The Most Enthusiastic Member

Why I took up cycling

Huh, huh, huh, hun............. I was panting heavily. I looked up and surveyed the whole of the track, and oh, my gosh, it was such a huge round. I was only into it after 300 meters I was out of breadth, and felt my legs were wobbling. Younger joggers overtook me and ……… aaaaaah, older and elderly ones also overtook me. I felt humiliated.

That was twenty years ago and it was the first time I took up the challenge to run around Bedok Reservoir, and, before I embarked on the run, I told myself that no matter how slow I am, I will not stop until I complete the round.

Since that "hard to digest" incident, I made it a routine to jog, and how happy and satisfied I felt when it was my turn to overtake not only older joggers but younger ones as well.

Jogging has its benefits as well as shortfalls, and unfortunately, I received the latter.

I developed heel-spur on both my legs about 3 years ago but only stopped jogging about 2 years.

Being an active man and a sport aficionado, I cannot afford to do nothing. It was one of the window shop day while moving around Carrfour, I spotted there were promotional bicycles for sale. Why not take up cycling, I thought, and after browsing for awhile, I ordered one that cost me $69.90 with a delivery fee of $8.00.

That was the beginning of my cycling activity. The most memorable cycling trip I had was to Sungei Ringet with Victor Loh. In spite of my struggling to ride faster, I was way behind him. He was riding a racer. That prompted me another issue to solve!!

Eventually, after some competition within the Changi cycling group, I bought myself a racer in order to keep pace with the rest of the pack. We have such good fun to outpace one another at the same level playing field.

What are the benefits of cycling?

As opposed to jogging that risk health hazard like heel-spur and knee injury, cycling not only promotes group camaraderie but also enhances good health. Every part of the muscles and body are well synchronized and orchestrated in the actions and reactions while cycling. The leg peddling, bodily bending and movement, arms stretching and retracting, head lowering and raising, turning and the controlling of breathing are in tandem with all the actions, and what a way to distress.

Regular movement of the body and muscles is like lubricating the bones and joints, thus helps to dissipate bone fractures and sprain making the bones less fragile.

Cycling also sharpen one’s senses like, when someone crosses one’s path suddenly, he or she reacts and responses instantaneously to avoid collision. It also enables one to anticipate a correct course of action when confronted with carefree and jay-cyclist in the front.

Break-fall will train one’s reaction and becomes easy with practises. In total, the mind is been trained, adjusted and always at the ready to tackle all eventualities with instant precision. It leads to proper bodily action at the proper time and at the proper place.

Cycling as a form of exercise is man’s best medicine. It promotes healthy lifestyle. Like any other exercise, cycling gives one a pink of health, conjures a protective field of resistance, enhances and reinforces the body immune system against all sicknesses, illnesses and more importantly, eradicate lethargic complacency. After a session of cycling, one feels fresh and rejuvenated.

Does material wealth involved in cycling? Is it positive or negative? Of course, it is a definitely a big positive. How? With a active lifestyle in cycling, improving on our health in mind, body and soul, visiting the doctor will be rare or maybe no more in existence. Savings on these medical bills can be enormous and especially so when the cost of health is getting more expensive. One can cycle into his or her twilight years and still stays healthy. To fall sick easily is terrible.

How to get started in cycling? If one sow a negative perception it will reap a mental block. When mental block sets in, it sows a character and that reaps a lazy personality, and cycling will never get started.
On the contrary, one must have a positive mindset and looking at all the benefits, it is not difficult to get started to cycle. While at work, I was approached many times to take up challenges by my superior.

He used to say, “Raymond, take this as a challenge”. He is of course partially correct and to stay challenging, it will never end in one’s life time. Are we going to challenge throughout our lives? So boring, but, it can be done once and it will stay in one’s life time.

Challenge and conquers others is definitely not difficult, but it is never easy to challenge and conquers oneself. Conquering oneself is the best of all conquerors. This achievement is the pinnacle of all challenges and when oneself is been conquered, there will be no more challenges in one’s path.

While cycling faster than the others in a group, it is not so much of an ego. It is only a challenge to oneself as to how fast and far can one go. If everyone have this self challenge, then cycling in consistency within the group is possible.

In conclusion, like any other form of exercise, cycling gives benefits to our body in terms of health and well-being. If our body feels good, our mind also feels good and if our mind feels good peace prevails within and around us. Peace sets in our mind and we look forward to another great session.

Written By Raymond Yow