It’s Too Late To Quit

I have been riding and racing bikes for more than 30 years now. No, I never rode as a professional, not that I didn’t want to but because cycling wasn’t my dream job. Besides, only playing professional basketball can give you a quality life. Or boxing, if your first name starts with Manny.

Basketball was the name of the game growing up but hated the physicality. As a “big” kid growing up, everyone assumed, at least those who didn’t know me, thought I was a cager. B But I loved watching basketball, especially those early days of the PBA and I followed Phillip Cezar with more interest than anyone else.

But just like any relationship, most are bound to end. When I went to college, I quit sports completely and I was basically out of shape. But it was always on the back of my mind that one day, I’ll get a road bike, even if I knew nothing about 700c wheels and Cinelli handlebars.

But my relationship with the bike was different, it didn’t waver, in fact it became more intense. My life, in fact, revolved around it. I got to bed early and then got up early to train 6-days a week. I did Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Mandate Reclamation, then climbed Busay on Wednesdays and Fridays. There was this crit every Saturday at the Mandaue Reclamation  (pre-CDU) and on Sundays, Lugo Borbon was our long ride.

Sunday was obviously for the family but it had to take a bit of a backseat because I had to cool down and wash my bike. So instead of lunch out, we’d take early dinners instead. My legs felt like lead the whole time we were at the mall and I always found a way to sit down somewhere. Monday was a rest day, of course.

That was my routine for15 years until one day, during the 2005 Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival in Ormoc, I ended up last during a race from Ormoc to Palo, Leyte. I knew at the start that I wasn’t going to win but I also knew that I wasn’t going to finish last. My whole body was aching and my skin was painful to touch. When I got back to Ormoc, I stayed at the 4th floor of the Ponggos Hotel and I was just struggling to climb the stairs.

So when I went back to Cebu, I had a check up and it turned out I had a thyroid problem. I was weak, ate too much but lost weight. I couldn’t even squeeze the brake levers. And more importantly, I count on riding my bike.

I thought that was the end. My other doctor told me I had to quit cycling forever but I was too stubborn to stop. After a year, I still couldn’t ride my bike but never in my wildest dream did I think of selling it. I was hoping that I could ride and race again and show that doctor how wrong he was.

To make a long story short, I was able to get back on my bike after 18 months. Twenty years later, I never regretted that decision to keep on riding and racing. Past my 60’s no, I am very active in the age group racing community. I’m not going to say that I am the healthiest 60 year old right now but it helps to go out and do something physical.

I cant quit cycling now, it’s too late for that.