Vanessa’s experience with My FirstFondo
Still on the fence about registering for our training clinics? With the clinic kick-off just around the corner, here’s what Vanessa Konn has to say about her experience with MyFirstFondo:
“I joked with my clinic leader, Brad, on our last ride before the RBC GranFondo Whistler, “they should really call this ‘Zero to Fondo in 12 Weeks’!” We laughed, but I reflected on that ride how true this rang for my training experience.
I’ve never considered myself an athlete by any means, I mostly exercised to be able to eat and drink what I wanted. I had hired a personal trainer and found myself decently strong, but my cardio condition was embarrassing, to say the least – so I was tasked to run for 3 km without stopping. Setting a fitness goal, working towards it, and conquering it were three completely new additions to my vocabulary.
In the spring of last year, I ran my first 5 km race, then my first 10 km, then pushed myself to my first half marathon in June. These were all things I never believed I could do. After the half marathon, I felt out of fitness goals. My mum had signed up for RBC GranFondo Whistler; I was a hard “no” and sure this would be way too difficult for a beginner cyclist – I didn’t even have a bike that would take me to Whistler. This all changed following the information at the My FirstFondo Kick-Off night, I had taken the plunge after meeting my future clinic lead, Brad, and speaking with several veteran Fondo riders. I upgraded my bike and jumped right in.
The My FirstFondo clinic turned out to be exactly what I needed to prepare myself for RBC GranFondo Whistler. My training group was full of other first-timers, who I found had a lot of the same “can I do this?” nerves as I did. We learned to corner, hill climb, signal, change a flat, and be efficient in our movements. We sweat, we laughed, our legs burned, some of us fell over, and we all completed the RBC GranFondo Whistler. I crossed the finish line alongside my mum, and experienced my most memorable finish-line-feeling yet.
I highly recommend the My FirstFondo clinics to anyone preparing for this incredible ride – it will give you the confidence and skills to conquer the RBC GranFondo Whistler, plus some new cycling friends!”
Sign-up for a My FirstFondo or My NextFondo training clinics today to help you reach your cycling goals.