Dynamic Life Cycles
Romanticizing life with Mel Katcher
Ever wondered how a hot dog at Costco fits into an elite athlete's training regimen? I recently had the chance to chat with Mel Katcher from Ruckus Racing, whose exhilarating approach to cycling and running breaks all the traditional molds.
Mel shared her journey of incorporating running and Olympic weightlifting into her off-season, all while maintaining an infectious enthusiasm that motivates others to live unapologetically. Through her use of social media, she encourages everyone to romanticize their own lives, pushing back against the often rigid expectations of the cycling community.
From the transformative power of cycling on mental health and personal growth to the vibrant and diverse cycling community in Vancouver, this episode is rich with stories and insights. I explore the balance between documenting and enjoying the ride, the challenges and rewards of capturing memories, and the profound impact of community connections fostered through platforms like Strava.
Whether you're interested in the empowering stories of women in cycling, the nuances of virtual racing, or the joys of community engagement, this episode is packed with laughter, heartfelt moments, and practical advice for every cycling enthusiast.
Thank you for listening
- Get in touch via my Instagram
- Hosted and Produced by Jarrad Connolly
Ever wondered how a hot dog at Costco fits into an elite athlete's training regimen? I recently had the chance to chat with Mel Katcher from Ruckus Racing, whose exhilarating approach to cycling and running breaks all the traditional molds.
Mel shared her journey of incorporating running and Olympic weightlifting into her off-season, all while maintaining an infectious enthusiasm that motivates others to live unapologetically. Through her use of social media, she encourages everyone to romanticize their own lives, pushing back against the often rigid expectations of the cycling community.
From the transformative power of cycling on mental health and personal growth to the vibrant and diverse cycling community in Vancouver, this episode is rich with stories and insights. I explore the balance between documenting and enjoying the ride, the challenges and rewards of capturing memories, and the profound impact of community connections fostered through platforms like Strava.
Whether you're interested in the empowering stories of women in cycling, the nuances of virtual racing, or the joys of community engagement, this episode is packed with laughter, heartfelt moments, and practical advice for every cycling enthusiast.
Thank you for listening
- Get in touch via my Instagram
- Hosted and Produced by Jarrad Connolly
Welcome back to the Dynamic Life Cycles podcast. I'm Jared Connolly, your host, and this week we have Mel Katcher on. Some of you might know Mel from Ruckus Racing and others might have just seen her infectious energy romanticising her life on social media. As you'll see and hear, she's an amazing addition to the cycling world, only starting a couple of years ago and is already giving back through a bunch of different avenues. Only starting a couple of years ago and is already giving back through a bunch of different avenues. As always, thank you so much for listening, commenting and sharing, as it really does make my job so much more enjoyable.
Speaker 2:Once again, enjoy your listen. Thanks, did you get out today on the bike? Yes, I did. Actually, I did, uh, ride and run. I've been kind of into running lately. I want to be ready for the off season, so I've been trying to incorporate it a little bit. Okay, um so yeah. So I did both and it's yeah, it was really fun. Lovely day today, not too hot yeah, perfect summer day.
Speaker 1:Bring this just a little bit closer perfect summer day, yeah that's better. Um yeah, no, so running why?
Speaker 2:I know I'm asking myself the same question. I'm not quite sure why, but all my friends are doing it. And I was like oh, they seem like they're actually having fun. Yeah, maybe I should give it a try, because, you know, sometimes on some days I have some spare time, so you know, why not give it a try and try something else? And I'm actually really liking it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's dangerous it is, but I would say I'm like a closet runner.
Speaker 2:What is a closet runner?
Speaker 1:So I'm like hiding. You know what I mean. So I secretly love running, but my body I've hurt too many injuries with my legs and things like that that I can't run very well and I've got extremely flat feet. So, like I love, that must be painful. Well, the flat feet's not too bad as long as I'm wearing orthotics. But yeah, like I do enjoy running it, but I ride too much to then run. So then when I do run, I can't walk the next day because my muscles are too sore.
Speaker 2:That's like a catch-22. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:But you're getting ready for off-season. I don't think I've ever heard anybody say that they're getting ready for off-season, which I kind of get it for Vancouver because it's not quite snowy enough to not ride all the time, but when it is like you, you kind of get stuck in this black ice kind of world yeah, is that? That part of the the running. Is that what you're thinking, or are you just doing it just because you can?
Speaker 2:I'm just doing it because I can, and also, like I'm one of those I don't know, I'm one of those people that I've. I'm really like thriving in the winter. I actually really love zwift. I'm like such a diehard zwifty yeah, I really love it, um, but sometimes it gets a lot.
Speaker 2:So I'm just trying to explore other things and in the winter also, I do olympic weightlifting yes I'm very, very into that, um, but sometimes I just like I get really passionate about thing and then I just get really into it. So I was like oh you know, maybe I need like a little bit of a balance of like I mean, I say that and now I'm just adding another sport, I'm just realizing it as I'm saying it, um, but yeah yeah, is it really balanced if you don't take something away and you just consistently add?
Speaker 2:makes sense in my head, so it adds up. It adds up. It's yeah, it's Melanie's math, okay.
Speaker 1:So I guess the big reason for getting you on and chatting and as people start to find out your energy and mental balance and just lifestyle that you one portray but I guess also actually do, as we just found out, is just so fun and almost infectious, I would say, um, and looking like at all of your what do you call it romantic, uh, diary.
Speaker 2:I romantic, oh yes my romanticized yes, every month yeah.
Speaker 1:I do my romanticized diary and I actually I think I might have copied you, because you were doing this last year.
Speaker 2:You were doing this last year, yes, but last year I wasn't calling it that way and this year I just made it.
Speaker 1:I love to romanticize my life so much because I think it's so important to like be so proud of what you're doing and where you're coming from yeah um, but yeah yeah, and it's like everything that you post and it's something that I hope that I portray in my own life as well is like you're unapologetically yourself. So it's like, um, what was the one you posted something the other day where it was like you're at Costco? Oh, yes, I was eating a hot dog, the hot dog, or whatever. And it's like what was your caption?
Speaker 2:Something about like there's not enough time to eat calories, or yeah, I think it was something along the lines of I have a lot of ride plans on the every day this week, so there's no time for being like not fueled properly yeah and it was just me eating a hot, a Costco hot dog, yeah, which is like for anybody in the road world it seems to be.
