I have a coach. I know more about electrolytes, carbohydrates, and aerodynamics than I should. I think carbon fiber is a beautiful thing. I believe that if you take care of your quads, they’ll take care of you. I believe that it is, absolutely, without question, unequivocally, about the bike.

Back in Calgary, I did commute by bike. I had a cheap single speed I bought to get me to school and around town for errands during the warmer months. However I stuck to pathways and residential streets. I didn’t bike in traffic. I did the majority of my riding, the riding that "mattered," out on the open country roads, surrounded by wheat fields and mountains. I also had a weather cut off of 5 degrees, which in Calgary, meant that nine months out of the year I would not be riding outside. Don’t get me wrong, I love all bikes and I believe any time spent on a bike is a good time. I also strictly stand by the Velominati equation that the number of bikes you should own is n+1  (n being the number of bikes you currently own). In Calgary though, I never had a need to venture out on the busy, car filled streets. Also, I'm a wuss.

My first weekend here in Vancouver, I threw on some street clothes, hopped on my bike and set off to explore. It was going to be great. It was a beautiful day. I was going to cruise from my place in North Van down to Stanley Park, bomb around for a bit, and then head up to UBC to explore. Well... things didn’t go exactly as planned. A block from my house I wiped out. I dragged myself home and after an hour-long battle of tears, blood, polysporin, gauze and road rash first aid I set out again. This time I got a bit further. The road I was on shot me onto Marine Drive and suddenly I was on the road with what seemed like the rest of Vancouver. So. Many. Cars.

I pulled over to the sidewalk and did what any other normal, well adjusted 23-year-old would do. Called my dad in tears. I’m not a city person! What was I doing here? Why were there so many people?! So many cars! Cars everywhere! Everyone was going so fast! Now that I lived in Vancouver, where was I going to ride my bike? Where were the open roads? Where were the fields of wheat?!

Fast-forward two months. I hadn’t really been riding that much. It was the off-season. I hadn’t started training yet and when I did have to commute it was for short rides, a few blocks to the grocery store or to the trails so I could go for a run. I was set to start my internship at Momentum and I was itching to get on my bike again. I decided to try the whole urban cycling thing again. I researched the best cycling route and wrote down detailed directions on a Post-it note.