Exactly one year ago...

Every cyclist gets asked at one point (and another, and another) how they got into the sport. Well, here's my story.

(Reposted from the MMBA thread, "When did you realize that you loved mountain biking?")

I owned a decent (at the time) hardtail throughout highschool, and rode it mostly on dirt roads and twotrack in our woods just for fitness. After a bad breakup about a year and a half ago, I returned to the hobby and took up road cycling. I got seriously bit by the bike bug, and on July 25th (the day before my birthday) I dusted off the old mtb and hit up the Hadley Hills trails near my parents. (Which I learned shortly after were bridle paths only! Oops!) Long story short, I was hooked. I loved it.

I brought the mtb back with me to my apartment at school and hit up Burchfield singletrack five days later. Not being possessed of technical skills at that point (or a bike truly capable of handling technical singletrack), I wiped out on one of the switchbacks, flew off my bike and onto a log, and in doing so tore a muscle in my side. After a few days of being stubborn and in serious pain, I went to the doctor and picked up some meds. After two (very interesting!) weeks of muscle relaxers and painkillers, I was still unable to ride (or walk, or bend, or breathe) without serious discomfort. It took about two whole months to fully recuperate (all of August and September, with only short road and trainer rides!). I realized I needed a better bike to ride the trails I wanted to ride, and I test rode a GF Superfly for a week to see how I liked the 29er geometry and sizing (thanks, ACF Pontiac!). I purchased a Paragon shortly after. The rest is history. :)