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| (Before the last OBC TT of the 2012 season - on Pops' P5!) |
Name: Alex
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Bikes: Cervelo S2 and Cervelo S5 Team
Height: 180cm
Weight: 64kg
Stengths: Stage races, Hilly (attrition) races
Some of my earliest recollections are of watching the Tour de France with my father. From Indurain and the rocket-fuelled 90s, through to the legendary duels of Lance and Ullrich in the early 2000’s, to this “new era” of racing, bicycles have always held a special place in my life and imagination.
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Bikes: Cervelo S2 and Cervelo S5 Team
Height: 180cm
Weight: 64kg
Stengths: Stage races, Hilly (attrition) races
Some of my earliest recollections are of watching the Tour de France with my father. From Indurain and the rocket-fuelled 90s, through to the legendary duels of Lance and Ullrich in the early 2000’s, to this “new era” of racing, bicycles have always held a special place in my life and imagination.
It does seem somewhat curious that I only took up road cycling in 2008. While I have always owned a “bike”, my athletic ventures were mostly limited to soccer, competitive swimming, water polo and (later) brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How did I get into riding?
I remember watching highlights from the 2008 Tour with one of my friends when a sudden urge to do something “epic” came over me. Why don’t we hop on our bikes and go for a legendary ride of our own? So hopped we did, and rode we.. also (somewhat) did..
While our first dabble into the magical world of cycling lasted a mere 15 kilometers, it was enough to sink the hook and to lure us back for more. As soon as the considerable leg and butt pain subsided, we made our second attempt at completing Everest (a ~40k flat roundtrip from Orleans to Parliament). As we zipped along the bike path, with the trees and scenery melting into a blur of colours – at what must have been an incredible velocity of 17k/h – I couldn’t help but pretend I was in the Tour de France, and the little kids on tricycles we would pass were Marco Pantani or Eddy Merckx. Of course, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen would narrate every attack and pedal stroke.
The rest of that summer went by too quickly. Rides became more frequent and fitness gradually improved. Soon after, my father (who now trains like a monster for his Ironman competitions) decided to take up cycling with me as a way to help with his post-vehicle accident rehabilitation. We signed up at the local good life, spent the winter doing spin classes and before you knew it I was purchasing my first road bike!
Although there have been many trials and tribulations since then, my love for cycling never seems to stop growing and I can’t wait to see what adventures lie around the corner!
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