Me and the 1st Ever Bike in My Life

Hello everyone who loves cycling!

I’m making this post to introduce myself to everyone who doesn’t know me personally.

I was born in 1982 and raised in Southern Ukraine. The first of my bicycles was ‘Orlyonok‘ (‘Ereliukas‘ in Lithuanian) made in the Soviet Union (in the Lithuanian S.S.R.). My parents gave it to me as a present in 1989. I was very proud of my first bike! There were no hand brakes that most modern bicycles have now. To stop or to slow down you had to backpedal. Children of the former Soviet Union had no alternative from a wide range of bicycles: just a few similar models that were produced in former Soviet Republics. But those bikes were affordable almost for everyone. Despite that, various bad guys tried to steal my ‘Orlyonok’ four times, because, as a child, I didn’t mind at all and I usually left my bicycle unlocked simply on the street near my house. Thanks to my parents, neighbors, and once, police (they were called ‘Soviet militia’ at that time) my bicycle was returned to me every time. Then I sold it to a younger child for a small price. Since that, I have changed my bicycle several times and now I own a ‘Corratec x-vert’ model of hardtail mountain bike. The mountain bike is the most popular type of bicycle in our area because of a diversity of mountains and hills here.

In general, as I grew older, riding a bike hasn’t remained my single fascination. In different periods of my life I have indulged in roller-skating, skateboarding, playing Frisbee, skiing, snorkeling, and sometimes I have tried other sporting activities as well. Nevertheless, my most favorite activities are still the same: mountain biking and hiking in summer and snowboarding in winter. I don’t consider myself to be an experienced cyclist. The longest bicycle tour that I undertook was only 4-days travel when I was riding the mountain bike for 60-70 km a day only, and I was extremely exhausted at the end. But, in my defense, that trip was through multiple 1.2-1.3 km-tall mountains. So, I have no experience of long tours on a touring bicycle on flat terrain. I’m thinking of purchasing an inexpensive and reliable touring bike before the beginning of my next world tour.

I would be happy to see your comments and/or questions under this post. Feel free to contact me on steemit.