Cycling: My Life, and How I got Into It

Early Days

There was something really special about watching my dad cycle as a kid, so it came as no surprise when I showed my parents my wish to have a bike of my own. From then on its significance for me has changed with each phase of my life. It started as a thing I loved doing, evolved into a convenient, satisfying, and also, mentally challenging mode of transport, and eventually became an activity that I realized was something I was really good at.

Each phase evolved into the next, and yes, starting from a simple activity I was in love with, cycling slowly started becoming my way of finding time for myself, whilst also using the same time for a very practical and necessary activity; commuting. It was also mentally challenging simply because after I started feeling really good at it, my mind would often drift into many different segways, and it was vital that I stay concentrated as I’m traveling through traffic and traversing in between other vehicles. If you’re wondering which bike to get, check out touringcyclist.co.uk for more information.

The Moment of Realization

But it was a challenging exercise and I felt proud to have mastered it, and it was then that I started noticing that I can do this pretty well. I was efficient at it, agile, focused, and it almost always came as second nature to me. I’d sometimes have the impulse to race with certain vehicles, and although most times I resist the temptation with some frustration, I’ve had moments where I gave into it; and the thrill I got was indescribable! The adrenaline and the rush of wind against the body are truly something else. I started sort of questioning it, thinking, there must be something more to it than a simple mode of transport or an activity. Naturally, as these things happen, around the same time in my life, I slowly started noticing cycling as a competitive sport.

At first, it was a colleague at work saying he happened to be traveling in Italy when the Giro d’Italia was happening, and then I remember a family BBQ at my gran’s, where my cousin switched on the tv to watch the Tour de France. Slowly, I started to look into cycling events and competitions, which I was getting into and managing quite well. I won a few here and there, and the rest I was always second or third, so much so that it became the norm for me, meaning that whenever I’d be fourth or fifth let’s say, I’d be very disappointed.

The Spark and the Commitment

I suddenly started following these grand races, with an exceptional passion for the Tour de France, which was just an incredible event, with such excitement and life that a thought came into my mind; imagine if I were to compete in that, how awesome would that be? Over time, my love for Peter Hagan grew stronger as I watched these competitions. I also wanted to engage with the sport on another level and I noticed I could do some betting on cycling, and I got interested in Olympic betting and the Tour de France betting, which I still do to this day as I enjoy investing my faith in certain cyclists, and believing in their persistence in these challenging cycling events.

In fact, here I’d like to take some time to go into what are some of my favorite sport events of the year and explain their history, context, and some momentous happenings.

Giro d’Italia

I guess it’s proper to include this race and start with it since it is the first of the three major European events of cycling, with the Tour de France following suit soon after and then the Vuelta d’España to end the summer. The race is held in different stages, starting in Abruzzo and ending the last bit in the streets of the capital, Rome. Perhaps from this great event, the victory of Egan Bernal in 2021, where he surpassed every other racer with one whole minute and twenty-nine seconds; an unprecedented record in the Giro. It was a great moment for the Colombian himself and a great moment for the race.

Commonwealth Games Cycling

You might be familiar with the name ‘Friendly Games’, which is an alternative name to the Commonwealth Games, which is another major important event that includes cycling. Officially starting in 1930, with a colonial precursor that used to be hosted by the British Empire for their colonies, the Commonwealth Games hosted a cycling race which is essentially a time trial that takes place in the course of a 37 km circuit with the racers racing only against themselves and time.

The focus is very much on this element, and so for that reason, the competitors start the race with a 1-minute interval in between each and every one of them, so as to avoid any mid-race clashes. This year’s games ended with a 26-second difference between the second and first-ranking cyclists. Australian athlete Rohan Dennis managed to secure his gold medal with an impressive win, especially seeing it in the context of his long-standing career in the sport.

Olympic Games Cycling

The Olympics, the biggest event in organized sport, naturally, is an event that cannot go unmentioned. Olympic Cycling essentially gathers around 600 competitors from 50 different countries, at least those were the numbers from the one previously held in Japan, which was simply beautiful. The track for the men’s division was around 234 Km and the women’s division was around 137 Km, both of which included a part going down the iconic mount Fuji. For my money—and in my case, I mean this literally as I did get involved with Olympic betting—from the 2020 Olympic Games, Laura Kenny’s victory in the Madison relay was an amazing show of sportsmanship, and simply, a pleasure to watch.

On a side note, the cycling Paralympics are another great event that one should not miss, and it’s a tremendously beautiful thing to see how human beings find ways and come up with adaptive mountain bikes to do the things they love, and to excel in them.

Tour de France

Very famously known for its difficulty and worldwide popularity, the Tour De France is a 23-day journey that covers over 2000 miles throughout France with occasional visits to the surrounding countries of Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Every stage of the race is timed so that by the end, the cyclist with the least recorded time is the winner. The race has been around for more than 100 years now and has only been suspended during the two world wars.

One of the greatest moments in this legendary race was Peter Sagan’s debut. This racer has proven to be one of my heroes and a source of great inspiration. At the time, nobody knew who this guy was, and suddenly he was winning his first-ever road stage. And if that wasn’t enough, he then won two other stages and the yellow jersey, leaving his name stamped on the legacy of the sport and in the minds of its dedicated followers. By far the world’s most prestigious race, and with good reason, the Tour de France is an exercise in the immense beauty of sports, and the great resilience of the human body.