I can imagine, oh no, I cannot actually. I cannot imagine how Ernest Gagnon has gone from 570 pounds to 330 pounds, how he was living with that for so many years and now, his determination to drop all that behind. But I can imagine his struggle, hard work, and that ‘some sort of a switch flipped in his head and Gagnon decided he was going to race bikes‘ moment. 

This real-life story is about Ernest Gagnon who used to be so over-weight and how he has turned to cycling to be healthy. Instead of gastric bypass surgery that was suggested by his doctor, he decided to call a cyclist to help.

How many people in his position would willing to get up from that couch and do something about it? How many people would willing to face the fact that it will not be a bed of roses? How many of us can continue and persist on this? The humiliation, the self-doubt and everything else in between. 

Gagnon did not choose the easy way out. He has chosen a road less traveled, but a wise one. 

Laugh as much as you want to, but you may not even be as brave and real as Ernest Gagnon. Even though he knows he might look like fool standing and riding next to the well-trained cyclists in his lycra suit, he did not turn away, instead he continues to make friends along the way while pedalling. 

“It really forces you to be honest with yourself, accept who you are; because if you can’t accept who you are, you can’t do anything.”

Next to getting back in shape and losing weight, I’m sure Gagnon is having fun along the way. Group sport minus the negative competition is always awesome. Having people who understand your struggle and witness your growth is priceless. Amazing effort, go Gagnon!

PS: Search ‘Ernest Gagnon’ in facebook and ‘erniegagnon2013’ in Instagram.