Chubby Guy on a Bike

2016 has been a good year. The goal of the blog was to train for the Kootenay Gran Fondo, which I did. My wife and I did it together, and although we didn't do the longest distance, we still  completed it. What I didn't do very well was document it on this blog.   What I’ve learned about myself is that if I narrow my writing focus to one area I don’t do it. I am constantly being distracted  by different thoughts going on in my mind and find it very difficult sometimes to focus on what I actually should be doing. Hence the change to the Blog.  In 2017 I will blog more often, and while cycling will be a part of it, I will also touch on other subjects as well. I am currently writing a children's novel, so I will be talking about that, and the mental torture that goes along with it. To all of my readers thanks for sticking around, and I hope you have an amazing year. 

I knew early on that good nutrition would be the key to my training. The problem is putting that knowledge into action. I have the same excuses that many have. Busy work schedule, kids activities, etc etc.  I often will eat on the go, usually skipping breakfast, and while I know it's wrong, it still continues. It reminds me of the question "What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." That being said, today I had a consultation with Personal Trainer Benny Benaroch  over Skype. I recently was visiting family in Montreal and was blown away by the results my family had seen by following Benny's personalized programs.  He is going to help me make meal plans to make sure I hit my goals. Best thing about it is I will have weekly follow ups with him, which includes me sending him a picture. This will definitely keep me motivated to do better. If you are struggling like I do with all the lovely food o...

2 days ago my wife and I decided to ride to Kimberley on the North Star Rails to Trails. We dropped the kids off at school and away we went! The weather forecast was sunny with a high of 26 degrees. A beautiful day for a beautiful 52 km ride. Our little date was going really well. We talked we laughed, we pedalled through lush forests and over idyllic bridges. Then something happened. HILLS. We knew they were there. We've biked this trail a lot, just not in its entirety. I think we just underestimated the pain they wanted to inflict on us.  The moment we crossed the St. Mary's river bridge it hit us. Our legs burned a bit but hey, we were exercising after all. We pedalled our way up to Marysville. We didn't feel too bad! There was only 9km left to the end of the trail in Kimberley. We Got this! Actually I think I said those exact words. Little did I know that those would be 9km of torture. One of my favourite parts of the Rails to Trails is that there are bench...

 Ok so after doing some research on training plans I came across a well known term in the cycling community for male riders over 200 pounds. Clydesdales. You know, the massive, beautiful horses that you see in Parades and Budweiser commercials. A little weird right?. On one hand, It's pretty rude to label people. On the other, Clydesdales are pretty awesome, and after climbing a big hill I kind of sound like one until I catch my breath. Personally it doesn't really hurt my feelings at all but I see how it could be hurtful to some. We live in an age where labelling of any kind is looked down upon. If it happens to our kids at school we would say it's bullying. Why should we accept this as adults? I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Also I have just created a facebook page for the blog so if you find it easier to follow along on there I will post links to every new blog post. Thanks for reading, and maybe I'll see you on the road! Update: It has been brough...

Hello everyone and welcome to the blog! I've created it to document and help motivate myself complete the Kootenay Gran Fondo . If you are unfamiliar with the ride, it is a 152 km course through the East Kootenay region of BC. There are shorter events (Medio and Piccolo Fondo) but I am not one for moderation. There is also a kids Fondo that my daughter will be participating in.  I live here so I  have the advantage of knowing the route quite well. I also have a couple challenges. 1. I am overweight, out of shape, and have Asthma. The good thing though is that it is not exercise induced asthma. Also as far as my weight goes that should drop as I continue to train. 2. I am not very experienced at riding such long distances. My longest ride has only been about 40km. Just like most people, I rode my bike a lot when I was younger. Not so much as I got older. Last year I splurged a bit and bought myself a new bike and realized how much I missed it! The Statistics: Bi...