In so many
ways, I’m very much an unCanadian Canadian.
I don’t really care for hockey. I
never watch it on TV. Skating was my
favorite part when I used to play. But to
be honest, I mostly only kept signing up because I couldn’t ride my bike during
the winter. In 2010. Tired of the indoor trainer, I tried x-country
skiing. I loved the being outdoors part
of the sport. But my skate technique
sucked. And because of this I never
seemed to be able to ski comfortably. Then. In 2016.
After my concussion. I bought a
fat bike. I had resisted for years. They just seemed too damn slow. But at that point in my life, slow was
exactly what I needed. My fat bike saved
me during that first winter after hitting my head. Unhurried easy solo rides were my
therapy. They still are really. Growing up, I remember spending countless
hours ogling over pics in my BMX magazines, dreaming of living in California where
I could ride my bike year round. I have
always been and will always be a summer soul, but I have come to appreciate
that there is something very special about riding a bike in the depths of
winter. Something about the arctic snow
cover that slows everything down including my thoughts. Something about the wintry stillness that
enhances the taste of my forest-tea. In
so many ways, my fat bike has literally changed my relationship with our Canadian
winters from something to suffer through and endure to something to cherish and
enjoy. Bikes are simply authentically
me. An unCanadian Canadian. Madly in love. With pedaling outdoors.
