Why I Became a Cyclist, and Why You Should Give it a Shot Too
After a day of work at the office, some people head down to the gym to do some weight-lifting. Others might strap on some running shoes for a few laps around the neighborhood. Somehow, I’ve become one who dons a pair of lycra shorts, hops on a bike, and goes out for a spin for a couple hours, enjoying the local views. Over the past year, I’ve gone pretty deep into cycling. I went from not owning a single bike to someone who rides multiple times a week and owns… let’s just say too many bikes (if there really is such a thing). The bug bit me. Hard. And I haven’t looked back since. So, why did I become a cyclist?
The Start
Getting into cycling was a bit of chance. I wasn’t a cyclist prior to last year. Sure, I had a bike as a kid and I’d bike to the park to place ball or bike around the neighborhood with my brothers. When I was in grad school I used a bike to get around campus and around the city. So, I knew how to ride a bike, but I was by no means a cyclist and I hadn’t touched a bike since I was in grad school about 12 years earlier.
Every year, my company organizes a cycling relay ride that goes across the USA to raise money, called Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer (C2C4C). The money is all donated to the V Foundation to support cancer research. Employees who would like to take part in the ride submit applications and must commit to go through the rigorous training to be ready to cycle for 3 consecutive days with around 80 miles per day. Eventually, around 130 riders are accepted and split into 9 teams with each team taking a leg of the relay. I knew that I love outdoor adventures, sports, and that I have a competitive nature. I figured it would be a good challenge for myself. My colleagues who have done it in past years claimed that the experience was life-changing. At worst, I spend a lot of time working out and getting in shape and then decide never to cycle again after C2C4C is over. At best, I find a new hobby that I love. Fortunately, the best case scenario played out.
The Training
For 6 months, all the C2C4C riders followed a rigorous training program to prepare for the relay. Each team was assigned to a coach, many of whom were former professional cyclists. The coaches designed personalized training schedules to help us get from the complete newbs that we were to… well, still newbs but newbs who could at least ride in something that resembled a draft line for several hours at a time.
Though I wasn’t a cyclist at all, I did consider myself to be pretty outdoorsy and active. I grew up playing sports through high school, college, and even recreationally throughout my adulthood. Outside of sports, almost all my hobbies still involved outdoor adventures — hiking/trekking, camping, skiing, kayaking, whatever else I can experience. So cycling fits into that lifestyle.
I also love the community that comes with sports and being on a team, so from the very beginning I was hoping that the team I was assigned to would mesh well and get close. And we certainly did. At first, being colleagues, we were all pretty cordial and formal to each other. But pretty quickly, our team chat became filled with playful sarcasm and heckling, lots of joking around, but also plenty of encouraging one another as we suffered through the training program together. Those of us who were based in the same areas would do a lot of our training rides together. We grew into family, as all good teams do.
While the cycling community provides some camaraderie to the sport, it’s also something that you can enjoy by yourself. In fact, sometimes I prefer going out to ride on my own. It gives me a chance to clear my mind and escape for a bit. It’s rather meditative and you get to see the natural beauty around you in a new way.
At the same time, being able to cycle with others and by yourself makes it appealing for people with a competitive side. You can race against others. Sign up for actual races or casually, or try to get the best times in different roads/segments (the King/Queen of the Mountain title for the Strava-users). And of course, you can race yourself, trying to improve your time, how far you can cycle, how quickly you can climb hills.
The Outcome
I got into because of a very unique opportunity, which doesn’t happen for most people. But I have to concur with my colleague’s description. It was certainly life-changing. A couple months into my training for the Coast 2 Coast ride, I could already tell that I had been bitten by the bug. I was converted into a cyclist.
I upgraded my bike from a basic aluminum endurance road bike to a carbon fiber bike with a more aggressive geometry and dipped my toes into road racing. Though I was getting my butt kicked by everyone, I enjoyed cycling enough to appreciate the experience. During the summer, at the peak of the training, I was riding 4 to 5 times a week and a couple hundred miles per week. Even after the actual relay ride, that bug didn’t let up.
It’s now been 18 months since I started and nearly 12 months since that C2C4C ride wrapped up. I’m still cycling, both alone and with others. I continue to delve into road racing, from crits to gran fondos, and continue to get my butt kicked. I’ll probably never be at the level of competition where I’d consider myself a serious amateur racer, but I’ll definitely keep riding as long as I’m able to. My team’s group chat has quieted down significantly, as expected, but there are still occasional messages and jokes. Those of us based in the same office meet up to grab lunch together once in a while, and I continue to ride with a couple friends I’ve made along the way.
This year, I’ve started experimenting with different types of rides beyond road cycling, and now do gravel/cyclocross and mountain biking too. There’s a ton of variety in the world of cycling.
The Conclusion (of this post, not of my cycling)
If you’re into sports or active lifestyles or looking for a way to help you get/stay healthy, if you’re looking for something that can build community but is also a great solo workout, and something that can also act as an escape, give cycling a shot.
If you’ve got a friend who is a cyclist, borrow their bike and try it out for a little bit. Go out with them for a couple rides. If that’s not an option, buy a cheap bike. Low-tier bikes cost a couple hundred dollars, but usually have decent resale value too. There is a massive market for second hand bikes as well. As previous owners decide to upgrade their equipment, they often sell their current bikes. If you live near a university, around the end of the semester, there tends to be a lot of used bikes for sale as students move out and can’t bring their bikes with them.
If you know you like companionship and having people to mentor and guide you when you’re starting out, find a local cycling club (they’re everywhere) and join them for some rides. Many clubs offer groups rides regularly throughout the riding season (the months that are warm enough to ride outdoors). There is typically a membership fee to join the club, but many offer a try-before-you-buy approach where you can ride with them a couple times before having to pay for membership. If the idea of a cycling club sounds intimidating at first, find an online community (e.g., a Facebook group for local cyclists) and see if anyone is willing to let you join them for an easy group ride. When you’re comfortable enough, do some solo rides and enjoy the views.
The point is, give it a shot. A real shot. Don’t go out on your first ride, and realize that you’re out of breath after a mile and call it quits. Give it an earnest chance. At worst, you might waste a couple weekends trying a new sport and finding that you’re just not into it. On the other hand, it much just change your life.
