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| Member Spotlight: Mike & Julie Kelly |
| by Mike & Julie Kelly |
| Wheel Issues January 2009 |
| JULIE: My first bike was a one-speed girl’s bike that I shared with my siblings. When I was in high school my dad acquired three bicycles at an armory sale. One of those bicycles went to me and I rode it throughout high school. After I got home from school, I would ride fast and hard through the neighborhoods near my house and sometimes to the Oklahoma City Zoo (a mile from our house). Cycling relieved the pressures of my life and gave me a bit of freedom. After Mike and I married, he bought me a nice 10-speed bicycle. I have had several bikes since then.
MIKE: I got my first bike on my 7th birthday as did my other siblings. It was a 24” Western Flyer that I rode for many years until it wore out. I didn’t ride bikes again until I married Julie 33 years ago. She had an old 3-speed bicycle and encouraged me to get a bike. That was the summer before medical school when I was working as a lake ranger at Lake Eufala. We rode country roads almost daily all summer and have ridden together ever since on a succession of bikes. We joined RDP in 1995 after 12 years of overseas medical work. We did our first FreeWheel in 1999 and have done most years since, including PreWheel. Last year, Julie and I did our first self-contained PreWheel and FreeWheel. Julie and I compete in running events quite a bit—everything from 5K to marathon. We are currently the top age group runners in the state for ages 55-59. (We are 55.) We have kept bike riding for cross-training and enjoyment until recently when we started doing some duathalons. We usually finish in the top ten overall. We both commute to work on bikes. All of our children and their spouses love bikes. Our two sons, Patrick and Brian, have participated in triathalons and our son-in-law, Matt, has participated in many. He and our daughter, Katie, have also participated in duathalons and some FreeWheels. |
