Beautiful people of the internet, I’m super excited to pen this post and share some photographs that I made last weekend when I was able to combine 2 of my great loves: Photography & Cycling! Even though I’ve been doing a lot of cycling in Hamilton lately, it’s always been solo. So there weren’t that many opportunities to photograph fellow riders – Until yesterday!

I joined a local facebook group where a few folks get together for weekly rides, and I somehow managed to work up the courage to show up to my first meet.

I was pretty nervous showing up not knowing anyone, and the nerves hit the moment I saw the size of the group. How do you ride up to a group of strangers and introduce yourself? Was it the right group? They all seemed to be locked in multiple ongoing conversations. Should I just go for my ride on my own?

I decided to wing it.

“Hello everyone, I’m Damion” I said as I rolled into the parking lot.

“Oh, hello Damion” everyone said.

Turns out, that really was all there was to it. There was no need to overthink or to be nervous. The group was super chill and friendly!

It was a nice mix of people and after brief introductions, we set off.

The plan was to ride out for about 10 KM, then return to the starting point (which was a super cool local brewery) for a few beers and Pizza.

I have to admit that I was a bit worried about keeping up with them, but within a short space of time, my fears were put to rest as we formed a nice peloton as we headed out.

We seemed to settle on a decent pace that was ok for everyone and before I knew it, we were moving as a single unit. I’ve been doing quite a bit of cycling in Hamilton and I’d been on this portion of the trail before. However, I always stuck to the main path.

That wasn’t the plan this evening though, and half of the group broke off and found a network of side trails. And man, was I glad that they did. I discovered paths that I had no idea existed, and I definitely worked harder than I did in a very long time.

By the time we reconnected with the rest of the group, I was drenched in sweat and breathless. I couldn’t remember feeling that dead, and alive, at the same time. It was EPIC!  

As the sun went down, we turned on our individual lights and headed back for the brewery. I was surprised by how comfortable I felt. Even though I was the only stranger, I quickly forgot all about that.

We made it back to the brewery in good time with tired legs and lifted spirits. Unfortunately, they were all out of pizza when we arrived. It was a brewery though, so there was no shortage or cold beer, or thirsty riders!

We sipped beer and chatted for a bit and I felt like one of the guys – it really was refreshing! And of course, I had to also use the opportunity to shoot a few additional photos of the crew.

 

All in all, I had a grand time.

The ride was amazing, the people were super nice and the beer was the perfect way to end the evening. Even though it was scary stepping out of my comfort zone, I’m so glad that I did. And, if the’ll let me, I’ll be tagging along on many rides to come.

So here’s to embracing discomfort, creating new experiences and meeting cool people. Oh, and to getting fitter. I’m not nearly as fit as I thought I was.

Until next time peeps.

Damion

Ps. Are you guys subscribed to my YouTube channel? If not, feel free to check it out here. I’ll be posting a lot more content  documenting my life as well as my adventures cycling in Hamilton over on the channel. Plus, I’m working on a bunch of cool stuff that will likely be shown there first.