Speaker 1:So you have to be so perfect and like, even like the shaved legs, and they're like, the kit has to match with the kit and the helmet and the glasses and if you're not riding a certain brand of tires and and then you're out here just having fun yeah, I think it's so important.
Speaker 2:Like when I first started cycling, it was very difficult for me to see myself be myself on the bike because, as you said, I would be like super new but cycling and I would do uh, sloops, stanley park loops, and I would just see all those people that are exactly what you're describing. And, yeah, I thought it was just so hard to picture myself one day being like that person that is able to do all those cool things on the bike and still have fun, because I didn't see that around me. Yeah, really, um, and now I'm seeing as now that I'm part of it that maybe it's not necessarily the case, that people are maybe just not being themselves if that makes sense, yeah so, yeah, I think it's important eat that hot dog yeah, like
Speaker 1:yes yeah, have fun, completely agree. And it's almost like a I want to call it like a mountain biker's mentality towards road riding. As a road rider Animosity, yeah, but it's like I feel like the mountain biker well, I'm going to call it downhill or gravity riders Like it's very much like you eat your fast food, you eat whatever and you have fun and you laugh at each other and your kit may not match exactly right, but at the same time you're out there enjoying exactly what you're doing and it doesn't have to be perfect to enjoy it totally. So, like you mentioned, like when you started and you got into it. Tell me a bit about that, because, from what I understand, you got into it as an adult yeah, like I'm a COVID cyclist, like pretty much like everybody yeah yeah, I started cycling in 2021 okay so I'm fresh baby yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Did you do anything before that sporting wise, or what was? What were you doing in the background before that?
Speaker 2:yeah, I played at pretty high level of volleyball and flag football okay uh, when I was in college and after that I did pick up crossfit for a few years, I was very, very into that, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then when I moved from whistler to vancouver, um, I mean, living here is really expensive yes so I needed to work a lot, so my fitness kind of took a little bit of a sidebar, like took the side. And then, when COVID happened, everybody kept posting on Instagram their bikes and I was like very influenced and one thing led to another and I got myself a bike. It was pretty impossible to get a bike at that time, especially when you're 49.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it was pretty impossible to get a bike at that time, especially when you're 49. Yeah, it was very impossible.
Speaker 2:But I found one and then I just started riding and then I was lucky enough to. It took a few months of me riding alone and just saying hi to people in the park and nobody saying hi to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everyone was like avoiding each other at that time. Who's that girl?
Speaker 2:My kids were probably not like perfect enough for anything, um, but yeah, and then I was lucky enough to to find a friend, and then it was a snowball effect, and then now I have an entire community of amazing people yeah yeah, so it's super cool yeah, and it's.
Speaker 1:It's kind of crazy at pretty much all levels. If you I'm trying to think how to explain this because I've had lots of different opinions about this but if you put your hand out and really put a lot of effort in, there is a community there to embrace you.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh amen.
Speaker 1:And like there's a lot of different steps about it and I think it's so awesome to hear that you were accepted into that, because I know that there's a lot of people that about it, and I think it's so awesome to hear that you were accepted into that because I know that there's a lot of people that struggle as well. But I kind of wonder, listening to what you're saying, that if the people that are struggling are almost trying to be too perfect with that a little bit, without sort of saying that it's sort of, yeah, a little bit controversial, I guess.
Speaker 2:But yes, but it's yeah.
Speaker 1:You're onto something, though, yeah and and if you, as you say, like you've now got this, this great community around you with ruckus and a few other, yes, things like that, which is which is really cool, and going from there. But tell me a bit more. So, like you got got into the cycling, you started doing a bit of the riding um, and then where did it go from there? Like a bit of racing, a bit of social media, things like that yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, actually, then one thing led to another and, um, yeah, when I found those friends, we just started really immersing ourself in the community. We all started. We saw that there was not a lot of us and I mean us being women on bikes, for sure, and yeah, and then we started joining women-specific classes. So we joined the QM classes being hosted by Paul Moffitt, by Philosophy, and then we met so many amazing women and then, shout out, morgan Shirleyirley. She was part of of all of this and she asked us have you ever thought of racing?
Speaker 2:yeah and then we're like, uh, no, but why not?
Speaker 2:yeah and then one thing led to another and she was really the pioneer of, like, the new wave of of, you know, the racing, the women racing culture in in vancouver and then the racing scene now is is huge. It's huge like there's so many women, like it's, it's so fantastic, like from the first season that I've started racing in 2022, when we were like 15 at the start line and we we thought it was so massive, and this year in cat one, two, three, because a lot of us have like grown now in the sports and make place, you know, for more people.
Speaker 2:Now there's like 30, 40 of us. It's yeah, all of this stems from, yeah, people maybe not thinking that we're so perfect and just taking chances and just having fun, yeah and yeah, and this is what ruckus is all about um, yeah, having fun being taken seriously.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't, didn't know, like I've not actually met um morgan, but she's phenomenal, please um I, I know who she is and it's like I didn't realize she was the one that essentially was the one that asked the question, like yeah, I've heard a similar story a few from a few different people, where it was like someone was asking the question like yeah, I've heard a similar story a few from a few different people, where it was like someone was asking the question but I didn't realize that was her yeah, she, she's the one who was actually.
Speaker 2:She was racing with mariloma back then yeah and she was the only women yeah and then she just started asking us like would you ever consider doing this? Yeah and we were all so new to cycling, you know, still learning yeah and we're like, yeah, why not go and go?
Speaker 1:and go and try it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like you guys did such a good job in that early stages of like building classes and groups and, uh, even having, like I remember you all of you have like what was it hosting like maintenance nights and things like that, which was really cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're really trying to do our part, you know, I think that if we're wanting to see more women racing, more women on bicycles in general, I think we just need to keep talking about it yeah we need to show up for it and we need to just talk, talk, talk yeah that was like something I was going to jump into later let's, let's, let's do it now. I'm so passionate about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tell me a bit more about that because, like, you're using all your social platforms and things like that to help sort of, I guess, guide and influence and, I guess, inspire, like different women, to get involved and go from there, and part of the big reason why I enjoy watching what you do is because of of all of that. But tell me a bit about that. Like, what are you doing in the community to to help inspire people?
Speaker 2:yeah, uh. Well, I think that being part of Ruckus Racing is like definitely a big.
