One of my hobbies is cycling. I have done it for almost 30 years now. I originally started it because I had Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in my knees, feet and ankles. I saw it as a way to strengthen my legs and get fit at the same time. Prior to getting RA I was a runner.
When I was younger it was normal for me to ride 40-60 kilometres per day. I would aim to 200-300 kilometres a week from Monday to Saturday and have Sunday off for rest and church. My goal was to average 30 kph pace for my rides.
These days I usually ride for time. Mostly I ride for 20-40 minutes and it is at a much slower pace than in used to be. Now in my mid 50s I am happy to cruise along at 15-20 kph. Funny how we mellow as we age!
Now I have three bikes that I rotate depending on how I am going and what time of the year it is. I have a racing bike for times when I want to go faster, a mountain bike for when I want to ride the trails, and a single speed city bike that I use as transport.
Depending on what gym sessions I am doing at the time I ride from 2-3 times a week. If I am doing three gym sessions a week I alternate gym and cycling 3 days each. If I am doing a 4 day split, I only ride 2 times a week.
Cycling for me is much more than fitness these days. It gets me out in to God’s creation and I often find myself praying and reflecting as I ride. I get fit physically and spiritually as I ride. It is nothing for me to ride off on a trail in town and pause to look at God’s creation or just sit and pray for a while.
I am hoping cycling is something I can do in to my old age. I would be great to still be riding well in to my 80s or 90s.
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