Hello!
So, uh, I'm new around here. Well, at least publicly. I've been stalking you all for quite some time. Not just on the forums either. I feel like I'm always grabbing the wheel of a Reel rider at one of the charity rides I do annually (here's a belated 'thanks!'). I sat alone at Les Bois Junior High in the drizzle eating a cardboard burger after The Ride for the Blind, watching the Reel Theatre folks carry on merrily just feet from my lonely patch of flower bed. I tried to keep up with some of you on that windy Bob Lebow 100 miler...not happening.
Okay, so first things first: Let me take a step back and introduce myself. My name is James Cooper, I'm a 36 year old Boise native. I'm married (tomorrow is my 12 year anniversary!) and have two kids: Emmerson (daughter, 7 years old) and Myles (son, 2 years old).
I started my cycling addiction about 10 years ago on a steel-framed rhino of a mountain bike that was completely rigid and too small for me. I still loved it though. Bought a decent Gary Fisher hard tail the following year. I totally fell in love with mountain biking and did nothing but that until about 3 years ago when I finally bought a roadie. Now, it's fair to say, that I'm absolutely addicted to both!
In fact, I love cycling so much that I will actually RUN (not my favorite thing to do...not even close) in the winter just to stay in shape for cycling in the summer. If I wasn't such a panzy in wintry weather, I would definitely be riding year round. I'm working on that.
Anyway, I decided it was time to join a community of like minded individuals. I've never belonged to a cycling club and I figured it was about time. I was also inspired by some of your videos and blogs about racing...something I've been wanting to get into for a long time. I loved the twilight criterium video posted by Chris, especially the annotations. It made racing actually seem possible for me! I think I'm finally ready to get a license and go for it. I'm looking forward to learning from and riding with you all...this seems like a great place to do that.
So, hello! I'm very excited to be here. Does anyone want to go for a ride?
James
Comments
Hello!
I'd love to catch you on a ride, but a bunch of Reel folks (up to 17?) are headed up to Coeur d'Alene for a week of Ride Idaho. I don't know who will be around here to ride with.
Hey, if you ride with us you're going to hear a lot about cyclocross -- be ready! A bunch of us love it so much we can't shut up about it. And your mountain bike will work fine to start with (but eventually you'll probably get a 'cross specific bike for it!) That's probably 50% of my cycling conversations...
Anyway, nice to meet you!
ladd
Thanks for the reply. That
Thanks for the reply. That is amazing that you'll have 17 riders for Ride Idaho! Sounds like a total blast.
Good to know about cyclocross. My cousin races cyclocross, but I haven't gotten into it...yet. But I will say that the first time I saw him pushing big gears on those little skinny tires up a single track on a hot day, and then hopping off and sprinting up the hill with his bike strapped over his shoulder, I thought he was nuts. But then again, I've been known to do a nutty thing or two.
Anyway, great to meet you, and maybe we can hit the road when you get back. Have a great time!
James
Welcome!
Looking forward to riding with you. I'm an occasional runner but I was thinking the same thing as Ladd when you mentioned running in the winter... ;)
Cool, great to meet you
Cool, great to meet you Nate. Excited to ride with you and the others.
Welcome welcome!
Hey we love any and all riders to the group! I'm in the "older" generation that catches wheels when I can. So glad to have you! (I feel horrible that you sat and ate your cardboard burger after the ride all by yourself....kick us next time!)
Glad to Be Here
Thanks for the warm welcome, Margo! Don't worry about me and my burger...I had a great time. Looking forward to doing it next time with y'all, though. :)
Welcome
So, jump in to any of our rides, James. If you haven't figured it out, many of us live in the Hobble Creek subdivision, near Chinden and Eagle intersection (near Target), and many of the rides start here at Matt, Rob, or Ladd's homes. Just watch the group rides for plans. Rob is starting to run some, and I do triathlons, so there are some people who will run in the winter.
Great to know, Don. So many
Great to know, Don. So many riders in a neighborhood...must be great to always have someone to ride with ya! I live in the North End but I'm happy to ride anywhere to meet up for a ride. And of course, I can quickly meet up with anyone down here. Great to meet you!
Great to Have Ya With Us!
We are all glad to have one more join our little extended family. It will not take you long to figure out that we are all just a bunch of close friends. So, consider that you have instantly gained a bunch of new friends:) I hope you feel welcome and enjoy our club. I have taken some time off the bike to rest before cyclocross, but starting monday I am ramping up big time again with a riding and a little running. Look forward to riding with you and just to put a bug in your ear early, Cyclocross Nationals are in early December and a bunch of us will be heading to Bend, Or. to race again. Come join the fun!
Thanks
Thanks for the warm welcome, Rob. I'm really looking forward to riding with you guys! My wife was asking me about how it's going "with the group" tonight, and I told here about how many of you were into cyclocross. Her next words, without hesitation: "You're not getting a cyclocross bike." LOL! Where's the love, honey?
Anyway, November might be a little soon for a racing AND cyclocross newb like me, but I guess we'll see. Great to meet you, Rob!
Welcome!
Hey James, great to have you in the club! My name is Terry. What is your schedule typically like? Do you ride in the mornings, afternoons or evenings? My schedule is fairly flexible. I am Rob's youngest brother and since he is my hero I ride a lot with him. : ) I hear you about the wife saying no to a new 'cross bike. In my wife's defense though, she did let me get my dream road bike and a new mtn bike a year and a half ago (within a couple of months of each other) so I can't complain. (I love you Cheri) Anyway, let me know when you typically ride and we can try and hook up. Cheers
Riding Schedule
Hey Terry-
Great to meet you! I'm pretty flexible, too, but prefer early mornings. I can almost never go in the evenings...that's prime time at my house with dinner, kid wranglin' and giving my poor wife a break from a day's worth of hanging with the kiddos. Other than that, I'm usually good to go. I can do weekends early early, too. And, I'll do either mountain or road biking.
Tomorrow, I'm going to do the cartwright loop around noon if you (or anyone else) is interested and would like to go..? It would be great to meet up! Again, great to meet you. Can't wait to start riding with y'all. :)
Hey James
Dittos to all the above - I have really loved riding with these guys! I have been friends with several of them for years, and have made a bunch of new friends since I joined the group. We always have a great time and I have learned a lot about cycling! So welcome and I look forward to meeting you.
I am going to ride the next couple of mornings - probably cartwright and maybe climbing bogus one morning. So if you are interested let me know. Shoot me a email. creative-ram@earthlink.net
Hey, hey
Welcome, James. You'll have great fun with this group. It's definitely the best club. Group rides, training, learning to race, racing, charity events, Moab, and or course Cyclocross are all well represented here.
I am sure you'll be able to try cross without buying a bike. This will be my first season as well as several others (Brent, Ali, et al).
It should be a fun year. Let's catch a ride soon.
Can't Wait
Thanks Chris, sounds like a blast. I can't wait to go on more rides with everyone. I met Tony this morning and we rode up Bogus...it was a great. Looking forward to riding with you!
Introduction
Hello James,
That was a great introduction! As you can see we are a pretty mellow group, we did have a big group of riders up at Ride Idaho and some of us will be taking some time off to recover, etc. Hope to see you on some rides in a week or so (when I get back from another trip) though when I get back and ready to ride my bike some more.
On another note, I am ready to start up Thursday night cross training at Eagle Island, anyone else want to start it up say on the 26th or so?