Several years ago I purchased my first fixie.. not a real one.. mine had brakes. But it was custom - all black, gold chain.. absolutely loved this bicycle (image below). Riding it around the city was faster than driving - never stuck in traffic and great for getting some fresh air on summer days. I figured I'd never need any gears as the city doesn't have too many hills.
Well the more I rode, the more addicted I became. Being fully in tune with your bike, catching the apex on the turns, racing traffic through the parks, catching the sun rise on those early am rides, makes life just that much more enjoyable. Turns out, its great for staying in shape! That year I lost a couple pounds cycling back and forth to work and the occasional weekend cruise.
As several years past I started to lose interest and I had a couple friends purchase road bikes. I never really thought it would a sport I'd be that interested in. How much better could a road bike be? I was already bored of my fixie. For a good one, they're thousands of dollars - I can buy a brand new fixie for hundreds. Low and behold, I tried out a Norco Carbon team race bike. Life Changed.
The speed, agility, and sheer craving for acceleration a road bike provides is unprecedented. All through my own power, not from gasoline or electricity. It was this year (2017) that I went in full force. I started riding in March of this year back and forth to work - 32 KM's each way. When I started riding I was doing an average riding time of 1hr 25min each way. But the weight didn't drop... How is that possible? I was burning close to 2000 calories on cycling alone, several days per week and I didn't notice a weight drop? .... I kept cycling.
Come late June, my wife and I arrived home from our recent travels through Europe, (I'll post more about that later) I got right back on the saddle. Pushing to beat my record times.. suddenly I saw the weight difference. It was almost as if over night I lost 15 pounds, going from 178lbs down to 163lbs! I couldn't believe it! I felt great, I felt fast, I felt light, I felt strong.
My record times continued to improve. I started around 1:25 for a one way trip. I got this down to 1:10 - a 15 minute improvement isn't bad. I wanted more - My goal was to complete this route in under 1hr of ride time then I got it down to 1:04.
Mission accomplished: On a long weekend (Specifically August 7th) I left early in the am. It was a holiday so traffic was light. I pushed every second of the ride - there were no breaks. Sprinting up and down the hills, risking my life, flying through empty streets and intersections. I felt my heart just pounding the blood through me, I was exhausted and fuelled with power at the same time. I broke my record, achieving 59:23.
And so the addition continues. I'm now a member for the Rapha RCC - a wonderful anniversary present from my wife. Next year I'd love to participate in the Whistler Gran Fondo. I'm nowhere near or ever will be near a competition level but I love the challenge and the feeling of the road. (
