Why I’m Trying a New Sport at 31: My Journey from Cycling to Speed Skating

Lately, a lot of people have been wondering what the heck I’m doing.

Why have I (for now) hung up the bike and started learning an entirely new sport at the age of 31?

My response has been pretty surface-level so far, but let’s dive in a little deeper…

From Track Cycling to a New Challenge

For the past seven years, my life revolved around one thing: cycling.

I started a completely new sport at 24 years old and made it my mission to be the absolute best—as fast as possible. If I wasn’t training, I was recovering. If I wasn’t recovering, I was studying technique, biomechanics, and strength training—anything that could make me faster on the bike.

One of my greatest strengths (or quirks) has always been my ability to hyperfixate on something. And for years, that something was track cycling.

And it worked.

In less than four years, I went from being a total newbie to:🏆 Pan American Champion⏱️ World Record Holder🥇 Olympic Champion

It was an absolute dream come true, and I never wanted it to end.

But here’s what I’ve learned: Sport (and life) is full of ups and downs. And when you’re riding that high, you have to appreciate it—because the lows can hit hard.

The Hardest Years of My Career

I won’t go into too much detail (for now), but from October 2022 to the 2024 Paris Olympics, I went through some of the hardest moments of my career.

🚴‍♀️ My body felt broken.

🚴‍♀️ I was training harder than ever, yet my times were getting slower.

🚴‍♀️ The sport that once brought me so much joy was physically and mentally draining me.

I can’t emphasize enough how much I love being an athlete and representing Canada—it truly is a dream come true. But when you wake up and dread going to training every day, something has to change.

So, after the Paris Olympics, I made the incredibly difficult decision to take a break.

Not because I stopped loving cycling. But because I needed to listen to my body, protect my mental health, and rediscover the joy in sport.

Why Speed Skating?

So…why did I decide to try speed skating?

Honestly? Because I thought I could be good at it.

🦵 I have strong legs.

⛸️ I can skate on hockey skates.

🔄 I got pretty good at turning left.

My internal thoughts were:"I just need to learn how to skate…easy, right?"

Now, let me be VERY clear about something…

🚨 SPEED SKATING IS NOT EASY! 🚨

VIDEO EVIDENCE

To be continued...