Speaker 2:You know, we do have a voice now in the community and we as you stated earlier, like we are hosting a lot of events and we're actually also sponsoring a lot of events. For instance, last year we granted some crit passes and from there we've, like, literally grown so much as a team, literally grown um so much as a team, and some of those people that we were able to gift passes to are now racers in our team. Yeah, and you know, we're kind of really trying to, as I said earlier, just talk about it and just keep it at the forefront of of it all. Um. So I think that also using our social media to just promote the fact that you know, and also it's really important to like I think that you know, people think of racing, as you know, maybe just crit racing or just road racing but.
Speaker 2:I think like it's so important to like consider that there's so much more to it, and I think that this is something that we have tried to do a lot this year. We do have a lot of gravel racers, we have track racers, and I think that racing goes way beyond just, you know, those fast races that we see. Like we do have also ultra cyclists in our team and I think that, yeah, so I think that like it's really important and I think that this is what we're trying to show in our socials. It's like, and also racing is not end all, be all. Also the reason why we're doing a lot of ruckus and friends events and really, ultimately, we just want to see more representation. We want to.
Speaker 2:I want to see more women like me yeah on bikes and eating hot dogs and having fun yeah and I think it's just so, so, so important we're. We're literally like just here, we're like we're not paid to do this, no, so why not having fun? We pay to play, so yeah, yeah, exactly right, yeah.
Speaker 1:So tell me a bit more about some of the like different. Um, sorry, my computer just changed. Um. Tell me a bit more about, like, some of the adventures and stuff and like the, I guess, the recreational side of everything you're doing, because it's like that seems more fun than turning up to some of these races with everybody right, whereabouts are you going on like? What are you doing?
Speaker 2:you mean like when I'm not racing yeah, exactly yeah, I'm a big. If people, if any of you that are listening, uh, follow me on Strava. Uh, you'll, I mean you should, because I'm really funny and like my Strava is really fun.
Speaker 2:I love it. It's like my little diary, but, um, people will know that I'm a big volume gal. Yeah, I write a lot. I I really love it. And, um, I love to also be really honest and I think that my socials, I I think I do a pretty good job at showing that like my reality allows me to do it. So it's like very important that also, when you're looking and you're being inspired by someone, that you understand the full picture and I I'm trying to be really honest about that. So, yeah, um, I'm very lucky that I get to be able to write a lot um, but I do a lot of like in my spare time. I look, I love to do like a lot of hard things, um, like silly rides, like bowen island men I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but it's it's.
Speaker 2:It's a ride on bowen island and the map looks like a heart. Okay, like not a heart, but our actual heart with our heart trees and stuff. And it's 140k ride with 4,600 meters of elevation and you complete it in one day like this is the kind of thing that I like to do, or like with my friends we do um. Another crazy ride that I've done last year was the tour to richmond, was 300 kilometers in richmond yeah, just think about yeah, I know, don't do it, that's a lot.
Speaker 1:Don't do it to ride around, yeah or like another.
Speaker 2:The other kind of thing that like lights me up is like doing the fifth, the festive 500 in one go.
Speaker 1:Tell me about that. You mentioned earlier about being a trainer? Yeah, I bet, I bet let's just pause and go on a full tangent here please go tell.
Speaker 1:Tell me a bit about the, the festive 501 go. Like you just mentioned that you enjoy doing hard things, like anybody that's listened to some of the stuff I've spoken about. Like I've done plenty of big rides, like 400 plus k rides. I've done 24 hour rides, all the rest of that. Like I've done 24 hour rides, all the rest of that. Like I've done things like this but sitting on a trainer and like I kind of want to know the background because I I feel like I would end up cheating the system in the sense of I would find the flattest route to sit at 40 kilometers an hour.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I did.
Speaker 1:Well, that's not really what I did, but yeah, I feel like that's how I would have to get through it, but then, at the same time, it's like how tell me about what you did and what. What was the reasoning behind all of this?
Speaker 2:I just could, so I did it.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's, that's fair, that's's fair. That's my reasoning for a lot of the things I do, um, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think I just really wanted, um, I I just really wanted to do it in one go and I was like, oh, I don't know if, like, outside's gonna be certain, because you never know like it starts exactly at that time of the year, like in the winter, during christmas.
Speaker 2:So I was like you know what, I'm just gonna do it indoors. And then I didn't tell any of my friends because I was like, oh, but then the day before I was like, oh, should I do it, should I not do it? And then I was like you know what, I'm just gonna do it.
Speaker 2:Like it's in my head, I'm not gonna get, I'm not gonna be able to like not gonna get away from it exactly like I know how I am and when I'm focused on something, I'm just like gotta go and yeah, and then I just I just did it, sat on the trainer for 16 hours I think. In total, like all of my pee pee and like my little snack and um kit change was like 20 dollars. 20 dollars, what?
Speaker 1:am I saying 20 minutes?
Speaker 2:oh, wow, yeah, so I was literally on the trainer for that long, but it was really fun. Some of my friends came um actually outside my window, cheer me out, so that would cheer me out, and so that was amazing, but also, like a lot of them came online, that's. I think this is why I love Zwift so much. Like I'm such a Zwifty, I really like you're telling all your friends, oh like, let's go ride. But then it's so hard to make it happen because, like life adulting.
Speaker 2:And then some people want to ride gravel, some people want to ride road, and you're like, oh, but I want to see you, I want to hang out with you. But I feel like Zwift just allows people to connect in such a way and I don't know, like you know, when in Vancouver, vancouver, here it's like so miserable in the winter you have that little piece of sunshine, I find of like having your friends online and just like chatting, while you're just in a virtual world for sure. I don't know. I love it.
Speaker 1:I'm a big fan so tell me a bit more about that in the sense of do you do much racing online or is it all like social rides?
Speaker 2:I've never raced online, but I think I'm gonna try this year okay yeah, I don't know why I've never done it, because I'm I really love racing, yeah but yeah, a lot of social actually I love. I don't really I don't really go into the social if it's not like like I like to support my community or people that are doing cool things online, like on Zwift. But I love leading rides a lot online. I love it so much so how does that work?
Speaker 1:because yeah, I've never really done. All of the trainer work I've done has always been specifically for training. I've never done like the. Zwift thing I started using. Is it Woosh? I think it is which is another one.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 1:I started using that last winter, basically because it's a free version of Zwift.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:If you've never used it, it's really cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because Zwift's expensive now.
