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Starting a new adventure!

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By Marianne St-Gelais, LIV AMBASSADOR AND THREE TIMES SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING OLYMPIC MEDALIST

In the early days of my speed skating career, I did a bit of cross training with the road bike. However, over time, I stopped doing it because I was spending a lot of time on the ice. I wanted to focus only on skating. Cycling was therefore, for me, a training, and not a leisure activity ... my perception of sport changed when I retired in 2018.

At this point in my life, I was looking for new sensations and wanted to push myself. My only desire was to have fun with friends, without having to think about my technique. I could finally try new activities without the pressure of results or time. I was free to like (or don''t) an activity and do it just for the happiness it brought me: to be active in the great outdoors. What a joy to (re) discover cycling, differently!

My first time… riding a mountain bike

My first mountain bike ride was in 2019, in Mont-Tremblant, with my partner. The experience went much better than I anticipated, but I still had a good crash! In the end, I realized that I was a lot less reckless than I thought ... I thought I had seen it all! I got off my bike because I was scared, even though my boyfriend told me to go faster. It was important for me to go at my own pace. Let's just put it that way: I was outside my zone. Here I was on a slope full of rocks and dirt. Me, who have spent more than half of my life on ice! As they say, "you can take the athlete out of the competition, but you can't take the competition out of the athlete!" ". I learned to set my limits, listen to my fears and my intuition. In the end, I enjoyed being "new" and learning something for the first time. It feels good to discover something else, other muscles, other sensations, other fears (!).

That's where the fun starts!

I would say that my first positive learning experience, in mountain biking, was with my sister in Saint-Félicien. She is a physical education teacher, so she was a very good mentor. She took the time to teach me certain techniques, instead of letting me throw myself in the mouth of the wolf. For example, on a big hill, she got ahead of me and she was able to tell me to avoid the big rock on the left so I wouldn't hurt myself. It was really from that moment that I started to master the technique and that I had "real" fun on my bike!

Riding on the road

In 2019, I took part in the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie. I absolutely loved the experience! It was right after my retirement and it had been several years since I had ridden a road bike, but I didn't hesitate to accept when the team captain offered me to join I rode a little over 500 km out of a total of 1000 km. I was still in good shape so I was happy to do it for the team. I loved the #teamwork spirit. Pushing yourself physically is good, but in a gang it is even better! And what a joy to ride for a cause bigger than yourself, it was very refreshing, a great sense of accomplishment!

Doing sports for fun

I've competed in sports and have done rigorous training all my life. Now I practice sports for fun and to feel good, in my mind and my body. So I don't plan on doing serious mountain biking or road cycling competitions. On the other hand, I like to participate in small recreational events with friends. Last year I signed up for a Raid-type event, which was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic. I signed up for a 15 km with a friend. I liked that it was a personal time event instead of a race. For me, I didn't see it as a competition, but more as a way to push myself and get better.

Forget about competition...

If I had any advice to stay motivated, it would be avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. When you learn a new sport with someone who has been practicing it for several years, you tend to compare yourself and want to become as good as that person (especially if you're a competitive person!). You have to accept that you're a beginner and put negative emotions aside. The primary goal should be to get into sports and want to have fun above all else ... the rest will follow

Instagram: En montagne ou sur la route?

Do you prefer road or mountain?