I began riding about six months ago after a 25 year layoff. I initially alternated days with walking as part of a doctor ordered diet. After losing 30lbs in the first three months and finding the health problems were gone I decided to focus on the riding.

I converted my Diamondback Response mountain bike to a semi-road bike with smooth tires and down the road I went.

In July I rode in my first charity ride, the Good Ole Summertime Classic in Fayetteville, TX where I rode 25 miles. That was followed by the Katy Flatland ride, a forty mile ride which ended with ten miles of riding in the pouring rain. Still a great ride! Next, it was a twenty mile midnight ride in The Woodlands to raise money for the Montgomery County Food Bank. The next ride was the 63 mile Tour de Pink ride for Breast Cancer research and support at Praire View A&M. And finally, the last ride on my mountain/road bike was the 63 mile Texas Cycling Classic to raise funds for the Elves and More charity to buy and build 25,000+ bicycles for underpriveledged children.

Yes, that was the last serious roadtrip for my Diamonback. Today I started riding my new Specialized Roubaix. The weight and performance of an all carbon road bike is so far from riding an aluminum mountain bike I can hardly explain. My only comparison would be like going from a 4x4 truck to a BMW Z4. I see a lot more miles in the future! I'll give it a real test either this weekend at the Paws and Puddles ride in Galveston or definitely on November 6th in the Tour de Doughnut!