Ever since I was a little kid I loved to ride my bike.I would go through the woods thinking I was a daredevil. I could ride by myself or ride with friends. It didn't matter because the feeling the bike gave me was one of pure delight. I had dreams Of bmx bikes when I was little. Waking up to find a brand new fast bike just for me. That didn't happen. My huffy was just fine. And I had communal bikes at grandparents houses. There was no bike fitting. It was just grab a bike you could find and ride. I started riding a bike by age 4. I thought I could do no hands by age 5. That landed me in the hospital with stitches in my arm. I came back to my grandmother and mother exclaiming I could almost see my bone. They were not as impressed. That wouldn't be my only mishap on a bike. At eight years old I decided I could ride a 10 speed road bike. I was cruising real fast. But when it came time to stop, flipping over the handlebars was not the greatest idea. Landed me back in the emergency room. Two front teeth gone and I had a blotch of blood on my nose for weeks. The doctor never showed up to put my teeth back in. Btw, I had no helmet on both of these spills.
Five years ago I wad told I had leukemia again. I had to get a stem cell transplant in order to survive because my own blood cells were not working properly. In the hospital, after my transplant, almost every morning I would get up at 5:30 and ride a stationary bike for at least 20 minutes. I knew I had to do this before I ate because then the vomiting and the drugs would start around 7am and I wouldn't feel well for the rest of the day possibly. In between my year and a half of remission, my parents bought me a trek mountain bike. When I was well enough, I would try to ride a bit, but my blood counts were a bit questionable.
3 years after my transplant, I decided on my 30th birthday, it was time to buy myself a present to change my life. A road bike. I must admit, there are rules and clothes that sometimes make it feel like a task. It isn't about jeans, a tee shirt and sneakers on my little huffy anymore. But, riding is my freedom,a remedy for my anxiety and my quiet piece of mind. It allows me to daydream and fulfill goals (at least in my head). So here I begin my journey of biking with falcon...