Speaker 1:I'm like a 10 under 10 girl. I love it but it's expensive now, yeah, and so I was just Googling like free version or free alternatives and this came up and I've only seen videos of Zwift. It seems like a replica almost oh um, but they they sponsored the UCI e-world championships, so everybody did it on that because it was free. Um, I'm sure there's going to be some point where they start charging for the program.
Speaker 1:But um, so tell me about the, the like group rides, because, as I say, I've never done it. And does everybody keep up? Or is it the same Like? Does it just automatically put you in the group, or how does that work?
Speaker 2:That's such a good question. Actually, not the ride, the social rides that I do. I have to control the pack, so sometimes it's a little bit hard. But Zwift actually has a lot of features, like having a fence, like people know when they're going too far or they're too back, and you have a little beacon so people know who they need to follow. So it's super well set up.
Speaker 2:But I'm exactly like you, though I train a lot online but, I just do it on Zwift because it's something cute to look at yeah, it's easier than staring at a screen of numbers. Yeah, and you get like those little drop and then you can go shopping and then you can get a new bike every week.
Speaker 1:It's chef kit. It's fun. If you ride enough, you can get a new bike every week. Well, I do, yeah, yeah well you did 500 kilometers in 20 hours.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 16 hours 16. Excuse me, yeah, okay, so yeah, I always wondered with that if it would be kind of like a?
Speaker 1:is it an ergo mode where it just doesn't matter how much pressure you're putting on the trainer?
Speaker 2:well, on the pedals, it just consistently gives you a similar output, exactly, um, and I wondered whether, like everyone, would be riding at their own yes, they are percentages yeah, um but then you have all the features to make sure that you're kind of keeping in the pack yeah because that's the whole point of social rides to stay together, together, yeah, exactly so then that way, someone with like a 400 FTP and a 200 FTP can ride together sort of thing yeah, totally, yeah, okay, yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've never done it, but yeah, maybe this winter I'll.
Speaker 2:You should, I should. It's really fun.
Speaker 1:Maybe I'll have to see if I can find someone to hook me up. Yes someone to to hook me up? Yes, if. Uh, if anyone in Zwift land is out there listening, send, send some codes. This way me too, please um, so let's talk a bit about your photography and mixing that with cycling and and everything else you do in the world. Tell me where. How like does it influence, obviously, what rides you're doing and things like that.
Speaker 2:I mean for sure like the more adventurous, the more like the bigger rides that I can document, for sure I document them. But I think that it's, I think that my focus has shifted a lot. That, um, as you stated earlier, um, you know, my content is really about, you know, having fun and documenting my life, romanticizing it, um, and I think that my focus has shifted a lot with my photography. In that sense, I think I really I'm really loving documenting my friends and like the people that I ride with and the cool thing that we do, and even like the small things, I think it's like just so special. I'm like a big softie and I'm very much into, like you know, memories and stuff. So I think that like it shifted from like documenting all the cool places we see, or like all the yeah, the cool places we see, to like very much being documenting the people that I surround myself, that I'm lucky enough to spend all this time, because, let's be real, yeah, like it's a lot of hours.
Speaker 2:It's a lot of hours in a week with, like you know, with your people. So I just yeah, yeah. So so how do you find a?
Speaker 1:balance with that, because obviously there's some times where you just want to go out and ride your bike and not think about the camera.
Speaker 1:And this is kind of the issue I always struggle with is finding that balance, like I literally last week or the week before I rode to on the Sunshine Coast there, sechelt, oh yeah, and if anyone hasn't been out there, there's a really good cafe called Basted Baker, I think it's called, and they do really good tomato like ketchup sauce homemade. So I literally rode 100 kilometers out to get this ketchup and back. I also had lunch out there but, um, I did the whole ride and then I got back I was like, oh, I didn't even bother getting my phone out because I was like by myself but I was like I didn't take any photos and I was like oh, but how?
Speaker 1:how do you balance that in the sense of, like one, I guess, remembering to actually take photos, but two, either not overdoing it or not underdoing it, because a lot of the videos you put out like exactly as you say, they're very romanticized of what you're doing, but it doesn't seem over the top.
Speaker 2:I think I just really always have kind of an idea of the things that I want to capture and also, like I just love capturing like whatever. I just really love it. But I think that one thing that this year it's funny that you mentioned that at the beginning of the conversation when you brought up my romanticized diary every month with my people and my personal ones as well um, I think that this is something that's like really been helping me. I really want every month, to be able to look back at the things that I did photos and also videos, um, which are just little clips of whatever. Yeah, that you know I find wholesome. That happened to me during the month.
Speaker 2:I think that having like the thought process of like thinking about every month I want to capture just a tiny little something of this little thing that I've done, has been something that has helped me, because last year I think I was like really I really love creating content so much for myself really, and I think that last year, as you said, like I really burned out because I was like bringing my camera all the time but sometimes I really wanted to go fast, but then I couldn't go fast and then I was like in the fast group, but then I couldn I couldn't, like you know, capture my people because, like we were all spread out. So I think that this year, like I think, taking it and being a little bit more mindful about it yeah, and not overdoing it, because I was definitely overdoing it has been super, super helpful for sure yeah, and also to keep my sanity because, like then you go home and you have so much footage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's so much. That's almost. My other issue is like, if you do too much, so like I just got like a new 360 camera and things like that, and 360 is hard to edit.
Speaker 2:I think that the like the you know because you have 360. Well, you have everything to look at, You're right.
Speaker 1:Exactly, but with all of the new AI functions, like you can select something and if you're following someone down the trail or whatever, like it will naturally track them.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's really cool.
Speaker 1:It makes life a lot easier. For sure to like how it looks on camera and things like that. And you can have like the whole de-warping and I don't know. We don't need to go down that right now but, um, but that's almost. My issue is like you go, go to the bike park or something like that, or even out for a road ride or wherever, and it's like you could end up with like half an hour of footage and you only need two minutes of it. Like that's, I think that's the other bit.
Speaker 2:That's like almost daunting of like editing down what you need and what you don't need.
Speaker 1:But um, yeah, it's kind of kind of hard.
