Bicycling has always been a big thing in my family.  Since I was young I can always remember going over to my grandparents house and riding bikes for miles and miles.  My grandpa taught me how to ride a bike when I was five.  I have done a lot of bicycling with my grandpa and my uncle. My grandpa and uncle have both won metals in many bicycle races.  One day I may go in a race and win a metal too.  My uncle and grandpa both have been very big influence on me to pursue bicycling.

When I got my first bike I was about five years old. I then started learning how to ride it. To learn how to ride a bicycle my grandpa put training wheels on for maybe a few days of riding it. Starting out on training wheels was defiantly a good idea I was too scared to do it without them.  When the training wheels where then taken off my grandpa took me to the dive way and then told me to get up on the bike.  When I got on it he told me he would be right behind me helping me keep the bike steady.  I then started to take off.  Then after going a ways I turned around and he was way back there.  When turning around I lost balance and fell down.  After I fell down I was a little upset that he was not there but I was able to do it on my own so I was not so mad. 

Now looking back on it I think it was probably the best thing for me.  It taught me how to ride a bicycle.  After that fall I have been riding bikes ever since.  I have had many falls since then but I have always gotten back up and tried again.  One time I was on a ten mile ride with my grandpa and my sister and I got my water bottle out and tried to squirt the water at my sister and I fell and scraped up an expensive bicycle.  That was the last time I fell when i was not mountain biking.  

I have recently started a new type of bicycling, mountain biking.  Mountain biking is a lot more difficult than just riding a bike.  When mountain biking you go up and down hills and avoid falling off the edge.  Getting to the top of the hill is the hardest part.  When getting to the top of the hill you first have to put your gears in the lowest setting.  Then you have to start peddling very fast.  It is easiest to go hill when you get a running start.  The mountain biking that I do is in the forest.  It can be very difficult trying to avoid the trees.  I have had a few close calls when it comes to hitting trees.  One time I was going down a steep hill that there was a sharp turn at the end and trees and ended up hitting one.

  Now that I am older I do not have much time to do bicycle riding.  My uncle and I do go mounting biking at least once every three months.  Though I have had many falls on my bike I would still consider bicycling to be my favorite sport.