Bicycling to Beat Cancer
If you’re a cancer survivor, take a minute and read this short blog post.
For the past 16 years, bicycling has been a key element in my battle against prostate cancer return. My goal is to ride outside at least once each weekend and indoor on my trainer using Zwif as my training partner and motivator.
Here are my key cycling tools:
- I track my outside rides using Relive.cc for fun and motivation
- I use a Garmin bicycle computer that captures my route, heartrate, speed, vertical feet of climb and some other stuff.
- I have a connect.garmin.com account that captures this data and then relays it on to TrainingPeaks.com and Strava.com
- Plus my bicycles, of course!
Why I capture my bicycling statistics
Full disclosure, I’m a bit of an competitive amateur cyclist so this performance data is useful for measuring fitness. But, truth be told, I mostly use this information to track how I’m performing against myself. Strava.com is a wonderful because it shows your performance over climbs and sprints over time. You can see at a glance how your day’s ride matches up against your previous best time. Did I mention it also shows your performance against other cyclists in your gender and age group? Pretty cool.
These tools keep me motivated to throw my leg over the bike and roll out when I’m just beat and want to sit on the sofa. I know that every minutes I spend exercising helps my immune system and it’s my immune system that’s my best defense against prostate cancer recurrence.
Plus, it’s a real kick when you own the King or Queen of the Mountain honors on a Strava.com segment. Way cool in fact!
How to start your own bicycling cancer prevention program
- Find a bicycle club near you. Every club I’ve ever ridden with were wonderful people and super willing to help someone get started. Almost every club has “no drop” beginner rides. Find a local club here: http://bit.ly/FindaCyclingClubNearYou
- Get a bicycle if you don’t have one. Done worry about dropping a ton of cash on a new bike. Have your club members help you find a suitable used bike.
- Create a free Strava.com account. I guarantee you will enjoy it.
- Connect with our Cancer Journeys Cycling Group on Strava: http://bit.ly/CancerJourneysCyclingChallenges
- Connect with me on Strava: http://bit.ly/RobertHessStrava
I hope to meet you out on the road!
Warm regards,
Robert
Pedaling to Beat Cancer
Robert Hess is an entrepreneur, business owner, CEO, senior executive coach, startup company advisor, and passionate cancer advocate. He is a 15+ year prostate cancer survivor dedicated to ending prostate cancer and helping cancer survivors have the possible possible quality of life. You can find him autocrossing or tracking his Mazda Miata, covered in cancer awareness messages; racing his Serenity in the velodrome; or walking and hiking with his wife. Earlier in life he had the honor of leading soldiers in the US Army – they even let him fly helicopters for a few years. Connect with him on LinkedIn @ RobertWarrenHess.
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