When I say road bikes, I’m not talking about the kind that hit 200+ km/h, I’m talking about the kind that you pedal with your own two legs. If you’re like most people, you’ve only ridden your childhood tricycle, your first two-wheeler with an awesome banana seat, and of course, your precious mountain bikes. I was the same way…until this year.
The company I work for really supports health. They have recently developed a department called “Wellness” which focuses on keeping employees active. A gentleman from this group created a challenge earlier this year which did just this. Employees created a team of 10 individuals, the goal was via man-powered activities to accumulate enough kilometers to cover the perimeter of
Obviously, of your options cycling is the fastest way to accumulate the clicks. However the catch is that only 75% of your total distance can be from cycling. This was to allow runners to contribute a significant amount.
The total distance around
The team we put together was a team of powerhouses, extremely dedicated people. 10 individuals that vowed to put in their weekly clicks no matter what (I recall several rainy rides throughout June). Our goal was to complete the challenge in 2 months, not 3. Therefore our 1200km per person turned into ~150km per week. Our team had 2 pure runners and therefore the cyclists took up a few extra clicks for them.
I used to ride my bike all the time, and then stopped for a few years. No real reason why. Just before this challenge began I thought I would try riding in from my house to work as a way to fit daily exercise into my hectic schedule. The ride was about 10km each way. The first time I rode in it was rough and I thought I was going to die. After a few weeks of this I was getting better. That’s how I was recruited for this “powerhouse” team…others saw me ride in.
At first thought 150km / week seemed absolutely insane. If I rode in to work and back, I would get 20km. That meant of course I would have to ride in 5 days a week to reach my 150km.
Long story short, our team of 10 highly dedicated corporate junkies finished the challenge in 55 days. We were 1 of 28 teams in this challenge. We were the only team that actually completed the distance within the 3 month time frame. As a result of being champions, we were awarded plaques, and jerseys.
Personally I became a machine by the end of this challenge. At the peak of it, I was riding in 29km to work, and 29km home. In less than 2 months I went from bursting a lung riding in 10km to work, all the way to riding 29km at high speeds. I joined 4 other riders on a 100km day. We all rode our bikes directly into work (between 10-15km). Then after work we all rode out of the city and back in. By the time the 5 of us all reached our homes, we had rode between 100.1 and 101.1km each. I’ve never done that in my life…it felt incredible.
Over the 55 days it took to dominate this challenge, I had put in just over 1800km of cycling for the team. I found it incredible how at first I was worried about 150km / week when my best week hit 300km. If you’re wondering, yes that meant that all I did for a while was work, bike, and sleep. But it was an incredible accomplishment.
Shortly after this challenge, I realized that although I rode 100km in one day, I had never actually ridden a “true century”. A century in cycling terms is when you nail out 100km in one ride. So one sunny summer day I decided to give it a shot. I rode out of the city and half way to the mountains. By the time I got back I had did about 105km in just under 3 hours and 45 minutes. It felt amazing. Power gels and power bars were my best friend that day.
I haven’t been on a bike for about the past month due to cooler temperatures and a craving for lounging on the couch. However, in this summer alone I had racked up an outstanding 2,420km. I started racking on a few extra pounds from pizza and beer, however all of this cycling helped a lot. During all this I ate whatever I pleased to fill the stomach, and I still lost 7 pounds. My lungs doubled in size along with the size of my calf’s and thighs.
The point of this entire story is twofold. First, you’ll be surprised what your body can accomplish if you put your mind to it. Second, if you’ve never ridden a road bike, give it a shot. Yes you will feel completely nerdy with your slicks, tiny 15 pound bike, and full out spandex, but it’s a rush. I’ve hit 63km on my road bike coasting down a small yet steep hill. I’ve reached 55km in a full out sprint on flat path. Of course you think for a second that if you bail you’re going to be in serious trouble, but it’s a risk worth taking I think.
Give road bikes a shot, you’ll be surprised.
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