#riderstories
I bought my first mountain bike when I was in grade 10. Shortly after, I went to Camp Fortune with some guys from the local bike shop for a ride on my new bike. It was early spring and there were no lifts open, so that meant we had to ride up. Being in a group I didn’t really have a choice but to follow, and that meant we had to “earn our descents” by slogging up the back trails. I think it was on this ride when I realized how much I enjoy the challenge presented by riding a bicycle off-road.
While I love cycling, my lifelong passion has been riding and racing dirt bikes. I always entertained dreams of making it to the top levels of this sport. Four years ago I won my first race 15 minutes ahead of second place. The winter before was spent in the gym and I believe that was a big part of that win. It’s not just about bike handling skills. Even in motorsports, physical readiness makes a huge difference in performance. That’s why cycling is a big part of Enduro (dirt bike racing) pros’ training routines
Since then I’ve become more serious about racing and training in my small home setup. Road and gravel cycling has been on my mind the whole time. Aside from using cycling as great cross-training, I’ve just missed bicycles. In the fall of 2021, I sustained a serious shoulder injury and this was the tipping point in going full circle back to cycling.
Now that my surgery is scheduled all I want to do is ride my Montu Kopis as much as possible to get ready for racing again in 2023. Getting back into cycling has really helped me stay motivated through a long boring winter and made me excited about the future ahead despite my injury.