My name is Robert Williams and I am 35 years old. I am a father, business owner and for about 8 to 10 hours a week, I was completely different, I was a cyclist. I remember when I got my first bicycle. It was back in the year 2000 when I was 11 years old. I still remember the day, it was my birthday and before that, I was scared of bicycles.
I love birthdays because we used to get a lot of birthday presents. This year I blew out 11 candles and my mom gave me my first bicycle and now I had to learn how to ride it. I used to watch older kids while they ride their bicycle and I was curious how they do it.
It looks easy but then I remember my mom used to say when she was a little girl, she learned to ride a bicycle but she fell a lot of time and my elder brother told me the same thing and this was stopping me from riding the bicycle.
For an entire week, I didn’t touch the bicycle but my father forced me to learn it. Once I completely learned how to ride a bicycle, it was a great feeling. You might know how I feel like when a kid has two wheels. It sets you free and you can go anywhere and anytime you want and explore how large the world is.
Life’s Turning Point.
Cycling has become my hobby and I especially enjoyed riding a bicycle with my friends and go on a long cycling weekend trip. I continued it for years before an unexpected turning point. 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with a lung condition that almost ruined my life.
My lung condition was so bad that the doctors told me I don’t have much time to live. I was living on an oxygen tank to survive from the disease. A man who was riding a bicycle since the age of 11 has to give up on everything and even struggled to breathe.
Giving up a hobby which I continued for 19 years was a hard thing to do. You can imagine riding a bicycle with a ball in your mouth and how it can affect your breathing, that would be me if I try to ride a bicycle.
Continuing with my illness and having to let go of riding a bicycle, my life was rolling down. My friends still used to continue riding a bicycle and sometimes shares the story with me to make me feel happy.
So, to be able to ride the bicycle once again, enjoy with my friends again, set free again on two wheels and enjoy the large world again was like a dream to me. I always wish to have a second chance in my life.
10 Years later when my friend suggested that I can ride the bicycle again, it meant the world to me. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, he only said he has a surprise for me and I have wait till the next day and I can assure you that after the surprise it completely changed my life.
Having my first e-bike
The next day I was eagerly waiting for my friend to come up with what he promised. It felt like the time has passed and I had a hard time passing some of my free time and waiting for my friend.
So, I started watching television and grabbed something from my American fridge freezer to eat. Just after a few minutes, my buddy arrived with an e-bike with him. It felt like I have got a new life and I can ride once again.
Cycling was just h hobby for many others, but for me, the battery-powered e-bike completely transformed my life. It enabled me to cycle once again when I otherwise couldn’t. It helped me to improve my mental health and also found me a new career but that’s the story for the next part.
‘It gave me a second chance’
The Story Doesn’t end here – Continue reading Part 2 of My Story on Afact.org.au