They say “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Instagram and Facebook which are primarily inspirational photos, can sometimes create false narratives and ideas about a person and sometimes it does exactly that.
I would like to take a little more time here so that you can learn a little more about me, how I discovered the most beautiful machine in the world, the bicycle, and about my adventures on two wheels.
I am based in Switzerland, a country surrounded by mountains. In Switzerland I live near Lake Zurich, where I used to like to run around the whole lake. That was well over 60 kilometers. But let's start at the beginning.
Where did it all begin and why?
People always like to guess my age, so just keep guessing and reading. 🙂
I was just 14 years old when I underwent a complicated operation on my ankle. This operation resulted in me having to be almost bed ridden and not active for several months. For me over that period, it seemed like an eternity.
There was also some doubt if I was even going to be able to regain full movement again. I was determined and longed to find the freedom of movement again.
There is an age old saying “effort begets reward”. I put the effort in and soon I found myself partaking in the minimalistic action of running. Once I started, I couldn’t stop! I was running further and further, I eventually found myself participating in ultramarathons.
I would say it is the call of adventure that drives me. I have found myself doing things that would be considered as adrenaline inducing sports, and with a combined love for the outdoors it fueled my desire to take up paragliding, mountain climbing, and hiking. My curiosity has also taken me underwater, where I became skilled at technical diving, pushing the limits underwater has afforded me the opportunity to explore and witness some of the most beautiful underwater caves on our planet.
Of course running was my first passion when it came to sports. However, owing to another unfortunate period of forced rest in my life, I realised I needed to find a balance, and running was seeming to be fraught with overuse injures.
It was suggested that I take up cycling or at least consider it. It was a low impact sport, and I could still participate in an endurance events and also take part in triathlons.
However, I was reluctant to take up this sport. At the time I couldn't really imagine road cycling and of course the idea of riding with traffic did not appeal to me in any way shape or form. So the alternative was to ride off road, in November of 2016 I decided to buy a cross-bike.
One ride…that is all it took, and I was hooked, lined and sinker!
Soon it became almost an impossibility to get me off my bike. I became more and more captivated by the feeling of how far you can get, the new places you can discover, the new experiences and emotions were surreal. My fear of riding on the road with cars? Well, that disappeared very fast! Soon I was buying my first proper racing bike.
The next spring came, swimming and running became a fond memory, but my love for cycling resulted in me spending almost every free minute on my bike, yes when I look back I can’t believe it myself.
I was clocking up the miles and riding more and more mountain passes. It was as if each ride was fuelling the next. Ride, refuel, rest and repeat was my motto.
Each ride no matter how hard it was, ended in a huge grin and feeling of accomplishment and serine happiness. No matter even if I was exhausted, I simply couldn’t wait for more. Spending my rest days on YouTube and checking out what was the next and latest gear, as well as nutrition that could help me enhance my experience on the bike. I finally found my new freedom in exploring my own limits in endurance. It was clear to me that rides over long distances and mountains s what motivated and fascinated me the most.
However, my journey into cycling thus far has left me grateful for the wonderful people I got to know along the way and the breathtaking experiences that only cycling has given me.
I am confident when I say that I have only scratched the surface and my best adventures are yet to come. As for my age, well it’s not that age matters, but what matters is if you are having fun, which I am come riding in the rain, snow or sun.
And now I stop writing because the next adventure is calling. 😉
