Finding God

Just like any other Sunday, I awoke to the thought of cycling. The sun was peeking through the cracks in my drapes and beckoning me for a day of sunny skies and great riding. I hopped out of bed, ate a couple bowls of Cinnamon Trackers, and began working on my bike, preparing it for another ride. It was thoroughly covered in dirt and grime from the previous day’s rainy adventure, so I spent the next twenty minutes wiping down the frame, cleaning the rims and brake pads, and airing up the tires. I had washed my cycling kit in the sink the night prior, allowing it to air dry overnight. As it approached 9:30, I could feel God nudging me in that old familiar way. I knew that I wasn’t going to end up riding that morning. It is extremely hard for me to turn down a ride, especially with the ample amount of free time that I have in a weekend. I decided that I would attend the morning service at church and try to hear from Him on what He would have me do with my day. I am still f...

I could feel cold rainwater filling my Specialized Body Geometry clipless shoes as I cruised at a steady pace along the South Platte River Trail. I had left anticipating a relaxing two-hour recovery ride to the trailhead of the Mary Carter Greenway Trail, but soon discovered that fate and circumstance had a different plan. *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          * I approached the trailheads of the Platte and Cherry Creek Trails near Confluence Park shortly after le...

Afternoon rush hour is my favorite time of day if I’m on my bike. It was 4:15 and I had just locked up at work. My black Ivan Chrome bag held my laptop; a water bottle; a cycling travel kit complete with a CO 2 pump, multi-tool, and patch kit; a Kryptonite cable lock; and my wallet and cell phone. It’s the cargo that I carry every day to and from work. The heavy duty straps and thick padding allowed me to forget about the weight of my cargo as I snapped the aluminum frame of my Specialized Allez road bike back and forth underneath me during quick sprints through the city. I rode south on Larimer St., enjoying the sights and sounds of the city on a Friday afternoon. The roads were packed like any other weekday after work, and I loved it. I took a quick glance over my left shoulder before darting across three lanes of moving traffic to the far left side of Larimer. I’ve always loved the rush of riding through traffic. I rode with 2,000 pounds of moving steel on either side of me ...

Over the past week I have been thinking obsessively over buying a pair of road bike shoes for my bike. I currently only have cheap plastic commuter pedals with toe straps, and it can be extremely inefficient to ride long distances in a pair of flimsy tennis shoes. I already have clipless pedals, but I need road bike shoes in order to use them. A pair of road shoes can cost anywhere from $80 to $350, but I was strongly considering simply charging them to my credit card, despite the fact that I don’t have cash to cover the cost. Every time I ride, I think about how much better it would be if I had a pair of brand new, Specialized carbon-fiber-soled road shoes; or if I had a carbon fork and seatpost from Easton or Bontrager, a pro-grade Echelon helmet, a hand-built Rōl wheelset, Swissstop engineered brake pads, a new Specialized Body Geometry saddle, or a custom bike-fitting from the local Trek store so I could ride more comfortably and with more efficiency – and I’ve only had my newest b...

On November 8th at 7:41pm, I was struck by a Jeep while riding my bike home. I blacked out while I was in the air and could barely move after the impact. An ambulance arrived shortly after one of the witnesses called, and several EMTs put me in a neck brace and strapped me down to a stretcher. I ended up being shipped to the county hospital and had a CT scan taken of my head and neck to assess the damage. It turned out that I wasn't seriously injured and I was released two hours later. Now, a month later, I am faced with over $1,700 in medical bills, $700 in chiropractic work, and a $100 traffic ticket, since I was at fault for the accident for biking too quickly through a crosswalk. I currently work two jobs to pay for rent, food, and other bills that I have, so it's pretty obvious that I don't have a great deal of money sitting around, let alone over two grand. I also only have extremely minimal insurance, which will cover very little, if any, of the c...