Inspiring Cycling Stories to Motivate You

Sometimes, all it takes to get motivated is changing your internal dialogue, as was done by one of the clients here at Jonathan Jordan Fitness. Alejandro, explained that he had to “learn to change the inner voice from ‘Ugh . . .’ to ‘Come on! You can do it!’" And that worked! Other times, though, it takes a serving of inspiring stories to motivate someone. So without further ado, here are four similar stories that can motivate you to saddle up and get fit. 

Enid Hernandez learns to ride

So, Enid Hernandez learned to ride a bike. Big deal, right? Well, yes, except she was 62 when she did it. The Puerto Rico native admitted that she had always “wanted to ride” but never learned. She tried multiple times, though her efforts were always in vain and often resulted in injuries. Then in 2016, Hernandez finally did learn to ride thanks to Bike New York’s Learn to Ride program. For her, learning to ride a bike was a dream come true. It was a way for Hernandez to eliminate the stigma of old age. “Normally after you reach age 50, people want to put you away from society,” Hernandez explained to Bicycling. “I want to show other women my age that you don’t have to settle for that. As long as it’s physically possible, you can do whatever you want.” 

Azizulhasni Awang’s rags-to-riches story

One of the world’s best cyclists is a Malaysian by the name of Azizulhasni Awang, and his story is one of perseverance, hard work, and determination. In other words, his is an inspiring rags-to-riches story. Mired in abject poverty, Awang refused to cave in even when giving up was the convenient thing to do. Instead, he kept at it, riding as hard and as fast as he could to give his country a gold medal in the prestigious 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

Brad Duke gives help

In 2005, an avid cyclist named Brad Duke hit it big on the US Powerball lottery, winning the $220 million jackpot. Naturally, Duke had this in his mind: Buy a new bike! And he did — one after the other. But that’s not all! Suddenly wealthy and well known, Duke used a portion of his winnings for philanthropy, donating a significant amount of money to support the Idaho-based Wild Rockies race series and similar endeavors. He even established the Duke Family Foundation, which has, over the past year, helped Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho and the Salvation Army. Now 43, Duke is hard at work on his goal of turning his winnings into $1 billion. He recently told the Idaho Press that he is making progress, adding nearly $100 million to his account. Despite his ever-increasing wealth, Duke still buys lottery tickets once in a while, including that time when the US Powerball ballooned to over a billion, over 10 times the current jackpot, which Lottoland notes stands at $142 million, as of this writing. Should lightning strike twice for the Idaho native, nothing will likely change, except that Duke would be nearer his lifelong goal of being a billion-dollar man. Everything else, like his love for bikes and his charitable heart, will remain. 

Jamie Cashin rediscovers his love for cycling

Often, life can get in the way of your passion, and that was the case for Jamie Cashin, who confessed to Bike to Work Ottawa that he had once forgotten his love for cycling. As he rode less and less, his weight ballooned more and more, until he went over 300 pounds. Then someway, somehow, Cashin turned his life around. He started eating healthy, and just as important, he began riding again. Before long, he was biking to work, and his weight had gone down to 210 pounds. That love for riding had been rediscovered, and Cashin is reaping the benefits of this love affair. 

As long as you are motivated, you can craft your own inspiring story. And once you do, feel free to share it with us so that you can also inspire and motivate others. Pass around the inspiration, as others might need some, too.