Last Friday was a great day for a bike ride, complete with sunshine and crisp spring air.
Although it was a perfect day for an outdoor activity, CIM Youth headed inside the old London Gardens hockey arena to try something new: track cycling at the Forest City Velodrome.
It felt odd at first, heading into the rink with cycling shorts,T’s and bike helmet in hand. But the 20 bikes hanging in the hockey dressing room were assurance that we were in the right place, as was the giant banked wooden track that stood where the ice surface used to be. In 2005, Rob Good, a local cycling enthusiast, track racer and coach, initiated the rink’s conversion to Ontario’s only indoor velodrome facility. Since then, the track has become a hub for both recreational and competitive cycling activity, hosting clinics, programs, races and ‘learn to ride’ opportunities for both youth and adults. www.forestcityvelodrome.ca
CIM was there for a ‘learn to ride’ youth program under the supervision of Type 1 track pros Carlo, Greta and Chris. We were really fortunate to have Rob Good as our personal CIM Team coach for the afternoon!!
As youth arrived, they tested the BG’s, secured their helmets and were sized for their bikes. All bikes were provided by the velodrome, as cycling on the track requires a special fixed gear bike, meaning… a bike with no gears and NO BREAKS!
Personally, the only fixed gear bike I had ever been on was my first set of wheels – bubblegum pink with purple and white streamers, nothing like these slick rides! It took me a little while to remember that if your wheels are moving, your feet have to be too! This didn’t seem to slow down the eight Type 1 youth who were also on the bikes for the first time. They were cruising around the bottom of the track in no time, weaving in and out of pylons and knocking over bottles on the floor (a skills drill for balance). When coach Rob saw that we were ready, we had a chance to start creeping up the banked walls of the track, following the pylons laid out to display the best route for getting on and off the wall.
After a quick water/blood sugar check/Dex 4/basal adjusting/snack break, it was time to really cruise.
“Pedal faster, pedal faster, pedal faster, PEDAL FASTER!!!!!’ Rob Good’s voice echoed through the old hockey arena. “Now up to the red line, up to the red line”. One at a time, we each had a chance to lay it out on the track, defying gravity and for many of us, our assumptions of our abilities.
“You just have to stop thinking and peddle fast” Harley told me, her heart still racing after her turn. Great advice I soon realized, from my younger mentor.
Each and every one of our successes was testament to Rob’s great coaching and the helpful tips from our Type 1 cycling pros. It was amazing that each and every one of us had success on the track that day despite the fact that no one had ridden before.
With legs still shaking from our experience, we had an opportunity to watch the pros – Carlo, Greta and Chris, tear around the track, parallel to the floor and meters from the ground. WOW!
After the track session, cyclist and parents headed into the dressing room for a Type 1 locker room chat. As we chowed down on wraps and Daryl’s HiNRG Bars, we chatted about sports, exercise, managing our diabetes and the importance of good blood glucose control when it comes to reaching your goals and achieving your dreams, athletic or otherwise.
The Velodrome event was the first for CIM Youth. A BIG THANKS to the parents for their support and loud cheering abilities. As well as to the people who made this event possible – Carlo, Greta and Chris, Rob at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Daryl from Daryl’s HiNRG Bars, and Steve from Medtronic Diabetes for making this event possible.
Check out Carlo, Greta and Chris’ Cycling Team
Missed this event and want to cycle with CIM? Check out our upcoming Paris to Ancaster Race for CIMers of ALL AGES!!
