Continued from last week
This week, I uploaded a few YouTube videos that capture a few moments of my mountain biking this spring. You’ll find them at the end of this post, as well as my YouTube channel.
My old bicycling history
My last major obsession with bicycles was over 20 years ago when I raced, toured a bit, tried to improve. And failed. I was in a small city with very few young women racing, so it was a solo endeavor. Great exercise, but I never felt the joy of winning any sport event in my life, ever. I sucked at running, too. Disappointing.
I’ve improved my fitness over the years. A more steady passion without the highs and lows of competition has felt better. Since high school racing, I got celiac disease and once that got figured out, my endurance improved. My strength improved, given the same gym workouts.
That’s impressive!
I tried SUP and fell in love with it
The past few years (with celiac disease and the type 1 diabetes I’ve had childhood) I focused on stand-up paddling (SUP) for exercise.
At some point I gave into my urge to switch from canoeing to something easier to lug around. For many years I craved surfing or something. I don’t swim great, so stand-up paddling sounded perfect and I bought an Aztron board.
All summer long in 2023, I was at my local lake almost every day. It makes a fun photography outing too. Pumping the board up by hand every time was good exercise, and it got much easier over time. The paddling itself seemed easy and gentle. Back in my youth I did a LOT of canoeing so I was delighted that I enjoyed my inflatable (portable) board.
Disrupted by algae bloom last year
Then in 2024, my lake was virtually shut down because of harmful algae blooms. Swimming was strongly discouraged by the city, and only the most brave went paddling. I didn’t. I always swim before paddling, to make sure my confidence is high and my PFD works well. Blue-green algae blooms mean no swimming, so no paddling either for me.
2025 might have the same fate. I may need to choose a different lake. I was getting good at swimming again, and feeling much more confident in the water. I didn’t swim as a child, teen, or adult until about 15 years ago, well into adulthood. So I want to continue improving my water sports.
Tackling a variety of sports
Even with paddling, I like to indulge in many sports. For me it’s all just exercise. Any exercise is good, and hours at a time is great. I’m a tad overweight and I’d like to fix that.
I’ve found that switching sports frequently is harder exercise, more fun and rewarding, more prone to mistakes and learning, and social opportunities. My body seems to soak up the benefits of exercise that way. You may get different results – share your thoughts about that in the comments below.
So along came mountain biking late last summer when frequently visiting my dad near a variety of trails and quiet roads. I already owned a mountain bike, so it deserved to be ridden.
That brings us up to spring 2025 plans for biking.
My old gear pre-2000 vs. new 2025 gear
They say work with what you’ve got. I do that frequently. I adapt my gear from one sport to the next, unless safety requires dedicated equipment. I have track pants and a variety of shorts for running and paddling, and much of it can be used for the mountain bike, thanks to the cushy comfortable seat it’s got.
I couldn’t find my old gloves, so I bought two new pairs of gloves this spring – one pair of 100% (it’s a brand) for rain and one thin pair (by Leatt) for normal days. I had a multi-sport helmet for rollerskating and skateboarding, so that’s my bike helmet too now.
I chose some gnarly purple pedals that have screws for gripping. They are flat style, so I can have shoes that allow easy walking. Thus I had to buy new shoes. Nothing in my pile of shoes will match that! And my new bike shoes (by RC) aren’t really suitable for other sports like skateboarding, so they’ll last forever I guess. That’s one piece of gear that can’t be ignored – you’ll want comfortable and snug shoes that stay on the pedals!
Meanwhile, on my BMX bike, I have the stock pedals that also work with my RC shoes – they just have less-agressive “pins” to catch the shoe tread. Mountain biking offroad is a lot more jarring, so I think that’s why they are heavier and have screws (the sharp end) poking out.
I decided against clipless pedals, or whatever they’re called nowadays. Clips on bike pedals decades ago meant a metal or plastic cage that enclosed the front of the shoe, and a strap that held your shoe tight to the pedal, used in road racing and touring. Mountain bikes had these too. The alternative was “clipless” pedals which had to match the rather expensive shoes. I had SPD pedals on my very first mountain bike (that I never really liked) and my commuter. My race bike had Look pedals, I think they were called, with heavy-duty Diadora shoes. That stuff seemed expensive back then.
My new shoes were roughly $160 CAD and the pedals were $50 – much more affordable in today’s dollars, bought with my wages that are nicely above minimum wage.
Exciting first few rides in March and April 2025
The first places I’ve ridden are right near home. My dad’s home actually. I’ve ridden on a couple old country roads that are full of potholes, the same ones I rode my racing bike as a teenager living there. I explored a new park and its wide stroller and dog-walking paths. And I explored a few dirt paths and bits of the gravel driveway that are most interesting.
I haven’t figured out how to bunny hop, or ride over ledges. Time will allow these things.
Several times, I’ve ridden a length of the Galloping Goose Trail that runs through the city and towards Sooke. As you pass through Langford then Metchosin, heading away from Victoria, it becomes gravel. It’s an old railway line. I remember when the railroad tracks were still there. Now it’s a nice easy ride!
It was exhilerating to ride the Goose on my newest mountain bike, an older Devinci Cameleon. I rode that same trail with my commuter as a teenager, and even my race bike when I wanted to challenge myself.
Upcoming goals
While the wooded areas are nice to ride while visiting my dad, there’s also a new mountain bike park in the area. The Jordie Lunn bike park is relatively new and I’ve not ridden there yet. I’ve walked the mutli-use trails many times. My truck needs repairs, so I’ll be able to get my bike there soon, and also my BMX bike. The park has dirt trails at a variety of difficulty levels and a variety of paved pump tracks.
Farther away is the Juan de Fuca BMX track (part of West Shore recreation) which is also on my bucket list. And Tripp Station is an easy ride for beginner mountain bikers and BMX riders, with a small paved pump track and three dirt jump tracks. Not to mention the region also offers an entirely offroad bike track at the municipal Seaparc rec centre in Sooke, about an hour’s drive from Victoria. I go to Sooke frequently to shop the small independent stores and go for long walks.
I’m looking forward to it all. Look how far I’ve slowly gotten so far this spring:
