Interesting that this thread should pop up in my feed tonight as I was just thinking about the same thing while doing winter maintenance on one of my bicycles. This is very long, but is only a small glimpse of who I am at my core.
I have been a recreational bicyclist since about age 4. When I was growing up, everything we did, we kids rode our bikes. When I was 16, i really didn't care about getting my driver's license, because everything we did, we just rode. I currently co-lead local bike rides and try to help out new riders as much as possible. I recently worked at a national bike store and co-worked on starting a local independent bike store after the major national chain store (top 3 of the chain of 110) closed due to Chapter 11. I am currently working with another independent bike store on the side of my full time IT job. I'm genetically capable of racing, but have always kept cycling as a non-competitive "hobby" so that I have an outlet that is as stress free as possible. Competition tends to bring the worst out of me (and as I see it in general, most people too),. This is my "free" space. I keep my "flying" in this category, and consider myself a recreational freestyle pilot.
This was about 4 years ago at 48 when I was at my peak fitness and conditioning on an American Diabetes Association, Tour de Cure / World Bicycle relief charity ride at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
(speed x10)
View attachment 153604
GPS log from the ride. 100 miles at an average speed of > 20 mph seat time. Ended up 3rd out of 10 for the 100mi WBR challenge. Nowhere near pro level, but way above most typical charity/hobby riders. Too fast to be slow, too slow to be fast.... Riding/racing a bike at Indy was a dream of mine in my teens. Truly blessed to have been able to hit this goal.
Pic at the end of the ride.
View attachment 153596
Great helmet hair at the end of a really hot, homeless foundation charity ride. This was a really hot and challenging ride. The look: Depleted, borderline Dehydrated, but happy as all get out that it was over!
View attachment 153598
Every year my sisters and I do the Hocking hills winter hike which I started doing with my Dad back in 2005. He no longer is able to do the hike, but my sisters and I continue the tradition. Pic from quite a few years ago. From Left to right: My Dad, Father-In-Law, Me in the bright orange cap, Son at the bottom, and my my oldest Sister:
View attachment 153602
I like to cross train and love flatwater kayak time. Here's a a pic from labor day weekend a few years back where I did a 3 day 75+ mile kayak/camping paddle down the Muskingum river from Zaneseville, OH to Marietta, OH with one of my Cycling/paddling buddies.
View attachment 153599
Link to the Flickr album from that trip which was a totally AWESOME weekend.
Muskingum River Trip
Links to trip GPS logs:
Day 1,
Day 2,
Day 3
Pic from a Dawn paddle at a local metro park:
View attachment 153600
Photography is yet another one of my other side hobbies, but I don't do enough of it.
Before I got back into biking and had a family, I was very involved in SCCA SoloII (autocross) racing at the National level for over a decade. Was on the SCCA rules board for the Street-Prepared classes. At my peak, I was at the near top of the class on an underprepaired '86 Vette. Stock engine, gearing was close to perfect, but suspension was pretty sketchy and was relying on old Bias Ply tyres to make up for the suspension deficiencies. Here's a Pic from the SCCA solo nationals in Topeka, KS on the morning of 9/11/2001 before we knew about the attacks. (finished 7th in BSP out of 40+)
View attachment 153603
I have done SO MANY OTHER THINGS, and truly have lead a blessed life! These are just some of the highlights of the last 20 years of my "other lives" outside of flying/FliteTest and doesn't begin to scratch the surface.
Cheers!
Karl Litterer (AKA LitterBug)
