The Road Bike Tyro
Just a Little About Me
I am Arnold Watson, a 44 year old guy from Los Angeles, California. I have a passion for cycling and the health benefits related to the sport. I have begun cycling in 2009 and have made much progress along the way which keeps me motivated, excited and looking forward to further growth.
Recently I have learned a lot from studying philosophy in that has really opened my eyes up further to the world around me. Philosophy has encouraged me to question myself and the world around me in ways that I never considered before. I have always considered my self a thinker, but I learned that philosophy causes you to pursue depths deeper than usually consider reasonable. History is another passion of mine that paints a broader picture of humanity. In my eyes understanding where we come from as human beings and the history that tells our story, gives perspective on who we are today and how we likely arrived in our respective roles on the world stage.
Family Man
I have three sons (at the time of this writing) ages 25, 20, and 17. The oldest son is a police officer, the second is currently in college without a defined major as of yet, and my youngest son is Autistic (high functioning). If you or anyone you know has a child with special needs, trust me when I say I know how you feel and what you are going through, and my heart goes out to you. Although things are very challenging for my wife and I, we both love him to death and couldn’t imagine our life without him it. In all they are wonderful young man who my wife and I are very proud of.
I have been married for 20 years (in 2013) to a wonderful, understanding, and compassionate woman. I was very fortunate to have found such a woman in a vastly changing world. We attended the same high school, but my eyes and heart belonged to another young lady at the time so we never dated then. We connected after high school and began to date regularly which eventually lead to marriage. The odd thing is that we are polar opposites. For example she is the “social butterfly” type while I am reserved and a bit reclusive in some ways but I suppose that maybe conservative is a better definition! 😉
Since childhood my family has always had felines and guppies for pets. Siamese, Burmese, and mutts too have had a place in our family over the years. Even when I moved on and got my first place at the age of 19 I have had a cat to this very day. Currently my cat “Ricky” is the center of the household’s attention. He has been around since my boys were just toddlers and has become an essential part of the family. Although my boys are practically men now, he still follows them around and about the house like always which is a delight to see.
Why Am I Blogging?
As I mentioned early I have a passion for road bike cycling. What I didn’t mention is how I developed that passion. In 2008 I was laid off after a 16 year career working in the building industry for a large corporation. I was a fenestration specialist (window & door consultant) and was well-known for my patience, tenacity, and professionalism. As you might imagine the day that I was laid off was very devastating to me and to imagine all of this happening just three days after Christmas. For the first six months of 2009 I was sole searching for a new me. I was full of stress, very depressed, and uncertain about the direction of my life.
So I was channel surfing one day (spring) and stumbled upon the Giro d’Italia and began to watch the grueling race. I thought foolishly to myself “hey I have an old road bike!” So I got it out, dusted it off (and removed all the spider webs) and looked it over. My wife decided that it would be best to take it to the local bike shop and let them “tune it up”. And thus a cyclist was born!
The reason I am blogging is to share my passion, knowledge, and my experiences with other like-minded people looking for moral support as well as information. For example, I am a former smoker of almost 20 years! I never imagined that I could turn my health and life around with cycling but I did and I’m still doing just that…thus a blog was born!
What This Blog is About
As I began my journey as a “Road Bike Tyro” I really never gave it much thought about what I wanted to carry out let alone how to go about doing just that. The one thing I did know was just how refreshed I felt when I was on my bike. I was slow, terribly out of shape, and carrying extra weight (about 30lbs. or so). The main thing that I focused on was that I was developing a refreshing perspective about myself and the direction of my life. There is magic in cycling and my goal is to share that magic with you!
When I began to look online for information that could help me grow as an amateur cyclist I was a bit disappointed. What I began to notice was that there were two extreme opposite information that targeted a certain type of person. On one end of the spectrum I was finding many sites that focused on people just learning the art of how to ride a bike in general. Something that most of us take for granted having learned that skill during our childhood. On the other end of the spectrum the targeted audience was the advanced rider looking for advanced skills and training techniques for competitive purposes. I found myself pretty much dead smack in the middle. I thought that there must be others out there falling short on the very same pursuit of knowledge.
My motive is very simple and strategic. I have chosen to take what I have learned and continue to learn and share that knowledge with you. The logic that I will follow will be specifically focused on the person looking to get into the sport of road bike riding with the emphasis on the fundamentals and strategies that will bring you to a level of an efficient amateur cyclist.
Connecting With Me
I am completely open to connecting with people. If you live in the Los Angeles, California is, there is a good chance that we may see each other on the local bike paths. Contacting me via email at: arnold@theroadbiketyro.com or the contact page here on this site are a great way to connect with me.
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Comments
Let’s face it, comments are what anyone blogging wants to have. It’s a sign that what you have to say as a blogger resonates with your audience. However, there are proper ways to do that and etiquette is paramount. Please take a moment to check my comments & feedback policy.