John Marsh

RBR Contributor, Former Publisher

My first 10-speed was a bright orange model from Western Auto that I got for my 10th birthday. I could hardly believe that I now had 10 different gears at my disposal! I wouldn’t be jumping ramps or riding through the creek on this baby, though, like I did on my banana-seat bike. This one was for the road—and was built for speed.

It’s surely what set the hook that remains embedded in me decades later. Those feelings of speed, rolling through space for miles under my own power, the forces carving a tight, fast corner—they still bring me joy. Of course, there are so many more aspects of riding the road that deliver satisfaction today, including the health and social benefits, and continuing to accomplish specific cycling goals.

But that child-like joy of riding underpins it all. And it’s something I basically missed out on for a good chunk of my adult life, as career, family, and a misguided choice of running as my primary sport kept me away from the bike. But I found my way back at age 40, and a few years ago decided to combine my passion with my profession: I bought RoadBikeRider.com and have been working my tail off ever since to continue the great tradition of RBR in delivering the very best in how-to road cycling info to recreational riders at all levels.