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Alex T's Journal
Why I Ride
posted by at 04:00 AM on August 14, 2009
I bought my first Stumpjumper back in 1995, a cool blue M2 Comp. I
put a lot of miles on that bike, most of the time alongside my new
wife (before kids), on her glossy tangerine M2. We ride everything we
can find down here in SoCal, and spend our weekends testing ourselves at Noble Canyon, Santa Ana River Trail, Big Laguna Loop and El Capitan - it's our playground. Big rides followed by great food and friends - we're living a blessed life.
Then along comes more blessings kids (3 girls, twins), new job,
travel and new responsibilities. As sometimes happens with things like
this, the bikes are neglected in favor of things more compatible with
little ones.
Fast forward 10 years. I'm 39, successful in my career with a
beautiful family in a nice house. I'm also 290 lbs, stressed out,
often cranky and make my 3rd trip to the hospital thinking I am having a heart attack. Turns out it's bad acid reflux thankfully. The doctor
tells me I would need to take pills the rest of my life to control it
or, lose weight and change my diet. As I lay there in the emergency
room, I have a stunning and clear memory out of the blue. It's tied up with the feeling I had when riding my old bike. I could do anything,
go anywhere, all day. All I need is a pack full of water, a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich, , riding buddies and my beloved
Stumpy. It's the opposite of now. I want that feeling back.
The next morning I wake up and hit the reset button on life. I become religious about the kind, quantity and quality of the food I eat. I never eat more than a handful at a time.
Food is basic - egg whites, steamed vegetables, lean chicken, avacados. Dinner is small, lots of water.
A week later - my pants feel loose.
. A few months and 20 lbs later I go into the garage and dig out my old stumpy, the tubes pop the first time I pump them up
- but after a quick tune-up and new tires, everything works fine. Some
neighbors of mine tell me about a local hill here in La Costa, so I
ride my bike there and start the 600' climb to the top up switchbacks.
The first steep section, I go 10 feet and about fall over gasping like a fish out of water. I stop for a bit, puke, chug some water, puke, then climb some more. Ride, stop, gasp. Rinse and repeat and then I am at the top. My quads feel like someone pounded railroad spikes in them but the view is amazing and takes my mind off the pain. I realize that I just touched something I had buried down inside for too long. I feel
connected to everything. Could be the endorphins, but I'm not picky.
Life is good for this fat guy on a bike. The downhill is exhilarating,
scary and unbelievably fun. I pick amazingly bad lines and crash
several times and come home with blood on my legs elbows and chin. My wife scans me up and down and shakes her head. "Well, it's a real
ride." she says.
Fast forward 6 months. I climb the hill 6 days out of 7. I know every
line and clean the technical stuff 99.9% of the time. It's my hill now.
I wake up one morning and the scale tells me I am 50 lbs lighter. I
cry when I tell my wife and she cries too - then she hugs me she says
I feel like a stranger and laughs. I decide to reward myself with a
new bike. I'm picky so I test ride everything. Ellsworth, Trek,
Cannondale, Yeti, Rocky Mountain, Intense, they all feel wrong. I
drive down to UC Cyclery in La Jolla and check out a shiny red 07 Stumpy comp - it feels right. I buy it then hit the hill. Holy crap
- full suspension! I'm loving this bike.
I get invited to ride with a local club team down in Pensaquitos
Preserve. We do the Tunnels, Intestines and the other trails and I am
lagging off the back the whole time. I know they are rolling back for
me and I hate that. I don't ride with them for several months but I start hammering repeats on the hill. I am in my middle ring always and crave the burn. We ride again and I notch it up mile after mile. Each guy I pass is a milestone.
Then I'm on the leader's wheel, he tries, but
there's no way he can shake me - twisties, drops, trees, water, I feel
like a fighter pilot with missile lock. We leave everyone behind and I
am relentless, my bike is a part of me, I feel everything down to the
knobs. He fades in a corner and I pass.
The next day I step on the scale and I'm 205 lbs.
Fast forward 2 years. I am 42. Cycling is fundamental to my life and
happiness. I own a S-Works Stumpy, a Tarnac Pro, and an S-Works Roubaix SL2. I volunteer with the local land manager to work on the trails that changed my life and spend time educating riders about trail ettiquette and trail maintenance.
My old red 07 stumpy commutes me to and from my office from my SF apartment when I am in town - looking forward to the Marin trails. I watch the Tour de Francelike it's the SuperBowl. I buy my wife a sweet blue Dolce and she still ride her old M2 with the kids to school. She has
bike friends soon after and tells me how much fun it is to be with
them 7 hours in the saddle - she is doing her first century
in Tahoe. She raised $4200for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
My oldest daughter rides a HotRock. She can't wait
to hit the hill with Daddy.
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Comments (6)
05:06 PM on September 21, 2009 UTC RoubaixRider wrote:
great story! thanks for sharing.
07:45 PM on September 21, 2009 UTC Alex T wrote:
I have friends who keep asking me how i got in such good shape - so i thought I would write it down...
Cool thing about cycling is that there is always another level - very humbling :)
11:40 AM on October 02, 2009 UTC Mattunderground wrote:
An inspiring read Alex.
08:31 PM on October 02, 2009 UTC Alex T wrote:
Thank you for the kind words!
10:20 PM on October 06, 2009 UTC Christopher Dockens wrote:
I am 310lbs, just started riding again. The wife, kids and various other "things" I use as an excuse for my weight, when really it was always up to me. I look forward to the journey, and I hope to have the same results as you! We just got my wife a new bike, and my children are not far behind. Thanks for the story, it is inspiring and makes me understand I can make a change!
10:35 PM on October 06, 2009 UTC Alex T wrote:
Christopher - something tells me you'll be successful in your journey. If you're like me you will collect a new set of scars on the way, but the rewards are so worth it :) You're on your bike and that's a great place to start!