Speaker 2:I know. But it's so fun to have all of like like. I know that like right now we're like in a world where it's like social media content, yay, but I think it's like so cool to just have like those memories. But I think it's like so cool to just have like those memories. Like this morning I was asking my mom hey, mom, like do you like I'm not sure if all of you have been following Le Tour de France that's happening right now, which is kind of a big deal. We need to talk about it because it's so cool that we get to do this as women. But I was asking her like hey, do you happen to have a photo of me on a bike, like you know, when I was little?
Speaker 2:because demi vollering posted one I was like, oh my gosh, this is so cool. Like what did I look like when I was younger on a bike? And she was like I don't think I do have that oh, wow and I think that's like it's so cool now that we do have that technology to like you know just have those memories you. You don't have to create content or you don't have to put it on social media, but I think it's so important to like, especially when we're on our back for so long doing all those cool things yeah document that I'm such a like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm an advocate of that, yeah and and something you mentioned a little earlier, and I'm so happy you mentioned that, because everyone's like, oh, why do you do the podcast? And it's like the exact same reason is you do it for yourself?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a selfish endeavor to post things on social media and I think if it's not, if you're doing it for somebody else, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons, totally. Even myself, not that like I like personally. Like you asked me, asked me like, oh, why did you get me on the podcast?
Speaker 1:I'm like because I want to hear about your story personally, I want to learn, and it's like it's so cool to hear that, like all the stuff that you post is like for yourself yeah, 100 and I've never, never, thought of social media that way until you just mentioned it, because I, as I say, like podcast 100, like anybody listening, yes, like it's cool that it's out there and you guys are listening, but I do it for me.
Speaker 1:Um, so, on the flip side, and I've always thought of like social media as, like myself having quite a good balance, like mentally, and I don't really get sucked into the whole fomo situation. I'm I don't really get sucked into the whole FOMO situation. I'm somewhat quite lucky in my own mental state that I don't get that, but at the same time, I've never really understood why. And then, when you said that you do it for yourself, like 100%, that's what I do, like my captions on some of. If you go back and read any of the captions on some of the things that I post, can read any of the captions on some of the things that I post, like I think the last one was some some dumb quote about like the difference between wisdom and knowledge is what is it? Yeah, the difference between knowledge and wisdom is knowledge, is knowing.
Speaker 1:A tomato is fruit and wisdom is knowing not to put it in fruit salad. And that was the caption, and it's like and anybody that knows me was just like knowing that I was laughing, that people were out there reading it, thinking that I was serious about it, and it's like so there's like that type of thing, but it's cool that you also do that as well with what you're putting out and and it's like really good content.
Speaker 2:So that's really kind of you to say.
Speaker 1:Thank you um, tell me, tell me a bit about like, how, like, once you got into the cycling and and, as you say, like you've been building and finding this, I guess community things like that, how, that's like personally helped you grow, like, how, how have you changed over those years? Because obviously everyone changed through covid but like that's a massive thing to change your whole lifestyle essentially yeah, especially when you're spending 20 plus hours just sitting on the saddle yeah you know that doesn't include, like, the time you're spending like doing all those other thing relating to bike.
Speaker 2:I think that the biggest thing is definitely it's really changed my mental health and the way that I do, think, do think and do things.
Speaker 2:I've always been like a very focused and very driven person, but I think that cycling has really kind of like stretched out elastic to you know the next, the next level, like always pushing myself and always like doing hard things and always like you know, like sometimes like we're so lucky, like because we do have access to so many things to put our push ourselves like in our team we like to to say that we're amateur pro athletes because we do like train and and race a lot and do all these things on the bike a lot, and I think that, yeah, so I think that cycling has really like stretched that elastic for me and like allowing me to do like harder things and just keep pushing myself all the time so explain to me more about that, like when you say it allows you to do harder things.
Speaker 1:In what way, like mentally, you feel more comfortable pushing yourself. Is that like what? Tell me more about that yeah, I think that it's.
Speaker 2:It's allowed me to like be a little bit more uncomfortable, because sometimes, like you're put in situations, especially on the bike, where I find that I'm not necessarily comfortable, like it hurts, yeah, and you're like, oh my gosh, am going to be able to climb up that mountain, like what's going to happen to me, but then you like just keep stretching it a little bit and then you have your community, you have the people around you, and I think that it's really helped me, yeah, push myself a lot more and like be able to accomplish those things that I feel that in my life before cycling, maybe would have been a little bit harder to do. You know, like to be able to sit in the uncomfortable a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, almost like. Yeah, as you say, like a bit of like the pain box has now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's yeah now it can go so far, like that elastic. Sometimes I'm like, is it gonna?
Speaker 1:like break. I'm so confused, but it just just keeps stretching it's.
Speaker 2:It's quite phenomenal, yeah, and that's.
Speaker 1:I think that's such a big thing and and even for myself, like I've found this over many years of racing and cycling and just pushing the boundaries and um, I spoke about it with Jen, who was was like a clinical therapist on one of the previous podcasts, when I was with Steed, and we sort of got into this conversation of putting yourself in controlled stressful situations and then when you get into an uncontrolled stressful situation or an uncomfortable situation, you, you already know how your body's going to react. You know what's going to happen, you know you're not going to freak out.
Speaker 1:You know, okay, I need to stay calm and like build through that, and I think that's what you're talking about a little bit in the sense of like the you don't have to worry about what's going to come, because you know you've done something harder already and I hear a lot of like professional racers talk about this once they've retired that their their emotional level is is almost narrowed, where they don't have super high highs, but they also don't have super low lows yeah, because they are quite comfortable in a lot of things they do, like they get excited, they get happy, they get sad, all of those emotions still happen, but they're much more narrowed in how they react and it's almost like subdued, I guess, or like turned down in in how how much it influences their life a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, do you find that, like, have you found that since you've sort of been doing more, I guess bulk, because, like, everything you were doing previously was like short sprint?
Speaker 2:type things versus.
Speaker 1:Now you've turned more endurance. Do you see that or do you feel that?
