My parents told me I should give it a try.
At the age of four, I was introduced to the bike. Not for competition, just for fun. I didn’t think about it back then, but the bike was my first form of self-powered transportation -- a way to get away from parents, siblings or neighborhood. I liked being out on my own. Little by little I started to explore further, and I could go as far as my legs and my bravery would take me.
Six years later, I was introduced to bike racing. It really reminded me of the times I put two feet on the pedals and rode my single-speed department store bike for hours. Seeing parts of my city I could only get to on a bicycle, but this time, I was doing it much faster.
I was beginning to figure out that cycling lets you transcend your life. No matter where you come from, what ethnicity or color you are, what kind of financial security you have or don’t have, cycling lets you transcend your life.
If I’d never given it a try, I wouldn’t have a degree from Indiana University or hold seven national cycling championship titles. I wouldn’t be able to give back by helping children in underserved communities get introduced to cycling through the Bahati Foundation. But even if cycling hadn’t become my career, it would have helped me transcend, because being active daily helps you live longer. I gave cycling a try, and now I tell everyone to do the same thing.
Just give it a try because it’s a healthy alternative to running and other high impact sports. Give it a try because it’s great for your core, back, legs, heart, and lungs. Give it a try because it’s a great way to see nature and a natural way to get into a healthy lifestyle.
Most of all, I tell people to give cycling a try because of this beautiful fact at the heart of it: Only you decide how far and fast you can go.