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CORTLANDT, N.Y.--Riding a bike may take Junior Proverbs from his home in Yonkers to Dannys Cycles in Cortlandt every day, but its also taken him all the way from his home in Barbados to the United States.
Riding 70 miles a day to and from work is a challenge, Proverbs said, but a challenge is what has given him the ride of his life.
In 1998 the National team from Brooklyn came to Barbados and I was the only one willing to give them a challenge, he said. Im going to give them a challenge I told myself, and I did. They beat me, really beat me, but I showed them I was willing to give it a shot.
So conversations started of potentially having Proverbs come to the United States to join the team.
But I thought its just talk, Proverbs said. And then six months later, a package came, in November asking me to come over and join.
On December 23, a month later, Proverbs moved to the United States to join the team.
It was my first time in a coat. My first time in the United States. And it was my first time in a blizzard, Proverbs said.
Cycling was always an opportunity for Proverbs, whether it was the competitions he entered in back home with mountain bike racing or doing stunts, but was never sure that cycling would become his career, and a way of life. Even at age 13 he had a love for cycling but didnt know where it would take him.
When I was 13 the Prime Minister came to visit my school and asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, Proverbs said. And I said, well Ill have to let you know when I grow up.
Now, Proverbs works as a mechanic for Dannys Cycles in the Cortlandt Shopping Center, and said it combines two things he loves.
I like working with my hands, and I tired masonry and carpentry and plumbing but it just wasnt for me, he said. Now I get to talk to people about cycling, I get to help them and work on their bikes and I get to meet so many different people. Working at Dannys isnt a job, its what I love to do every day.
Proverbs still competes in competitions around the United States, and around the world, but has managed to bring cycling to his apartment building in Yonkers where hes known as the bike man.
Im the only cyclist in the building, and I try to teach the kids you dont need a huge space or an expensive toy to have a great time, he said.
Proverbs doesnt own a car, nor have a drivers license. He rides his bicycle to and from work every single day, no matter the weather. Will he ever get a car?
Maybe. Maybe eventually Ill get one, he said. But of course, not to ride in, just to drive myself to and from competitions. Ill only get it if its for cycling.
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