Hello from California!

[Pato Donald]

I found this site while doing research on the London-Edinburgh-London 2013! It seems like a great, supportive place to help meet other people and get some of my questions answered. I don't own a car, so I have to bike everywhere I go (which is weird for southern California!), but I'm just getting into biking for sport. I was a fairly serious runner in my past life, but as I'm entering my mid-30s, my body seems to keep breaking down so I figured it was time to transition into something else. Anyway, I'm happy to be here and hope you aren't too hard on this Yank!

 

[Sittingduck]

Hi Pato

Welcome to CC

 

[steve52]

welcome, and once you have experianced our wounderful island weather you wont want to return to sun drenched california,

 

[Saluki]

Hi Pato
Body breaking down in your 30's? Wait until you get to your mid 40s I switched from only running 20 years ago and to only cycling for exercise about 9 years ago (with some lay offs between now and then) and haven't regretted it for a second.

Sounds like a fun ride you are planning next year. Have a look in the 'Things you're always being asked about cycling/your bike' thread, it might give you some ammo for dealing with the stupid cycling questions
I used to not own a car, right up until I opened my own business. I quite miss the non car owning days.

 

[Pato Donald]

Haha, well, I've made a few visits to the UK and Ireland so I'm a bit familiar with the weather. But after reading the ride report from 2009's LEL on this forum, maybe I don't know what I'm getting myself into...

Then again, the last time I was in the UK (Dec 2010) there was snow, so this will have to be an improvement, right?

Nice to meet you!

 

[ianrauk]

HI Pato, welcome to CC.
Santa Barbara... I once got so drunk in Sharkeez on cocktails. Is it still there?

 

[Pato Donald]

Hello Saluki!

Yeah, some people's bodies just can't seem to take the pounding of running, and unfortunately mine is one of them! I've had a pretty disappointing year of fitness, I was supposed to do the New York Marathon but I keep getting lower leg injuries so I had to drop out. Then I was going to do a half marathon and had to drop out of that as well. So I decided it was time to switch to cycling, at least for awhile. I'd like to be able to walk without pain for at least a few months. I don't think that is too much to ask!

 

[Pato Donald]

Sharkeez! It is still there! I was there a couple of weeks ago and will be going again this weekend to watch some (American) football! Classy place, right?

 

[kedab]

 

[skudupnorth]

Welcome to the most friendly cycle site in the world !!!!

 

[Trail Child]

Welcome from Ottawa, Canada! I don't own a car either so cycling is my main source of transport also.

 

[smokeysmoo]

My best mate was living in Santa Barbara until the tea fires in 2008. They lost everything they couldn't get fit into their car!!

He's now had to re-locate due to the real estate prices in Santa Barbara

Anyway, now I've cheered you up welcome again to CC

 

[Pato Donald]

Thanks for the nice welcome! This may be the friendliest forum I've ever been a part of!

@Trail Child: Do you bike year-round in Ottawa?!? It's one thing to do it in California, but eastern Canada is a whole other animal. I'm originally from the Boston area and I would imagine the winter is a little more fierce where you are. Then again, you probably have public transit, something they're still working on in southern California...

@smokeysmoo: Yeah, Santa Barbara can be prohibitively expensive. One reason I don't have a car is that I can't afford one! I'm trying to pay down my grad school debt so until that goes down a bit, I will be bike-only. At least the weather is nice, if you don't mind the fires!

 

[Nearly there]

 

[Hitchington]

Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo