Fat Mike rides a bike

My daughter Whitney is encouraging me to write a blog about my bike riding. So I thought about it for a day or so and decided what the hell. I am a 54 year old, over weight man. I have bad knees and thus running or jogging and sometimes walking don't work for me.

My orthopedic surgeon told me after my first knee surgery to get a bike with a toe clip on the pedal to help strengthen the knee. I thought what the hell it is great exercise and lots of fun so I went for it.

Like most people my dad bought me a bike when I was about six years old. It was a Schwinn cruiser bike, black with no gears. In the third grade I sold spudnuts for sixty cents a bag, to earn some money so I could buy a Schwinn Stingray five speed. I earned ten cents a bag and the bike cost me eighty bucks. That was a lot of doughnuts. I would usually get six bags a day and take them up to the Fraternity houses. They would sell out fast. It took me over a year to get the money I needed.

In the fourth grade I rode that bike to school almost every day. What fun that bike was. My friends and I liked to pop wheelies, and race around the neighborhood. It was great transportation for young boy, who had many friends and places to go. Alas I grew out of that bike and my father arranged for me to fancy French made Puegout ten speed race bike. This was the bike I rode throughout high school. Unfortunately as soon as I got that first car my interest in cycling waned. The bike sat in the garage and collected dust. I don't recall riding at all for many years.No clue what happened to that bike. My brother got one at the same time and he had it only about a week before it was stolen.