My cycling journey is really just in its infancy at this point. That said, I’ve always been a big endurance sports enthusiast. Running and Nordic skiing have been my mainstays for so long now I don’t even really consider them “workouts” as much as they are just part of who I am.
Cycling just felt like a natural progression for me. It’s not totally new to me, however, as spinning has always been my studio or gym class of choice and during the pandemic we invested in a Peloton (I know, I know…eye roll). It has been fabulous for a quick workout but definitely won’t ever replace the total elation I get from moving my body outside in nature and fresh air. You just can’t get those endorphins any other way! I also started to feel like my body maybe wasn’t going to allow me to run the way I wanted to run without getting injured anymore so I was keen on finding something that would feel just as good with a less impact in the long term.
The final push was when I started paying attention to what my fellow Nordic skiers were up to in the summer months, turns out they spend a lot of time in the saddle! So, like any die-hard endurance athlete I dove right in and bought myself a beautiful Montu Kopis gravel bike before I’d ever been on a road bike in my life. It did not disappoint.
Once I got over my fear of being clipped in, I was hooked. I’m not a fan of riding on busy county roads so it’s been fabulous exploring new to me back-roads and different areas of the county by bike. One of my biggest struggles living remotely is always having to drive everywhere, so this has been a really nice way to switch up how I’m getting from A to B sometimes. My biggest struggle these days is finding enough time (and strength) to do all the things I love while also running a business and mothering two tiny humans.
I have taken a deep dive back into running this year, to circle back to my comment above I’m learning how to train slowly and consistently to avoid injury and conquer some big goals as I train for my first marathon. With that being said, cycling will likely be more of a supplementary cross-training activity for me this summer. This means not as many rides as I would like but of course, we can’t do it all! We did get our son his first pedal bike this year, so we are really looking forward to some family adventures by bike and of course, I’m always up for a cycling adventure with friends.
As for the future, my hope would be to enter into some distance races. I’ve already been eyeing the Vancouver to Whistler Gran Fondo so perhaps next year cycling will be my focus.
In the long-term incorporating cycling into our travels is high on our bucket list of ways to see this beautiful world, sigh, someday!
Lauren lives in Minden Hills, Ontario, where she and her partner run Fort Tree House Co, a business specializing in custom luxury tree homes.
