Mindless bike thread: My first bike race. 1986, the Spokemaster Race, Crystal Lake, Illinois. I was 15. My brother let me ride his bike, which was a little too big. Seat slammed, in regular gym shorts, I joined the citizens race. 30 miles. To that point, I had only ridden 15

miles in one go. I know nothing. Zip. I've watched LeMond on TV, read the bike mags my brother had laying around the house. He never raced, but had the stuff around. Race starts, I'm blown out pretty quick, but not bad. Settle in, ride hard, probably all over the place. Finished

15th out of 30 riders. Fell off the bike, exhausted. My mom had to loosen the toe clips to get my gym shoes out of them.