Age: 43
Occupation: Treatment assistant (treatment center for young people age between 15 and 21 years with drug problems and criminal lifestyles)
Hometown: Alunda, Sweden
Time cycling: 5 years
Start Weight: 270 pounds
End Weight: 190 pounds
Reason for Cycling: I cycle to escape the pain for a while and feel alive.

I was born with two clubfeet and have undergone surgery 23 times since I was born. I have never been able to stand, walk, or run without experiencing incredible pain. My most recent operation was in 2017. For two years it seemed to have been successful, but in recent months, the pain in the right foot has started to come back. So this fall, we’ll be removing some screws to see if that helps. If not, the next step will be another operation. We have also discussed the possibility of amputation in the future, but whether that will happen now or at a later stage, we will see.

Not being able to move much throughout my life, gaining weight was pretty easy. In April 2016, I weighed nearly 270 pounds. I did not like what I saw in the mirror, so I thought to myself, I have to do something, because I can’t look like this anymore. I was ashamed of how I looked, and I had no strength in my body.

When it came to exercise, there were too many “I can’t”—I can’t walk, I can’t run. And just when I thought I’d exhausted all possibilities, I came up with the idea that I could maybe try riding a bike.

I first started cycling in April 2016 on a 10-year-old, three-speed bike, and I rode 500 miles on it. Then, I got the opportunity to buy a racer from a friend and that’s when I really fell in love with cycling. And no matter how much I rode, it didn’t hurt my feet. Around about the same time, I began to think more carefully about what I was feeding my body. I started eating smaller portions and I put more vegetables on my plate.

Eventually, thee bike rides became longer and the pounds started to drop. After only seven months on the bike, riding around 2,500 miles, I realized that I’d lost 66 pounds. I ride around six to eight hours a week—around 125 miles. Last year, I rode 3,750 miles. Now, I’ve been cycling for five years and have logged 600 rides and over 14,000 miles.

After riding all those miles, I decided to sign up for the Vätternrundan in 2019 (the world’s largest recreational bike ride, with around 23,000 participants riding 175 miles, around Lake Vättern, Sweden’s second-largest lake ). I felt incredibly nervous when I was on the starting line, but as soon as I started pedaling, the nerves left me and the adrenaline kicked in. I can only say that It was absolutely magical and the most fun thing I have ever done in my life. I will definitely cycle it again. I really enjoyed my ride around the lake and had smile on my face the entire time. It was an incredible experience and fortunately, when I reached the finish line, my feet weren’t hurting.

Thanks to cycling, I have had the good fortune to meet a lot of wonderful people and companies who have really helped me in different ways, such as Stolen Goat. I really love the color and pattern of their clothes. And, I have just been told they named a jersey after me. I cannot describe in words how much it means to me.

Unfortunately, the most painful moment of my life occurred this year when my beloved mother passed away. She was my biggest fan when it came to my life change and cycling, so I decided to try to ride for 24 hours straight to honor her memory and to try and raise money for the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation. But after 16 hours of cycling and 180 miles, I had to give up my attempt; problems with a shoulder meant that I could not hold the handlebars anymore. I think mom would have been proud of my effort and I am touched and very grateful for everyone’s generous donations, which totaled $1,800. Next year I will again try to cycle for 24 hours and will start a new fundraiser for another purpose.

courtesy ronny jansson

Cycling gives me an incredible freedom which I have never had before. It becomes like a drug—I just want to get out on the road. Once I’m on the road, I feel so good and peaceful and relaxed. Cycling has become a refuge from the pain because it doesn’t matter how long or how hard I ride—I never get any pain in my feet.

I no longer have to cycle to lose weight; now I just cycle to live. If someone like me—a near-sighted, handicapped, overweight, dyslexic—can change my life, anyone can. But you have to do it yourself, because no one will do it for you. Ride carefully out there and take care of yourselves during these tough times in the world.

You can follow Ronny’s journey .

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