The Great Cycle Challenge 2021

With the close of August 2021, the flip of the calendar page signifies the end of this year's Great Cycle Challenge, it's tugging itch to get out on the cycle each day, and the push to raise both awareness and funds for cancer research at Sick Kids Hospital. I am proud to have been a part of such an impactful, important and endearing event for the 2nd year, and eternally grateful for all of those who opened their hearts and wallets to support the cause. When I checked, over $9 million had been raised this year! Considering the past 20 month's events, the financial upheaval, the social effect of isolation, and the disruption to the norm, it is even more astounding that people make something like this a priority.

It goes without saying that each person in Canada does not require very many degrees of separation to mark the impact cancer has had on their lives. I already wrote in previous posts how it has affected my loved ones and my good friends, and I feel proud that as a nation we have made great efforts to support the battle to research, understand, and eradicate this scourge. It's a leap of faith, but I feel strongly that by supporting the incredible science being thrown cancer's way, discoveries of related understanding will be possible, with potential to significantly impact future prevention, detection, and treatment of a host of maladies. No one person will make a difference, but if we all decide to do a little bit outside of our present comfort zone, the cumulative effect will be astounding. 

Of course, being completely transparent, the impetus for being involved in the GCC is the #bikelife. 

Spurred by the flip of the calendar, I found myself ruminating on the significant change in my attitude toward cycling, and its transformative impact on me on many fronts. As some are aware, I have ridden the roller coaster of body dimensions for my whole life, having both gained and lost 100's of kilos over my time on the planet. My age-old issue is not WHAT passes my lips, but HOW MUCH, with the psychology of satiation being my main trigger. Being active my whole life, I have used the concept of "calories IN vs calories OUT" as my go-to strategy of weight maintenance, even though I know that I should be focussing on alterations in my food intake, but its siren-song is irresistible when splashes of dopamine flood my synapses during a full plate of deliciousness. 

Cycling came about as a bit of a concession.

For many of my transformations in the past, I have used methods like weight training and running because they were comfortable to me thanks to my long history in athletics, and I admit that the cyclists I encountered out on the roads bore the brunt of disparaging thoughts as I vowed never to fall prey to the MAMIL lifestyle. Lo and behold, a minor tear to a meniscus in my knee prompted the need to change my erroneous thinking, urging the substitution of low-impact exercise, and I hopped on my old Legacy hybrid to hit the roads. I've come a LONG way since those days ... I've spent A LOT of money, spent A TON of time, had A MILLION thoughts, and blasted A BOATLOAD of fat cells. With the final ride of the 2021 GCC, a beauty from my mom's place on the water in Barrie, along the Simcoe Rail Trail to Orillia's waterfront, and back to my mom's, I feel like my transformation is nearly complete. I realize that I am pedalling myself to happiness because it's what I choose, not what I feel I have to do, and the liberating feeling that accompanies the decision is fantastic. 

I'll be the first to admit that this entire affair was assisted by my retirement. If I was still immersed in to busy, pulled-in-all-directions lifestyle of education, I am not at all confident that my transformation would have been complete in the timeline it has. Being able to slowly hatch each day, use those available minutes to plan an intriguing route, and have the ability to selfishly invest in myself has made all the difference in the world. I would be remiss if I didn't proclaim my deepest appreciation for my Bestie, the Ying to my Yang, the apple of my eye, my wife Joyce to being so accommodating to my new obsession ... there have been MANY ... because without it, it would never have happened. My family pokes fun at my obsession, labelling it as an addiction with profound eye rolls and dripping sarcasm, but rather than argue, I have capitulated to their assessment, acknowledging my innate "Go Hard or Go Home" makeup. 

The thing is, unless you're a cyclist yourself, you don't really understand the why.

The best way to describe it begs the use of one of my favourite movies, Forrest Gump. The portion of Gump's saga where he decides to start running and ends up traversing the country, experiencing its wondrous offerings, and getting lost in his own thoughts, is the most visual way to describe what cycling now means to me. Sure, I'm not traversing the country ... YET ... but I am seeing the sights and smells of Ontario's rural glory, awash in the meditative sounds of wind, wheels, and wheezing, and revelling in the positive effects it is having on my health. Since that first lung squeezing, thigh burning, crotch grinding, suffer-fest of a ride some 17 months ago, my sojourns have become a highlight of the day, an anticipated upswing in psyche that makes the remaining minutes of the day taste sweeter than fresh baked butter tarts. What I'm trying to point out is that every day without a ride is somehow less of a day, a perceptible missing element, a void never filled, and while scary that I've become that accustomed to it, I'm excited to have found something that revs the motor so completely. If you're up for a ride, give me shout through social media, a call or a text!

Perhaps you too will find something that puts a little hitch in yer giddy'up!