My name is Eric Jackson and I'm a cycling addict...sort of. I'm probablly like a lot of you; I enjoy riding, I struggle with nutrition (uh...I like to eat) and never seem to have enough time to ride. This summer, I'll be telling you about my cycling adventures, reviewing some exciting new gear and connecting you with information you can use in your cycling journey.

Here's my deal: I'm 42, 6'3" tall and weigh...a lot. 250-ish. In the fall of 2008, I allowed myself to be talked into buying a bike. I wanted to start exercising again on a regular basis and needed something that I enjoyed doing. I need action.

As a kid, I went everywhere on my bike. It had been so long since I've ridden that I'd forgotten how enjoyable it was. I'd soon remember.

So I went to ACME to buy...something. My first bike was a Fuji Newest 3.0 with a steel frame. As I explain it, it's a bike that is good enough to get you started, but nothing you'd want to ride for more than a year. If you don't know if you'll still be riding in a year, it's the bike for you. That or an entry level Felt. A little over $700 for the bike plus clip pedals and shoes and any other gear.

In that first year, I went from nearly dying after a 12 mile ride to riding 150 miles in two days during "Jack & Back."  (and raising about $1,300 to fight MS). Finishing Jack & Back was one of those watershed moments in my life. That might sound silly. It's riding a bike. I'm not freeing a country or curing disease (ok, maybe helping cure MS). But when you look across those handlebars and realize you'll ride what is essentially Nashville to Knoxville in the next 48 hours, you'll start to question your sanity...and feel like a world-beater when it's over.

On that second day, the rain started. I rode the last 30 miles alone and slowly. I was in pain because I'd bought the wrong saddle (seat) and didn't know it until it was too late. I couldn't keep up with my friends. There was one thing on my mind and that was finishing. I could have easily quit...stuck out my thumb and hitched a ride back to Brentwood on the "SAG" (support and gear) wagon. But there was no way in this world that I was walking into the cafeteria of that high school and looking my friends in the eye without having finished every last inch of that ride...no matter how long it took.

I entered the cafeteria, cold, wet and in pain from the long ride in the rain. My friends cheered and I nearly broke down. They were proud and so was I...and relieved. I did it. And I was forever hooked. The addiction was in place. I was a real cyclist.

I'm still learning everything I can. I'm learning from everyone I can. I look forward to learning from you, hearing your stories, and introducing you to what I'm learning and riding. Let me know what you think!