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Of fitness, fun and future falls

Thursday, July 13, 2006 - 09:00

Editorial - It was Jan. 26. My octogenarian parents were celebrating their 62nd wedding anniversary. It occurred to me, as I watched them enjoy the family gathering, that their longevity, and consequently mine, was only partly good genes.

So, I decided that 2006 was the year that lifestyle change and a return to fitness would become focal points.

Returning home, I positioned the recumbent cycle in front of the television in the family room, requiring myself to be seated and peddling during my favourite nightly television program.

While I will never diminish the almost immediate health and fitness benefit (weight loss), I quickly discovered that the scenery from a stationary cycle is rather mundane, if not boring after a couple of weeks. The room, the furniture, even the lighting never change.

Of course there were periodic sightings of wildlife ... the dog as she sat gazing in quizzical wonderment attempting to determine what I was doing ... and my spouse passing through on the way to far more interesting activities like ironing or reading e-mail!!

As winter gave way to more appealing conditions, we turned our attentions to the outdoors and peddling our mountains bikes rather than driving to do local errands and meeting friends for a standing brunch on weekends.

Further motivated by increased energy, not to mention actual fresh air, changing scenery, differing and chosen routes and did I mention sunlight (the family room is in the basement), I seemed to begin to enjoy cycling almost passionately; so much so that the bikes travel with us on our weekends away.

With the advent of Bike to Work Week (BTWW) came an e-mail message from a colleague in Human Resources seeking an additional member for his cycling team - President's Choice.

It would only be twice the distance I was normally riding. It was only five days. There were prizes involved not that it mattered because I never win anything. And, apart from "dead man's curve", how dangerous could this be?" I decided to join the team.

As the week progressed, my cycling hunger was nourished by morsels from teammates - tips on reducing time, increasing speed, rider safety.

I found myself engaged in fascinating discussions about the merits of "nubbly" versus treadless tires, rolling resistance and other cycling subject matter heretofore never considered, culminating in a decision to change to slick tires, upgrade my seat and purchase cycling shoes, toe clips and peddles, to truly "spin" while on the road and give my legs the full workout.

Clearly I was hooked!

It seems all the winds of change were blowing in my favour. The day before I went to purchase the shoes I learned that through my efforts in BTWW I had hit the jackpot.

I won the Grand Prize of shoes, toe clips and pedals courtesy of our sponsor Kurt Gwisdek at Liberty Bicycles in St Catharines. My first response, "will the motivators never end?"

At this point, I've increased my distance to 30 to 45 kilometres each outing. I ride four to five times a week. And while I prefer not to say the actual amount, let's just say that I've lost 18.4 per cent of my initial body weight (and counting) and anyone who knows me will tell you I've become a cycling fanatic.

Oh yes, the "future falls" ... my bicycle, complete with new pedals and toe clips returns to me on Thursday. I'm told that I will fall no less than three times before I learn to release my feet early enough to stop without falling.

So, if you're on the Greater Niagara Circle Route and see some guy clad in black cycling gear, a blue and gray helmet, lying on his side, straddling a silver mountain bike, mumbling to himself and struggling to release his feet from the toe grip of the latest object of his affection ... stop and give me a hand will you?!

Douglas Bartholomew-Saunders FONTHILL
ID- 107065