Speaker 2:oh yeah, 100. I mean like, sometimes you're like I mean not sometimes all the time like you're stuck with yourself for so many hours, and especially when I do those like harder rides or those harder efforts or anything you're you're literally, it's like you and yourself like yeah you can't, you literally can't escape it. So yes, I absolutely agree with that yeah you have to learn, you have to, yeah, you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly yeah, and and listening to your own thoughts being comfortable in your own brain totally yeah, that's that's another one that I hadn't put in words or thought about until you just mentioned that. Then then is like, yeah, being very comfortable in like just being by yourself, and whether it's listening to music or a podcast or not even listening to anything at all, it's just like totally just sitting there in silence and just being comfortable totally a bit, I guess what makes cyclists cyclists really, I know or endurance athletes at that end yeah, totally so yeah, um you, you keep bringing up uh community and all the people around you tell me
Speaker 1:tell me more about that and like, what motivates you and what drives you to continue doing what you're doing? Because, as you say, like you, you do spend a lot of time on the bike. I find it almost hard sometimes to to motivate myself to get up and do it. How do you consistently do that? And I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with the people you surround yourself with. So what, like what are they influencing you with? I guess?
Speaker 2:yeah, they really influence me with crazy things really.
Speaker 2:Um, as I said earlier, I really love to push myself a lot and you know, I'm very lucky to have such a really broad community and I'm very lucky to to have built a lot of friendships with a lot of people that love to do hard things as well, and hard things can be like literally anything.
Speaker 2:It doesn't I mean for anybody listening like it doesn't mean like you have to go and like ride 400 kilometers, like it's whatever you find that is a hard thing for you. But I think I'm just very lucky to have surrounded myself with people that are willing to like stretch their elastics like a lot and um, yeah, so I think that a lot of my friends, or my closer friends especially, I'm very like self-driven, so it's for me it's not really. I guess I'm really lucky in that sense. I don't necessarily always need to be motivated in that sense, but when I do, I'm very lucky to have friends that really understand you know what I love doing and what motivates me, like one thing that really motivates me, like I'm very I feel kind of embarrassed about saying that, but I'm gonna say it because I'm sure I'm not the only one but I have like a very strict ratio when I ride okay, what in what?
Speaker 2:way in, like my kilometers to elevation ratio, like it's kind of very important to me. Um. So you know, when I need to be feeling like very motivated, my friends know that about me, my closer friends, and that yeah, they can actually empower me to you know they can actually build routes or, you know, guide me into that direction.
Speaker 1:But yeah, what is that ratio? How does this work? Because I've I've done things like this in the past but, my. My rides have always varied between flat and and then hilly rides. Oh, I'm not a flat girl no, I know this, but like how I guess go into this? Like, like explain this more.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's very easy. For 10 kilometers I want a hundred meters of elevation, super easy.
Speaker 1:So yeah, you can't do that in Richmond, but yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, anywhere else. Like, like for me, like on a weekday, like my ideal ride is like 50 kilometers with like 1200 meters of elevation. Like for me, like I'm like Ooh, I'm in heaven.
Speaker 1:Just grinding up a hill.
Speaker 2:I just love it yeah, like climbing, just like. Oh, it brings me so much joy here I am.
Speaker 1:Here I am telling everyone how infectious your energy is and you're telling everyone how much you enjoy climbing hills people climb yeah, that that definitely helps. Um and then, uh, so, with everybody around you, tell me a bit more about that, in the sense of, like some of the rides you're attending and and the group rides, because it always seems like you're generally on a group ride of some description like how does how does that happen? Because it's like almost every day it feels like you're writing with people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I'm just really lucky to be in many group chats. Yeah, really, that's what it is. I think that, like for anybody listening, like make as many friends as you can. And yeah, just find the people that you love writing with and just write with those people.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, that's kind of what it is. I'm just part of, you know, a group that just has a lot of people in it and on the weekend we do, we have like our routines and stuff of like things that we do. I mean, it's not really routines, but we do different things. But yeah, there is a lot of us in that group.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, yeah, as I say, it seems like, yes, there's always new people and things like that actually everybody's like yeah, exactly, and also I love writing with new people and I think it's so important, like for anybody or any groups to just be so welcoming. Yeah, like, if we want to grow the sport, this is what we need to do and it literally starts with like people like me and you to just be welcoming and just Just open up.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Say hi Like on the flyby. Just say hi Like all the people now that are saying hi to me that I was saying hi to on the flyby when I started cycling. I'm like why didn't you say that to?
Speaker 1:me now.
Speaker 2:Because I almost like quit cycling.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I was like, oh my goodness, I'm never going to make friends here. Yeah, cycling. Yeah. Because I was like, oh my goodness, I'm never gonna make friends here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's like cycling can be that niche totally.
Speaker 2:It's such an intimidating sport, such an expensive sport, like let's be real here and yeah, it's super sad if you're like investing so much into it and like because it's so much more fun to be surrounded by people like it's so much easier to just grow so much faster in the sport when you're surrounded by people like it's so much easier to just grow so much faster in the sport when you're surrounded by people that are actually pushing you to grow and it's exactly so motivating, totally yeah yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:Um, I want to change gears a little bit and talk a bit about um diet and and everything like that, because we mentioned earlier that you posted about eating a hot dog hot dog but like tell me a bit about this, because I know like I think you just come up 12 months sober, is that uh?
Speaker 2:actually like uh, a year and a half, yeah, yeah, okay, yes um, and so tell me a bit about that because like.
Speaker 1:I'm sort of going through a bit of a transition myself, but not that I was like a heavy drinker or anything like that. But then I feel like I had a pretty big crash at the beginning of the year mountain biking things like that it's all good, it's coming good in the way of injuries. But being like getting older and things like that, and becoming an adult, I want to call it um. Obviously things change. Like how, how do you keep up with the amount of cycling you're doing, with everything that goes along with that?
Speaker 2:because we're pretty similar in age yeah like what are you doing?
Speaker 1:you're eating. Obviously you're not drinking anymore, like things like that. What are you doing?
Speaker 2:I eat so much yeah um, yeah, I mean I I hate, like you know, on that video I ate a hot dog yeah uh, but this is not, you know, the base of the pyramid of my food.
Speaker 2:you know, like I eat a lot of veggies, um, but I I just try to really fuel my body like I like. For me, what's really important is to be able to move my body. So I always make sure that, you know, I fuel it accordingly and I don't shy away from food. And yeah, that's something that maybe I should be talking a little bit more about, but it's always like you know a topic. That's a little bit, you know, you never really know where people are coming from and stuff, but yeah, I do eat a lot, okay.
