# J'ai gagné le Tour de Crosstown 2016!
Everyone knows that today the finish line for [Le Tour de France][letour]
was crossed on *Les Champs-Élysées* in Paris... And if you haven't
seen some of the [videos][letourdefrance] I highly recommend checking
out the onboard camera views and the landscapes! *Quel beau pays*
I'm happy to let you know that today I won the **Tour de Crosstown 2016**
which is the cycling competition at [Lifetime Crosstown][crosstown] inspired
by and concurrent to *Le Tour de France*. There were about twenty cyclists
competing to see who could earn the most points -- by attending cycling class
*bien sûr*. I earned the *maillot jaune* with 23 points and my next closest
competitor had 16 points (with the *peloton* far behind). But that's just
part of the story.
For some time I've been coming to Life Time Fitness at Crosstown
for yoga (in Josefina's class) and playing racquetball with my friend David.
The cycling studio is right next to the racquetball courts and
there's been a class on Saturday's at the same time we usually play.
I told David that it looked like fun and he said, having tried it,
that it is fun (and a big workout). In early June David got busy
and then had an injury that has kept him off the court ever since.
So one Saturday morning I decided to try cycling.
I borrowed a heart rate monitor (but had no idea what it was for) and
tried to bike along in my regular gym shorts, shoes and a t-shirt.
Despite being a cycling newbie I was immediately captured by
[Alison's][alison] [music and enthusiasm][spincycle].
She's dancing on her bike and you can't
help but lock in the beat. Of course that's *just after* she tells
you to dial up the resistance... and the sweat just pours out!
I admit that workout hit me pretty hard, but I had to come
back and try the 5:45 am Wednesday EDGE cycle class (gulp). Despite what
sounds like a crazy impossible time to get out and on a bike
it actually works out super well. This plan requires one to up-level one's
organization and after the workout I can assure
you that you're fully awake and charged for the day!
Soon I invested in my own heart rate monitor. Then I realized
it would work *so much better* if I had a metabolic assessment to
tune my aerobic and anaerobic training zones. While I signed
up for the assessment I decided to work with [May][may] as my
personal trainer. In addition to helping me with my upper body
(complementing the cycling) May is a nutritionist and
has helped me dial in this critical facet of training.
Even though I'm still working to tune my diet around my
workouts, I've already learned a lot by using [My Fitness Pal][mfp]
and, most importantly, I have a whole new attitude about food.
*Pour les curieux, la nutritioniste maison s'est absentée en France pendant le mois de juillet.*
Soon I would invest in bike shoes, jerseys and shorts and begin
to push myself into the proper zones during workouts and
fuel my body properly afterwords. All these changes have led
to dramatic weight loss \o/
A few of you know that the past two years have involved
a lot of personal hardship. Upon reflection I have come to appreciate
that things in my life that I can actually control are a massive opportunity.
I decided that fixing my exercise and nutrition were
the opportunities I want to focus on. A note for for my Debian friends...
I'm sorry to have missed you in Cape Town, but I hope to join you in Montréal
next year.
So when the **Tour de Crosstown** started in July I decided this
was the time for me to get serious. I want to thank all the instructors for the
great workouts (and for all the calories I've left on the bike):
Alison, Kristine, Olivia, Tasha, and Caroline!
The result of my lifestyle changes are hard to describe.. I feel an
amazing amount of energy every day. The impact of prior back injury is
now almost non-existent. And what range of motion I hadn't recovered
from the previous summer's being "washing machined" by a 3 meter wave
while body surfing at the beach in [Hossegor][hossegor] is now fully working.
Now I'm thinking it's time to treat myself to a new bike :)
I'm looking at large touring frames and am currently thinking
of the [Surly Disc Trucker][sdt]. In terms of bike shops I've had
a good experience with [One on One][one] and [Grand Performance][gp] has
come highly recommended. If anyone has suggestions for bikes,
bike features, or good shops please let me know!
I would encourage everyone here in Minneapolis to join me as guest
for a Wed morning 5:45am EDGE cycle class. I'm betting you'll have as
much fun as a I do.. and I guarantee you will sweat! The challenge in waking up
will pay off handsomely in making you energized for the whole day.
Let's bike *allons-y*!
[[!tag biking debian]]
[letour]: http://www.letour.fr/
[letourdefrance]: https://www.youtube.com/user/letourdefrance
[crosstown]: https://www.lifetimefitness.com/en/programs-and-events/sports/cycle/minnesota/Eden-Prairie-Crosstown-Cycle-Club.html
[alison]: https://twitter.com/abcdutton
[spincycle]: http://spincyclebike.com/about-indoor-cycling-music/
[may]: https://www.facebook.com/may.bend.1
[mfp]: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
[hossegor]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soorts-Hossegor
[sdt]: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/disc_trucker
[one]: http://www.oneononebike.com/
[gp]: http://www.gpbicycles.com/