How Bicycling Change My Life - Looking toward Future (Part II)

The Phily race was the last race I've done in 2007 - actually I've done only 2 races this year. I have to admit doing collegiate races just don't fit my schedule at all. I don't have the luxury of time to do consecutive race weekends in places which take 7-8 hours of driving. The only way to get around this is to do USCF races, but then there are only a couple of them around Pittsburgh, and I won't be able to get club support, such as transportation. This means I'll have to buy a car.

Several factors come in the decision of how to prioritize my goals as well. I still need to perform my primary duty well enough, so that I can find a job which can support my racing, preferably in US. Now why do I want to stay in US? I believe to fully develop my racing potential, I need to be in a place where racing system is more structured. And I am less likely to find a job in sports medicine back in Taiwan, too.

As people I've known at my age are getting married or at least have girl friends, I also wondered if I am an oddball for not doing the same. It's not that I don't enjoy the company of an attractive girl, it's just that I don't think things will go well from the types of girls around me - so why bother wasting the time? I've learned this from my pursuit of a law school girl. At first I really thought I might be able to work something out between time spending with the girl and riding, but then in the end it's just too much for me. And I also consider myself as I guy who have problem managing my time well, so before I can take care of myself better, I don't think I am good for anyone.

Considering these, my first objective for 2007-2008 is to attain my master degree in Sports Medicine. I should, and only if I get my thesis completed, be able to continue for PhD in Pittsburgh. I will then get a car, which will give me more options in terms of racing.

Nevertheless, as I see to the future, I can picture myself continue training and racing my bikes. I wish I could ride up the Alps in my 90s, or at least be like the guy below.

How Bicycling Change My Life - a Revision of my Past (Part I)

I presented "Bike fitting and Performance Testing" to the Panther Cycling Club last Thursday. It's really nice to have the opportunity to present my enthusiasm to people. Also, while preparing my slides, I added a section of my bibliography, which allowed me to looked into the past and saw the future.

I had never thought I would embrace cycling as a lifestyle until I got a meniscus rupture at 1998, which limited my physical activities to non-weight bearing exercises. Before that, my favorite pastime was playing PC games. Now when I look back at that period, I really wish I was riding bikes instead of sitting in front of computers all day. But then, if it wasn't my knee injuries, I probably wouldn't have picked up cycling at all. So, I guess I have to be grateful of my knee injuries.



I was luck enough to have a bicycle club in my school during my undergrad. I learned to love cycling as a lifestyle through the influence of the club members, especially in terms of using bicycles as means of traveling. I did a 12-day 750-mile bicycle tour around Taiwan in my second year of undergrad, and it still remains as one of my fondest memory.



As fun as bicycle touring was, something seemed missing when I compared it with playing PC games. Playing PC games gave me a measurable goal and exhilaration when I attained it, especially when I was feeling frustrated with my "primary" duty - schoolwork. I realized I had to get a replacement for this aspect of my life. The solution was given to me during my summer session at Berkeley at 2002. I brought my bike with me to ride with the Berkeley cycling team - as you can see, I already felt the need to be with my bikes wherever I went. Under their encouragement, I joined the first race in my life, and crashed! But I started to love racing and training.


After I went back to Taiwan, I started doing as many races as I can, with some success. Several of my friends and I also started a racing team called "EUAQ", which I am really proud to be one of them.


2003 Race of North Coast


2004 Mt. Ba-Tur Race


2006 Race of North Coast


2006 Tour of Eastern Taiwan


2006 Mt. Ta-Tun race

Running with Individual Body Armor (IBA)

Boy, was that heavy! I was doing this as part of the pilot data collection for our DOD project. That IBA was about 21 lb in total, which may not be much, but when you were doing a VO2max running test with that thing on, it really made it a lot harder. My lactate level was about 6 mmole throughout the test, and the time to fatigue was 9 min shorter than when not wearing the IBA.

My niece and I at the Yellow Stone park