I am sports fanatic and I love spending time outdoors (though I tend to spend a fair bit of my time inside in front of the computer). I do not like to spend time watching sports, unless it is a major tournament or the Olympic Games.
Up to 2015, I was a very keen and passionate cyclist. During my teenage years and early adulthood, I competed in national and international fencing tournaments for the Argentinean U20 fencing team. As I youngster, I also practiced football, voleyball and a lot of table tennis. I did stop practicising sports when I moved to the UK as there were other priorities. Those those in which I did not do any sports represented the toughest period of my life as sports for me has been extremely meditative throughout the years. As a PhD student, I took up cycling but had to stop due to an ongoing nerve issue, for which I have recently operated. Unfortunately I never recovered from that issue. Even after 6 years, I must confess that I miss cycling a great deal. However, I have managed to continue doing sports in other ways. I re-started tennis in 2017 (completing two Tennis Challenges) and continue to play the sports on a weekly basis. However, more recently I have taken up windsurfing, which is the sports that has kept me hooked up over the last two years.
Going back to cycling, my bikes have allowed me to travel to places I had never imagined. I love the idea of keeping fit, staying free from burning fuel and saving money on transport and gyms. For that reason, I used to commute into work most days (even under freezing cold conditions). I have benefitted from the "cycle- to-work" schemes in the past and I highly recommend it.
I started cycling in 2007 whilst being a PhD student. Since then I have ridden many miles and only been off my bicycle because of health related issues. Discovering cycling really changed my life, it really turned my life upside down. I was not raised in a cycling culture but I have always had a passion for sports. I must confess that, before I started commuting into London, I was very reluctant towards the sport. Despite having learnt to cycle at the young age of five, I did not get round to it until later in life when I discovered the benefits of cycling.
How did this happen? Student life can be harmful for the back, especially if you have a shocking sitting posture. As a matured student, I developed serious back pains and decided to consult a specialist. I was prescribed exercise to alleviate the pain by a phisiotherapist. The first thing I did was to sign up to a gym in Crystal Palace but experienced a sense of claustrophobia in there. There is very little social interaction and I felt disconnected and detached from the world. To make matters worse you must commute to get to the gym. I must confess that I didn't last long as I could not find the motivation to do exercise whilst being indoors. After a two months I stopped the gym membership.
One day I was commuting by train/tube into town and, as I got out of tube, I saw a bike commuter mounting off his bicycle. I immediately posed myself the question: why can I not do the same? My daily commute into University consisted of a 25 minutes ride by train followed by a 15 minutes ride on underground, excluding waiting times. The person I was living with at the time had a bicycle that was sitting in a shed, so I decided to borrow it and give commuting a try. The bike was a very heavy MTB but it served the purpose. I borrowed my friend's helmet and the following day I embarked on what it felt like the most liberating experience on the planet. Although I was frightened to start with, I immediately felt in love with cycling.
Looking back I must say I was really very unprepared to take on the challenge. I didn't even know what would happen if I had a puncture (since I didn't even conceive that possibility to start with). I do not think it mattered that much because of the passion I felt towards cycling. A few days into my early commuting days, I started becoming aware of how many cyclists there were around, unbelievable. And cyclists are a lively and helpful bunch. The benefits of cycling are many.
Most people are simply not aware about the benefits of cycling, and even if they are, they simply do not cycle for precautionary reasons. The worst of all fears, that is to lose own's life in a traffic accident is genuine but the chances that you get hit by a car or a truck are indeed small (if you are not reckless). The only serious traffic accident I've had did not happen whilst I was pedalling but driving a car instead. Since then I became an even more of a fearless cyclist.
I spent what it seemed a lot of money at the beginning. I realised that I needed to ride comfortably and that I also needed waterproof gear if I wanted to to cycle into university every day. If I wanted to commute every day I really needed to get a proper bicycle. I bought a second-hand single-speed 2007 Specialized Langster (see picture below) from a classmate whom I was studying portuguese with at the time. This was my first bike.
I remember I spent £250 on this bike. It seemed like a fortune but it really paid off. The gear cost me much more than actual bicycle. Helmet, Hi-Viz Jacket, tights, shoes ... the list is endless. It seemed like an awful lot of money, which I didn't have, but I was hooked. I designed myself a mechanism to commit to commuting every day into work. I had no choice but to commute, I could not afford the expensive travelcards to Zone 3. At the time over £120. I felt so good, I was free, I was faster, I was more eco-friendly, I was doing the exercise I needed, and as a result, I got fit over a short period of time. I did start eating much more though, which added to the bill. But, if you think about it, I must have spent around £1000 on bike and accessories (excluding extra food) and must have saved around £4400 in travelling costs and gym subscriptions over the period of three years. Not bad!
After three years of single-speed cycling I decided to get a road bike, a Trek 2.1 alluminium frame. A truly amazing entry level bike! And I cycled through Warwickshire with it and I also embarked on my first tour. Two years ago (in June 2012) I decided to go on a cycling tour as part of my holiday to Spain. I travelled 1100km for 10 consecutive days. I started my trip in Reus and went all the way to Málaga. The support through social media was extraordinary and I can confess that these were possibly one of the best holidays I have had.
After my first cycling tour I decided that the following year I would do a follow-up tour but realised I could help my country of origin (Argentina) whilst being on tour. I targetted an indigeneous community in Argentina: the Wichís. I raised funds through justgiving.com and, together with my friends and family, we managed to raise the staggering figure of £1000 in less than 2 months. This time round I cycled 1750km in 15 consecutive days going from Rome (Italy) to Barcelona (Spain). Although the distance was longer, and I put my body under more strain than in my previous endevour, the support was unbelievable. People that have done fundraising by doing something they love will simply tell you that it is the most rewarding experience. And it was.
By now, I have for several years organised and participated in Sports challenges (cycled, walked, played tennis for 24hours), and, at the same time, raised money for refugees, for people afflected by war conflict, and for indigenous communities (in my country of origin). Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic, together with a serious of operation that I underwent last year, put a pause to these initiatives. I am hoping to re-start these challenges again.
