I have written a lot of holiday articles about shopping for a cyclist in the family or training tips this time of year when the treats are plenty and the miles are few. This is a crazy time of year. Bad weather and out of town guests push one’s patience to the limits. That is why I have taken the following approach for so many years. Now is the time to invest in you, set a goal and reinvent yourself and start anew.
Don’t waste your time on a New Year’s resolution that rarely survives the first week. Start today, choose a goal and go after it now! A bicycle is a lifeboat in a sea of fatty foods and aging. A bicycle is a very important part of my life. So much so it has become part of my identity.
This year listen close to table talk during the family get together. Over Thanksgiving I heard “Remember Uncle with the beard and the pick-up truck…” and “Oh that is your grandma. She had a lot of cats and when you walked in her house…” You get the picture. When I go home the first thing that is tied to me is my bicycle. My Aunt will say “I heard you rode you bike in Switzerland this year” and “We watched you online at Ironman…” That is how I want to be remembered. Don’t you?
Buying a Tommaso bike won’t change your life. It will help, but you need to change your life. The Tommaso bike is just a tool to take you on your way. I will say it every year as long as I live; riding a bike has made my life so much better. All the good in my life can be traced back to riding a bike. My health, my friends and my job all have cycling as the background theme. Being a part of Tommaso Nation is a great feeling.
If you want to get fit, explore the outdoors or feel like a kid again get yourself a bike. In my 16-year career in cycling I have always enjoyed the first moment when a customer is getting on a bike. As soon as they start pedaling the biggest smile appears and they light up with joy.
Get your bike this year, don’t wait. I've never known anyone to get fit buying a big screen TV. Start off with a reasonable goal and go after it. When I started I was overweight and out of shape. My goal was to ride 20 miles in one day. It took me some time but I made my goal and wanted to go farther. A year or so and 40-pounds later I was preparing to ride a MS-150 ride in honor of my mother who I lost to Multiple Sclerosis. I rode my bike so hard the first day I was going through the check points so fast they didn't have water for me. They weren't ready. I had to have a friend pull up next to me in a car and hand me water. I know it is not a race but I just wanted to show my Mom how much I missed her and pedaling as hard as I could seemed like a fitting tribute. The second day I did the same and I knew then that cycling would always be a part of my life.
Whatever reason gets you on a bike embrace it. Ride for fun, to lose weight or to raise money for a good cause. A bike is an investment in you. Fad diets will not get you where you want to go. There is no video game that can create the feeling of finishing your first 100 mile ride. There is no better way explore the roads and scenery than on a bike. You’ve been good this year. Get your bike!
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