Speaker 1:And so you should. Yeah, that was part of like why I wanted to ask is because there is so much sort of question behind that. And obviously you're very like positive body positive image positive everything. And it's like how are you doing this? Like what are you doing behind the scenes there? And that's exactly it.
Speaker 2:Like you're not scared to eat something if you're hungry, yeah, totally yeah, eat the hot dog if you want. Go like it's ice cream season.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Treat yourself like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, go do the exercise and then eat Totally yeah totally yeah.
Speaker 2:Treat yourself like yeah, go do the exercise and then eat Totally, yeah, totally Like. Make it I don't know, make it an adventure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly On your bike. Yeah, why not? And there's plenty of good ice cream places around.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness, we are so lucky. Yes, we have so many.
Speaker 1:So tell me a bit more about why you stopped drinking and how that came about, because, as I say, I sort of start. I'm on that trend, I guess, in the sense of starting so tell me a bit about your experiences with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, that's, that's amazing, like everybody's definitely on their journey and like it's pretty cool if, like you find that something maybe is not working out for you and you're just like wanting to make the change. So congrats on you.
Speaker 2:That's like really amazing that you know you identified something and you're just like wanting to make the change. So, congrats on you. That's like really amazing that you know you identified something and you're wanting to make a change about it. Um, for myself, really, it really just started, as one day my youtube algorithm was telling me well, not telling me, but there was like a video that popped up and it was about like how um alcoholism could be. There was a research and don't quote me on that, because I didn't really fully listen to the episode because I was spooked but it was saying something along the lines that alcoholism alcoholism, sorry could be um, hereditary, and I was like my dad was like an alcoholic when I was growing up and I was like, oh, my dad was like an alcoholic when I was growing up and I was like, oh my God, like what?
Speaker 2:Like it actually kind of like spooked me a little bit, and it was like at a time in my life where I was a little bit like I don't know. I had like a lot of feelings and I was just like maybe I should make a change. You know, and it was in February. There's always like the dry February happening, yeah, to raise awareness for cancer, and I was like you know what, I'm gonna give it a try and it's kind of really difficult because, you know, at our age, like it's a very social thing and it's like you know it, yeah, it's social and it puts you out there and you know, going to the restaurant and having a nice dinner with wine, like it's so fun, yeah, you know why not? Yeah, it's it, yeah, and I was like you know, going to the restaurant and having a nice dinner with wine, Like it's so fun.
Speaker 2:You know why not it's it, yeah, and I was like you know what, I'm going to give it a try. So then, to prepare myself for it, I was like, oh, I'm going to start like mid January. And then I did it and it was actually really hard, like, just like you, I don't like. You know, I didn't really like I mean I was drinking, drinking, but I don't think I was drinking like that much, but actually like my body went through like it was insane. It was like really crazy.
Speaker 2:But, um, yeah, at the beginning was really difficult because you know the peer pressure of your friends, because then you're like put into those social situation where, like, your friends are, you know they mean well, but they just want you to enjoy yourself, but they cannot comprehend the choice that you're making for yourself and it just becomes like you know something very difficult. But luckily I'm lucky to have a group of friends that are very understanding and over time it got better. But, yeah, and then I just stopped drinking, like after february I was like, oh, why don't I stop until my birthday in April? Yeah, and then one thing led to another, and then after that it's like, oh, why don't I try for six months? Why don't I try for one year and literally it's like the best thing I've ever done for myself yeah, wow not only like physically, but also mentally more.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I think that you know, not having, like, you know, the when you're drunk, remorses or like, just like feeling well in the morning and just yeah, just being able to sit in your emotions, I think that that was like a big one for me. I think that, like, we all have trauma in our lives and I think that we all deal with it very differently. I think that, like, I'm one of those people that like push things aside a lot and I think that I did that for a very long time. So I think that, like, sitting in it was like really good, and I think that for my, cycling also was really good too, like, yeah, you know, like learning to talk to yourself better.
Speaker 1:You know like, learning self-talk, like being able to like really understand yourself better, was also very, um, learning self-talk, like being able to like really understand yourself better, was also very um, very big for me, yeah, and I think that's that's huge and it's it's really interesting to hear your side of it, because it's sort of I feel like I'm almost at the beginning of that of like, do I do it, do I not do it? Do I tell people? Do I not tell people?
Speaker 2:I know that's hard, but you have to do it for yourself.
Speaker 1:100%, and that's uh, that's what I'm thinking is like realistically sorry, realistically, I think it's like just over a month that I haven't had alcohol, and it's not purely by choice or whatever, but it was kind of like the last time I did it was my birthday and not that. Once again, not that I drink a lot and it wasn't, and I don't drink that much I didn't drink that it was my birthday and not that. Once again, not that I drink a lot, no, it wasn't, and I don't drink that much. I didn't drink that much on my birthday, to be honest. But it was sort of like three or four beers on the the Friday, three or four beers on the Saturday, three or four beers on the Sunday, and my birthday was on the Sunday, and then I tried to do the dawn patrol ride on the Tuesday. So, like that all adds up, obviously, yeah, and I was like the. It was the worst feeling that I had in such a long time and I'm quite lucky in the sense that I don't get hangovers oh so.
Speaker 1:I can wake up in the morning and just function like I don't get that and it like I can be pretty much blackout drunk.
Speaker 1:It's pretty rare. I would say less than five times in my entire life that I've woken up and not wanted to get out of bed. Wow, um. So I'm pretty lucky in that sense and I think that has helped, but also, like, not really worried about it. And then, um, yeah, like going through, like um, getting my neck sorted and things like that from when I crashed and stuff like that, like the inflammation and everything from alcohol, I'm like, wow, like I can actually feel a big difference when I have one or two beers at night and then the next day I feel how much stiffer and how much sorer that inflammation is around that area. So it's kind of like this like do I start to turn it off? And then my other issue that I have at the moment is it's like if I'm gonna buy like a mocktail or a non-alcoholic drink, that is so I I actually really like why am I gonna spend for this?
Speaker 1:yeah, well, I really don't like non-alcoholic beer, like I don't understand non-alcoholic beer. Like if you're going to drink a beer, just drink a beer. Like there's way better tasting things in the world than the non-alcoholic beer. Um, but like if you go buy a mocktail, like they're seven or eight dollars minimum, it's like well, that's pretty much the price of an alcoholic drink, like. And then it's like weighing up the dollar like I'm not saving money by not drinking.
