caught my eye to the left. It had Blue handle bar tape and 105 Shimano shifters. This bike had my name on it (literally- the brand of wheels it had on where "Reynolds") it was a Giant Defy 1 As I talked to the man he told me all the specs and it just grew on me. I put a down payment of $75 and went ahead and paid $125 more dollars. From one bike to another.

Riding with my Uncle Joe

As Logan and I began to love cycling more and more my Uncle Joe invited us to ride with his group (later to learn this is a bad idea) It was a typical December morning, 15 degrees, windy, and wet. As Logan and I pulled into the parking lot on out bikes we soon realized we were very out of place. While we had steele frammed bikes from the 80s (reliable but nearly 60 pounds of bike) the others, including my Uncle had various carbon framed bikes weighing in at 16> pounds. As we began on our 25 mile journey Logan and I felt were were doing pretty well aside from my toes (and other body parts) freezing off. Towards the end there was a long straight away without warning the other men took off leaving us in the dust. When we met them back at the house we nearly callapsed from exaustion. Thats when I learned my bike wasnt built for speed. I was ready for an upgrade.

My Schwinn World-Sport

November 2009 I had bought my first road bike. It was a 1986 Schwinn World Sport. The man who sold it to me is a close family friend from Holland and he told me everything about the bike. It came at a fair price of about $300. And it was well worth it all summer I filled my gas tank no more than 4 times. I rode that bike everywhere, once to Bowling Green and Panther Creek park is probably my favorite route to take. Its when I learned that bike transportation is nearly as fast (if not faster in some cases) and started to develop a love and hobby of biking.