How long have you been cycling?

[Crackle]

A curiosity question really.

How long has it been since you first began to cycle seriously, either for leisure or for transport. So don't include your childhood, unless it was not just scratting about on a bike but use as defined and exclude any breaks of significance.

I began when I was about 16, riding to a school friend's who lived 15 miles away and from there we both discovered riding into the Cheshire countryside. Since then a bike has always figured somewhere and in the intervening time, there's probably only been 4 years when I've not used my bike much. So all told, 31 years (ish).

 

[TVC]

I got on my bike after I stopped smoking in 2001.

 

[Sittingduck]

4 years in June for myself

 

[coffeejo]

16 months.

 

[ColinJ]

My deepest gratitude goes to Greg Lemond and the late Laurent Fignon for their titanic tussle in the 1989 Tour de France which inspired me to go out and buy a bike, having not ridden since having had my bike stolen from the school bike sheds in 1969! So - just shy of 23 years!

 

[redcard]

Options seem to be more geared towards the more mature cyclist

6 weeks here. First proper ride was March 11.

 

[postman]

25 years this summer.I have got four special rides already mapped out.If only it would STOP raining.

 

[postman]

Out of the pain of a divorce came the joy of cycling.I know it helped me recover,off night shifts i used to go out very early to Knaresbrough,it saved my sanity.

 

[ColinJ]

16 months.

Blimey fellow cj - I didn't realise that you'd gone straight into riding significant monthly distances from a 'cold start'!

I only did about 50 miles from July to December in my first half year, about 500 in the following year, 1,500 in my 2nd full year and slowly increasing for a few years until I got up to what you did in your very first - well done!

 

[coffeejo]

Blimey fellow cj - I didn't realise that you'd gone straight into riding significant monthly distances from a 'cold start'!

I only did about 50 miles from July to December in my first half year, about 500 in the following year, 1,500 in my 2nd full year and slowly increasing for a few years until I got up to what you did in your very first - well done!

I've never really thought about it, to be honest, though not having a car helps.

 

[MattHB]

6 months

 

[fatblokish]

Went on a week's tour of north Wales when I was 15 with some mates, then LeJoG a year later, 12 years of commuting and numerous trips before that. So say 30 years.

Still love it too.

 

[Brandane]

Learned to ride like most people probably, when I was about 4 or 5. Always had a bike, but didn't start getting into it until I was about 14 when I bought a Puch Alpine 5 speed "racer". £45 new, and took me all summer working at a petrol station to pay for it (in the good old days of attended service, and 14 year olds were allowed to dispense petrol).

The Puch Alpine was stolen 2 years later and then growing up got in the way, so it was an on/off thing with the cycling over the years. Only really got back into it in the last 5 years or so since I've had more spare time.

Never been what anybody on here would call a serious cyclist, and never will be. I do it when I feel like it and for recreation purposes only. When I stop enjoying it, I won't do it any more!

 

[MontyVeda]

does using stabilisers count?

if so I could just scrape 40+

 

[Crackle]

Options seem to be more geared towards the more mature cyclist

6 weeks here. First proper ride was March 11.

I probably should have graduated the five years bit but I can't edit it now.

It should be said, length of time does not equate to depth of commitment. You for instance, have joined a club, have you not. Something I've never done in all the time I've been cycling. In fact you see people join this forum and do a massive amount of cycling in a very short space of time.