Speaker 1:But then you wake up the next day and you're like, oh, I'm feeling way better yeah and it seems to be a lot more accepted in the world to go out and have fun without that at the moment totally so.
Speaker 2:I think it's, yeah, I think it's really. It's really, it's.
Speaker 2:It's a lot easier, but also it's like yeah it needs to, it needs to be better, but we're getting there. I think again, you know more people that choose that lifestyle. Good on them, but then those people need to keep talking about it and like make it. You know it's so cool that some of my friends drink and I I really like that for that, like like that for them. But I think it's so cool that some of my friends drink and I really like that for that, like that for them. But I think it's so important to respect, like, the entire spectrum.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, both directions, exactly, totally, and that's it. And my other question for you being that you're like, as you say, like almost 18 months, sort of thing, yeah, when you go out and it's like a very special celebration, do you think?
Speaker 2:oh, maybe I'll have just one glass, or you're at the point now where you're just like nothing literally, I don't even think about it yeah, wow like literally, like I just I feel, like you know, with my mental health and everything, I feel like I've done such a big I've done, done such big work this year that I just don't think it's worth it. I think for me and also like also my physical health like. I'm like the fittest I've ever been in my life. I'm like why would I even want to jeopardize this?
Speaker 2:Like tomorrow morning. I want also like something that everybody needs to know. I'm like a little bit of a grandma Like this is actually really late for me tonight I did read this.
Speaker 1:I'm like a little bit of a grandma, like this is actually really late for me tonight I did read this. I'm like a little bit of a grandma.
Speaker 2:So like for me going to bed like especially in the winter like 7.30, very, very usual, so also like I want to wake up at 5 am tomorrow morning, you know so for me it's just not worth it. Like I think that all of the cons definitely outweigh the pros. For me it's just not worth it, like all. Like I think that all of the cons definitely outweigh the pros for me yeah, but that's really personal 100.
Speaker 1:As you say, you have to do it for yourself and you have to acknowledge to do it for yourself totally, and yeah, I think that's that's a pretty fair reason yeah, so yeah um, we're coming up pretty close to an hour yeah do you want to sort of tell us a bit, a little bit about?
Speaker 1:I know you've got the on the 21st, which will be the essential let's just call it tomorrow from when the podcast will be released yeah um, tell me a bit about that event with the bike bingo that I saw you yes um and then yeah whatever else you've got going on yeah, totally well.
Speaker 2:Actually I'm so sad because just before I came here we've got the words that I mean I'm very excited because we're sold out, so we don't have any more spots, but sad that nobody else can join. But that's okay, there's going to be other ones, but to be honest, it's kind of a secret.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I don't have that many details about it, but it's going to be fun. If anybody in the community here locally in Vancouver know anything about Ruckus, we are the funnest people around. I mean, there's lots of people that are super fun, yeah, but we are super, super cool and our events are always really, really fun. So I think it's going to be really interesting, think it's going to be really interesting and it's going to be um catering to boat road roadies and um how do you call people that gravel gravelies?
Speaker 2:I don't know what I called it gravelies, but um, the gravel girlies and, uh, the roadies. So it's going to be super fun and it's going to be a blast and we'll meet up afterwards. We'll have some drinks, some food, and it's going to be amazing nice, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then for anybody to get in contact with you or to follow you, what's easiest way to reach out?
Speaker 2:yeah, totally. I'm definitely active on instagram at melanie catcher, easy peasy, my name. It's really fun. Please send me dms. I love, I love, I love, I love, I love, I love like I just love like speaking with people also on strava my name I actually really like I'm having such a blast on strava. Like I think more people should invest in strava. Like people, don't leave your rides morning ride or afternoon rides I can't, I actually can't like.
Speaker 2:I'm like, I'm gonna like your, I'm gonna kudo you. But if you want to comment for me, I don't know, I just love being entertained. Gonna like your, I'm gonna kudo you. But if you want to comment for me, I don't know, I just love being entertained on strava.
Speaker 1:I will say that they've just updated some feature that now when I open my app, it comes up like I don't know if it's for everybody or like how they do like the trial, like test by test type thing, but when I, if I upload a ride, you know how it normally just like automatically goes to strava onto your feed and you don't have to worry about anything. So now when I open my app, even if it's like a day later, if I open the app, it'll slide up as like a prompt and it's like do you want to edit this activity?
Speaker 2:what? Yeah, maybe your strava's broken. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Maybe I'm living in the future, but maybe it's kind of cool because I'm the biggest strava snob. That is there I, and in what? Sense, tell me, I just I just use because I've used strava for so long and like I think I've been a member on Strava for like over 10 years now, like since 2012 or 2013 or something yeah, it's that old, I didn't even know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's a new thing no, no, it's been around forever and um. There was a long period where, when I was training full-time, I'd have all of my rides turned to private so I could still see yeah and and I was using other programs at the time as well, but I could still see the segments and have fun with that and all the rest of it and use the routes and everything.
Speaker 1:But since I've sort of stopped racing and stopped training, I just I still only use it for my personal tracking, because it's the only app that I use that tracks all of my rides together and for I think it's two years in a row I haven't actually given a kudos out, because I don't look at anybody else's rides.
Speaker 1:You're so rude. That's what I mean. I'm a snob. I'm an absolute snob when it comes to this. And it's quite funny because, uh, actually, last year I gave one or two out and I have this sneaky suspicion that alissa, my girlfriend, jumped on and liked her own one. So I think I gave two or three kudos last year and then the two years previous to that I did zero and it wasn't that like I chose to do it. I just don't look at other people's rides, but now when I open the app, it like tells me to edit the ride and like add photos and things.
Speaker 2:So who knows, maybe I'll get behind it a bit more oh my gosh, I'm so the opposite of you it's so funny because my friends make so much fun of me because, literally, like you know, you get recap at the end of every month. Yeah, and I'll get like, let's say, 10 000 likes, yeah, and then it's gonna say that's the ones, that the likes, that I, the kudos, that I received and I'll give. And it's gonna say that I gave 50 000 and I'm like, oh, I'm a big kudo girl.
Speaker 1:It's like I love cheering on people yeah, yeah, no, definitely, um, but yeah, awesome. Well, thanks for coming on, yeah thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this was so fun yeah, cheers, nice bye.