No one would fault Tim Ponting if he had given up biking as a child, or at least avoided riding on roadways, after suffering a serious bike injury at the hands of a motorist. But instead the 24-year-old Strongsville, Ohio resident rides regularly to this day and even commutes to work.

It is that type of devotion to biking that makes Ponting ideal to serve as Blimp City Bike & Hike’s July Cyclist of the Month.

As a 10-year-old growing up in Macedonia, Ohio, Ponting was cycling through his neighborhood when he was struck by a car and subsequently had to be life-flighted to a local hospital.

“A car turned in front of me and I was looking the other way because I thought another car was coming. We were both guilty of operator error, and the driver struck me. I ended up with a contusion on the back of my head, but didn’t have any permanent damage,” Ponting said. “Once the doctors told me I could, I pretty much got right back on a bike.”

Unfazed by the incident, Ponting continued riding throughout much of his upbringing. When he wasn’t riding the streets and off-road trails of Macedonia, enjoying its proximity to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ponting invested in a Redline-brand bicycle and dabbled with BMX riding. Like many teenagers, though, Ponting temporarily shifted his interest away from biking once he obtained a driver’s license.

“I really indulged in the adolescent lifestyle. A lot of Pizza Hut, a lot of bonfires. We were chasing after girls and going to football games, so we didn’t roam around on our bikes too much,” Ponting said. “But like most of us, when you settle down and get out of the whole college phase, you look at your body and realize how fat you got the last couple of years. That’s pretty much what motivated me to start riding again.”

Today Ponting is the proud owner of two bikes from Blimp City. He resides in Strongsville with his girlfriend, Vanessa Thomas, and works as an electrician. When weather permits, Ponting rides his Felt Brougham road bike to his current job site at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport’s FAA Air Traffic Control Tower.

When he is not working or jamming as the drummer of Akron-based reggae band Throne Gone Down, Ponting frequents Blimp City regularly to participate in Moon Rides and Lot Parties, or to simply partake in the joys of bike riding.

“My advice to aspiring riders is just go out and have fun with it,” Ponting said. “Stick with it because it gets easier. That first ride if you haven’t biked in a few years can be rough. You get back and you lean that bike up against the wall, and that’s where it stays for a while. You have to remember to get it off the wall and ride it again, and sooner or later you’ll be hooked.”

The Tim Ponting File:
Hometown: Bay Village, Ohio
Current Town: Strongsville, Ohio
Alma Mater: Nordonia High School
Age: 24
Birthday: February 25
Employment: Electrician
Hobbies: Biking, Throne Gone Down reggae band, soccer, volleyball