Reflections

I’m currently 12 days away from the biggest event and race I have ever done. The Swift Summit 200 features 326.4km of distance and 3,229m of elevation. It’s likely to be hot, and potentially smokey. Last Fall I completed my first 300km ultra-endurance ride to the Coast and back, but that was a bit less distance, 700 meters less elevation, cooler weather, and my fitness level was higher. This is the last year for the Swift Summit, and it has been a big goal to complete the 200 mile course. Almost all of my training the past month has been focused on preparing for the race, dialing in bike fit, testing different strategies, and more. I realized late last night that I finally know what an A race is.1 It has been interesting to see and experience how many different avenues I have conciously or even subconciously started to optimize in preparation for this massive event. ...

Exploring how health metrics data reveals unexpected correlations between physical indicators and mental/emotional well-being.

Returning to competitive cycling after injury, I expected physical challenges but wasn’t prepared for the profound emotional revelation of community acceptance and the realization that I truly belong in this space.

Exploring the complex journey of identity work: balancing visibility with safety, community with solitude.

Fiddlehead fern. ©Skyler Lemay 2024 I remember being in a High School youth group, almost always more comfortable talking with the other girls. Then we would break up into gender segregated discussion groups for whatever the topic was at the time. We were reading some religious treatise around gender norms. It was written by a wife and her husband, each writing their own book. Supposedly, it was a call to action of how best to model our gender the “way god intended.” I didn’t get any of the discussions of how to be a man. I remember going up to the leader and asking if I could hang out with the girls, and being told that it wasn’t a possibility. They were my friends. We talked about life. I didn’t like being stuck in a group of boys. It didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. ...