
In the summer of 1996, a father and his 13-year-old son embarked on a 3400 km bicycle tour across Canada. Affectionately known as “Manhood Training,” this unique bonding experience became the inspiration for Ryan Correy to break away from convention and turn a passion for cycling into his purpose in life.
The world’s most extreme cycling challenges serve as an evolving proving ground for the young rider – including self-doubt on a solo tour to Arizona after high school, falling asleep and crashing into a cemetery gate on the grueling Race Across America (“The toughest sporting event in the world”), murder and robbery along the Pan American Highway (“The longest road in the world”), a near mountaintop helicopter rescue while traversing the infamous Tour Divide (“The longest mountain bike race in the world”), cashing in after being hit by a car in California, hallucinations and foot-crippling pain on a six-day, 20-hour stationary cycling world record attempt, and plenty more.
A Purpose Ridden is an honest and often obsessive first-hand account of becoming one of Canada’s most respected adventure cyclists. Ryan shares in great detail the sponsorship woes, the evolution of his ego, an admiration for flawed role model Lance Armstrong, the many accolades earned, family tragedy and, of course, the evolving relationship with his father, their fights, and friendships lost along the way.
The path less travelled begins with a paternal taunt: “We’re close enough to home. If you want, we can call your mother to come and pick you up now.”
About Ryan Correy
Ryan Correy is an Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership graduate who has taken on many of the world’s toughest cycling challenges, including a 25,000 km tour from Alaska to Argentina; the grueling 4828 km Race Across America; the 4418 km of remote mountain terrain on the Tour Divide; and a crippling 6 day, 20 hour stationary cycling World Record attempt. In between planning his next adventure, Ryan regularly speaks to groups of athletes about endurance and how to turn passion into purpose. He also serves as the Fueling Guru for Hammer Nutrition Canada—giving advice to amateur and professional athletes alike. Ryan lives in Burlington, Ontario, with his equally ambitious girlfriend, Sarah.
Table of Contents
A Purpose Ridden | 1 |
---|---|
Contents | 7 |
Foreword | 9 |
Author’s Introduction | 13 |
Prologue | 15 |
Part I: Manhood Training | 21 |
Chapter 1: Close Enough to Home | 23 |
Chapter 2: Canadiana | 39 |
Chapter 3: Nathan James | 55 |
Chapter 4: Detox | 69 |
Chapter 5: Valley Overlook | 83 |
Chapter 6: Drastic Times | 95 |
Chapter 7: Marathon of Hope | 105 |
Chapter 8: Leaving Hollywood | 125 |
Chapter 9: Just the Beginning | 137 |
Part II: Longest Road | 155 |
Chapter 10: Midnight Sun | 157 |
Chapter 11: Gringo | 177 |
Chapter 12: Lightning Strikes | 189 |
Chapter 13: Border Patrol | 201 |
Chapter 14: The End of the World | 215 |
Chapter 15: Bigger than Self | 231 |
Chapter 16: Turning 24 | 243 |
Chapter 17: Valedictorian | 257 |
Chapter 18: Stay on the Bike | 275 |
Chapter 19: Jure Gives Me the Look | 289 |
Chapter 20: I Quit | 301 |
Chapter 21: Missing Person | 315 |
Part III: This Mountain of Mine | 327 |
Chapter 22: Get a Real Job, Pay Taxes | 329 |
Chapter 23: Distance Defier | 339 |
Chapter 24: Attempt to Kill Myself | 359 |
Chapter 25: Finding Balance | 373 |
Chapter 26: Posthole | 405 |
Chapter 27: The Great Divide | 415 |
Chapter 28: The Great Basin | 429 |
Chapter 29: That Ain’t Chocolate Milk | 449 |
Chapter 30: Humble Pie | 465 |
Chapter 31: Coming Home | 487 |
A Special Acknowledgement | 493 |
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View allBook details
- Publisher
- Rmb | Rocky Mountain Books
- Categories
- Cycling, Extreme Sports, Sports
- Published
- May 2015
- Pages
- 496
- Chapters
- 40
- Language
- English
- ISBN EPUB
- 9781771600651
- ISBN Paper
- 9781771600644