I believe you said it when you said, 'beginning or continuing any activity.” I also think it's important to have a mentor or someone who can help coach you along and I think you're spot on when you say that most cyclists on the road aren't mentoring and nurturing types. There are some out there though. The group that I belong to hear in Dallas is that way and has some great members.

Cycling groups/clubs can be so intimidating. It's for that reason that I didn't attempt to join any group rides when I was in Florida. I was overweight (still am), slow on the bike, and knew I wouldn't fit in with the large majority of riders on the group rides. In fact, most of the group rides were beyond my capability so I never attempted it. I got my first group riding experience here in Dallas when the group I belong to had their bike handling series each week in the summer. They weren't long group rides but it was a group of novices (like me) that were there to learn more about cycling and how to ride together. It was great and really boosted my confidence as a rider.

When I started back riding in 2008 I had to go it alone and used this blog to draw some support and motivation. It worked. I still have a long way to go but if I didn't have readers/supporters to be responsible to I'm not sure I would have kept going. It also helps that I love the sport of cycling.

This kind of leads into what I'm trying to do here at Biking To Live. I'm trying to create a better, healthier life for myself through cycling. I want to help others (like myself) who are weight challenged to improve their lives as well. That means writing articles geared to the newbie cyclist that are either informative, educational, or inspiring. And perhaps one or two of those grouchy 'pros' will see that there are some folks out there that who could use their help.

I think one of the hardest aspects of beginning or continuing any activity is having someone to guide and mentor you along. Let's face it…cyclists on the road are not generally the mentoring and nurturing types. Some of us lucky ones may have happened to have a friend who mentored and guided them along, but I'm betting that a lot of the people who gave it up were going it alone. What do you think?

I probably also don't love riding with other people because I don't have much experience with it & don't know the group riding etiquette. AND I am slow as hell.

It does feel like somebody set off a bomb down there when you've got something going wrong down in the nether regions!

It's awesome to hear a great example of how cycling is helping with your Type II Diabetes. I can understand about living up North and not being able to ride during the winter. I just started on a trainer myself and can vouch that it's not near as much fun as riding outdoors.

In case you didn't know, there's an organization that has both professional and amateur teams on which quite a few of the members have either Type I or Type II Diabetes. Here's their link info:

TeamType1.org
@teamtype1
@teamtype2

Second, I have heard tales of people with Type II diabetes overcoming the condition through cycling.

Third, I remember years ago my bike coming into disrepair. At the time, that was enough reason to not ride. I went a good 5 years with that one. Now, I can't imagine life without a bike.