Bikes. Bikes. Bikes.
I’ve tried, more than once, to drag myself away from bikes.
Riding mountain bikes for a decade, working in the bike industry and essentially having the sport shape a lot of my life, oftentimes gets a bit much. I found myself loving and hating bikes, swinging from one to the other emotion, which is understandable when it seems all-consuming, bleeding its way through every facet of your life.
To break up the monotony, and to experience thrill again, I dabbled in other disciplines: gravel, cyclocross, snow-biking and even tried (and failed) at BMX.
Gravel riding opened things up in a different way, less structure, more wandering, and a sense that you could just head out and see where you ended up. Cyclocross was something else entirely, chaotic, muddy, and slightly ridiculous, but strangely addictive. And then there were the one-off experiences that stick with you more than you expect, like snowbiking in Switzerland, which sounds fun until you’re halfway down a ski piste, heading towards certain death because your brakes have frozen.
After trying to branch out from mountain biking, I even tried to pivot my career to the wider sporting world: trail running, endurance sports, adventure and general outdoors. But the world of bikes keeps pulling me back in.
Over time, my life got fuller, energy got thinner, and riding became much less of a focus. Not in a dramatic, all-or-nothing way, just in a more natural kinda way. I told myself I was fine with it. That I’d had my time with bikes, that it didn’t need to be a central part of my life anymore, because I have a family and other priorities.
But, I’m not sure I was ever really being totally honest with myself.
While I didn’t want to hurtle down a trail, nailing myself along the way with injuries, and not having the time for it either, I did miss bikes. Then Zwift entered the chat.
No need for logistical time juggling, no travel required, no need to carve out half a day just to make it happen. Zwift became a vital lifeline during postpartum. It wasn’t the same as being outside; I’d actually argue that, for the most part, it was better. Zwift allowed me to reconnect with something that had been such a big part of my identity, without the faff, maintenance, and restrictions of riding outdoors. Now, I could ride while my daughter napped. I could ride any time of the day, from the comfort of my own home. That was, and still is, invaluable.
Zwift has played a huge part in my fitness, postpartum recovery, marathon training, and generally keeping my sanity in check. As someone who claims not to be a competitive person, Zwift really brought out a whole new side of me when I started Zwift Racing as well. And it’s not just the physical benefits of Zwift that I love, but its connected me with so many other “Zwifters”, some I now call friends, because the whole platform has a deeply ingrained social element that’s both supportive and encouraging.
The truth is, I don’t think you ever really “quit” bikes if they’ve been part of your life for long enough. You might step away for a bit, you might convince yourself you’ve outgrown it, but it’s still there, simmering away. Sure, it may change pace, discipline or platform, but it’s like they say, “you’ll never forget how to ride a bike”, turns out, you just never forget bikes in general.