Hamilton Area YMCA

The Tour de France is the best known bicycle race in the world. This year, we decided to bring all the thrills and none of the hills right to the Hamilton Area YMCA with the Tour de Y. Throughout the month of July, members had the chance to compete against each other by tracking their number of completed miles for various prizes. The competition was an overwhelming success with 52 participants biking a total of 8,611 miles in 31 days.

There were, however, two members who broke away from the pack. Allie, 24, was the first place winner logging 617 miles, and Bob, 48, was the second place winner with 548 miles. They both signed up for the Tour de Y for different reasons, but their sense of achievement at the end was the same.

Allie said, “I signed up just because it was something new. I wanted to try something different.” Allie has been an employee at the YMCA since November, but never stayed to work out after her shifts. “The competition got me back into working out, and working out at my job.”

Bob began his venture towards a healthier lifestyle after gaining 21 pounds last holiday season. “I started riding the bikes here in March, so the competition was a no-brainer for me,” he said. Bob has been a member for 6 years, and says he would come here with his family while his son played basketball. Last winter he decided to ease his way into the Wellness Center while his son was in the gymnasium.

Bob and Allie both attributed their motivation to the fact they were indeed competing against other members for a specific time period. “The prizes were good, but it was cool to see everyone’s totals increase every few days,” they both agreed.

Once they both realized they were ahead of most, they started to ride 2 – 3 hours per day, sometimes even coming in before work and again after. On average, Allie and Bob estimated they biked 25 – 30 miles and 20 – 25 miles per day, respectively.

Even through the last day of the Tour de Y, Allie and Bob could see and feel results. Allie began the month riding at a resistance of 5. She ended at 12. Bob started at either 6 or 7 and ended at 15. They both said the recumbent bikes were their favorites because they could read, listen to music, and use their phones as they were working out. “The workouts went faster because we had things to do while we were pedaling,” Bob said.

Since March, Bob has now lost 40 pounds with 10 coming as a result of the Tour de Y. Allie also lost 13 pounds during the competition from only riding the bike. They both said they feel stronger and the visual of their bodies changing also played a role in motivating them to continue with their goal of winning. Weight loss aside, Allie and Bob said the competition helped them form healthier habits by getting them to the gym every day and showing them that even a 30-minute workout can be productive.

They said they are both looking forward to the next competition and Bob says, “I’m coming for Allie next time. I want a rematch.”

No matter what the reason is for starting, there is no better time than now to start your healthy lifestyle. Keep your eyes open for news about our next wellness competition, coming soon!