Still, He Inspired A Real Love Of Bicycle Riding In Me. He Bought Me My First Tour Bicycle When I Was About 15 Years Old As A Christmas Present, And From That Point On, I Was Hooked. I Would Ride Almost Everywhere That I Could, Sometimes Doing Twenty Miles In A Single Day. By The Standards Of A Professional Bicycle Rider That Is Not A Lot, But For A Kid That Is Quite A Ride! When I Was In College, I Met A Tour Operator During The Summer Of My Sophomore Year. Besides Fixing And Building Touring Bicycles, He Also Ran Ireland Bike Tours Every Year. He Helped Me Build A New Tour Bicycle, And I Decided To Go With Him That Summer On His Ireland Trip. It Was One Of The Best Times I Ever Had. Ireland Was Great Bike Country, Filled With Rolling Hills And Rugged, Gorgeous Terrain. It Was Cool, Windy, And Comfortable The Whole Time. To This Day, I Have Never Seen Anywhere Else That Was Quite So Lovely.Since Then, I Have Taken A Lot Of Tour Bicycle Trips On My Own. Once You Figure Out The Basics, It Is Not So Hard To Do. You Can Get Almost Anywhere On A Bike Nowadays. My Favorite Trips, However, Are The Serious Off Road Ones. Mountain Bike Tours Are A Pretty New Activity, But They Are Gaining Popularity. They Let You Enjoy The Thrill Of Biking While Also Experiencing The Beauty Of The Backwoods. It Can Be A Little Bit Nerve Wracking To Be On A Road Bicycle Day After Day, Dodging Cars And Fighting Traffic. I'll Take Bike Trails Over That Any Day! It Is My Very Favorite Way To Travel!
