When cycling is your life for the past 10+ years, stopping cold turkey can be, to say the least, an adjustment. We lived, breathed and ate cycling. Hours upon hours of training, eating all the right food, getting adequate sleep, juggling traveling, racing and recovery; so much goes into it. That being said, we did it for many reasons. We craved the miles out on the road, that feeling of utter exhaustion; knowing you couldn’t have pushed any more. We craved the time to think, to visualize, and the rare days when you felt incredibly strong, like nothing could stop you.

There are many aspects I will miss but I think the thing I will miss the most, is the team camaraderie. Bonds that can only be made through endless time spent together; enduring the pain, the elements, celebrating the wins and recounting your losses. Together and individually, you surf the wave of emotions that come with professional sport and competition. Will misses the adventure. Exploring Carcassonne, France for the first time and living in a freezing cold, old stone apartment, all made worth it, when you realize that your neighbourhood is a walled city (aka, real life Disney castle x 100).

Whether we like to admit it or not, we both go through waves of loss in different ways but starting Healthy Hooch Kombucha has given us such a strong sense of purpose and determination. We are both very goal oriented and starting the business was the best thing we could have done. We work everyday, and we are constantly scheming, dreaming and creating. This business has been the ultimate distraction and the best way to move on from our world and road racing community.

This post seems a bit melancholy, but it’s not, it’s reality. And starting over is no easy task. We are gaining perspective, we are learning so many new things and we are pushing ourselves in different ways now. We hope we can inspire others. When one door closes, open another.

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