You may be wondering where “Man On A Bike” originated from and why I named my coaching business after it.
My wife coined the phrase, “Man On A Bike” back in her early college days at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her friends and she would refer to male students that dressed a certain way, carried themselves in a particular way and rode their bike to school, work and for socializing as a “‘Man On A Bike.”
My first real racing bicycle in fact probably set the path for my direction in life. Back in my junior year of high school I wanted a bicycle to cross train with all the running that I was doing. I had my eyes set on a very expensive red, Italian racing bike which I could never afford. All of my friends were ordering senior class rings for next year and my dad said he would give me half the money for a class ring or I could forgo the class ring and put that money towards a new bicycle. That weekend we drove to Lincoln and I came home with a 12 speed, red Schwinn Traveler road bike.
Several weeks later my dad filled out the paper work to open a Schwinn dealership in our hometown and six months after that Thurman’s Bike & Sport opened selling Schwinn bicycles and Nike shoes.
A better part of my senior year of high school was spent on that bike. It was used for training after my runs or I would ride it to the track to do my workouts. In the evenings I would ride to my friends’ homes or stop by and visit my classmates that worked at the pool.
I learned to race on that bike. A leather hairnet helmet, toe clips and 7/8 inch wide tires I mostly managed keeping that bike under my 6’3″ build and I enjoyed the speed and thrill of racing in a pack and in the city streets.
My Schwinn Traveler was traded in on a Schwinn Paramount after our bike shop opened and that bike went with me to college in Lincoln, Nebraska. I rode after track workouts, I rode it to and from college and work and on weekends I rode with a group of racers from a local bike shop.
From that very first ride on my red Schwinn a bicycle has always been a part of who I am. It has served me for training and staying in shape and I bring my bicycle with me on almost every trip I take.
My bike has served to keep me on a steady, straight path through life. My rides gave me time to think about how to grow my bike shop business and and now they help me set the path for new challenges and goals. My rides have helped me deal with loss and to accept and adapt to change and a bike ride precedes any minor change I make in my life.
I have ridden roads that are not often traveled. Where homes and barns silently and slowly rot away. Where a row of old, broken telephone poles just stop by the side of the road. I have ridden quiet roads that now have become suburbs or commercial development sites full of people, construction and energy. My riding has pushed me to develop and promote trails to provide other people the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors safely.
I have been chased by many dogs, a herd of cows and one large elk. I’ve dodged deer that run out in front of me, squirrels and racoons that run beneath me and along the way I’ve stopped to watch coyotes hunt, buffalo graze and fawns nurse.
Most importantly, my bicycle has helped me grow and to search out new paths and challenges. My cycling gave me the confidence to serve on community boards, go on missionary trips, join an ice hockey league and to coach youth and adults about focus, discipline and just living life.
And through the years of riding and places I have visited on my bicycle it is the people that I have met along the way that have enlightened and taught me so much about the human adventure.
I chose to name my coaching business “Man On A Bike Coaching’ because it is more than just writing workouts and keeping you on track for an upcoming race. It is about you finding more confidence, accepting challenges and setting goals and not just in your fitness and health but all areas of your life. Man On A Bike is not about the finish results but the journey to get you to the starting line. It is about opening your senses to what you hear, see, feel and how you adapt during the training process.
You will find new roads to travel and meet new people that share your interests along the way. You will learn about nutrition, injury prevention and maintaining focus through the process of training so that when your race day arrives you will be prepared mentally and in great form to give your best effort.
To find out if Man On A Bike Coaching is what you need to get moving forward with attaining your goals use the Contact Page to send an email or the Facebook page, Man On A Bike Coaching and send a message.
I look forward to speaking with you and sharing my coaching and teaching experiences to help you become more successful.
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