Rob Holland’s Story
“Hi! My name is Rob, I’m 56 and my wife Jessie and I live in the bicycle capital of Ohio, Lakewood. We have two sons, James, in his second year at Miami of Ohio and Callum who is headed to Cleveland State in the fall.
Here is my bicycling story:
From the time I got my temps at 16 until I was 40 years old, I rode a bicycle maybe once or twice at most that I can remember. Who rides a bicycle when you can drive a car? In December 2009 that question ran up against two realities. One: my old pickup died and there were no funds for a new vehicle. Two: My doctor told me to lose weight and get some exercise. At that time I was working in Westlake and on a lark I decided to ride my wife’s mountain bike to work until we could scrape up the money to buy a truck. In January, 2010, in the guise of a D.U.I. guy (but-for-the-grace-of-God-go-me), I rode to work and was immediately hooked on the adventure. Every day was something new. I loved it.
Over the first few months I gained experience and got healthier. In April at Spin Bike Shop I bought a Kona Smoke with fenders, lights, racks, panniers, all the bells and whistles. It cost me much less than to replace 4 tires on a minivan. Luckily I started biking in the worst of Cleveland weather. As the Scandinavians say, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. That first year, as the weather eased into springtime and then to summer, the commute became bliss. Riding to work in the morning I was primed, energized. Biking home, I shed all the stress and strain built up at work. I hadn’t run a step since high school. That September I ran a 10k! Jessie and I rode the Hancock Horizontal Hundred miler and around then I ran the Beer Mile.
A few years later my company moved to Avon and the commute went from six miles to fifteen one way. I bought a Specialized Allez road bike and kept at it for three years. When I left that job I vowed only to work at a place I could bike. After three years of odd jobs, I found the perfect gig and the easy five mile ride sold it, with the hindsight benefit of both RTA bus and Red Line rapid when weather or fatigue weighed in.
It’s worth mentioning that a few years ago my Kona Smoke was stolen while on a pub crawl at the legendary Manja on Madison. The next day it dawned on me that that bike was my most cherished possession. Fortunately I have a great neighbor, Chris, who gave me a near duplicate of my Kona, a mint hand-me-down lightweight Trek 7.3fx. Lock your bike, fam!
Icing on the commute, I enjoy Cleveland Critical Mass, Slow Roll Cleveland, Bike Lakewood’s social rides, Ray’s Indoor MTB, and exploring all the new paths and connectors and hanging out at Lakewood’s numerous bike shops.
Lastly, I encourage you to read Andy Singer’s Why We Drive, an entertaining and succinct book that illustrates how we’ve been sleepwalking into auto/roadway dystopia and how we can help reverse the carnage! Ride, Cleveland, ride!“