Alice Kivova worked a well-paying nine-to-five job until she became pregnant. After welcoming her twin daughters, she made the bold decision to leave her job to raise her daughters. That was 14 years ago. Since then, Ms. Kivova has never returned to work.
The decision to quit her job led the 42-year-old into the world of fitness.
“After quitting my job, I needed the balance I was looking for. I started looking for a sport. I tried running and swimming, and even paid for a year’s gym membership, which I gave up halfway through. Basically, I tried every other sport I could find.” I could take it on but there was nothing that interested me. “In 2015, I was introduced to cycling and immediately felt that this was where I belonged,” says Ms. Kivova.
Adventure and fun
Ms Kivova, who has always been petite, says all she needed was a fun and adventurous activity, not really to lose weight.
“Nothing prepares you for motherhood. You can easily forget about yourself when you focus on family; you prioritize their needs over your own. I soon discovered that I needed something that made me stand out, something that was just for me. Cycling was what gave me Balance between work (work) and family.”
She started cycling at the gym, and on Wednesdays, she would join a group of cyclists on a road ride.
“Weekends were for long drives,” she says. “On a good weekend, I would cover 100-200 kilometers or 50-100 kilometers on days when I had little time.”
Her best is cycling 250 kilometers on a 10-hour trip with friends from Nairobi to the Namanga border between Kenya and Tanzania.
“We actually do the same trip every January 1st, just to start the year on a high. We’ve been doing this since 2018,” she says.
For such a road bike trip, there is always a chase vehicle for refilling supplies and emergencies.
“You can’t ride 250 kilometers on the go. That’s crazy. We plan, after every 50 kilometers, we have a recovery break, and then we continue. But the rest is not long, just a 10-minute break, because if you rest for too long, The muscles will relax, and that becomes a recipe for developing muscle spasms that may hinder you from continuing to ride bikes.
Cyclist Ales Kivova on the road.
Image credit: Swimming pool
Cardio and cycling
Over time, Ms. Kivova incorporated cardio and weight lifting. This explains the clear and toned abdominal area.
“Getting abs wasn’t really my goal; I think that came with cycling with cardio and a little bit of weight lifting. Indoor cycling at the gym is always an intense 1 hour workout. After spin classes, which are very useful in preparing for outdoor cycling, I do weight lifting, although not intense. “I think that explains the abs I noticed,” she says with a laugh.
For Alice, an exercise routine should be fun and adventurous.
“People should choose whatever form of exercise suits them. I would encourage cycling, because whatever way you want to look at it, it is a full-body exercise. It engages every part of the body and, over time, builds fitness and overall well-being.” Then there’s the adventure part, the fun part. Road trips feel like road trips.
Bike expenses
Later, Ms. Kivova turned her cycling hobby into a business opportunity, after realizing that she could not obtain standard cycling equipment in the Kenyan market.
“I went looking for cycling clothing, and none of it was available. I saw an opportunity, and so I founded Five Stars Sports Apparel, a brand born from the desire to find comfortable, fashionable and stylish cycling clothing.
Like any other hobby, cycling has its costs.
Ms. Kivova rides a carbon bike. A good carbon bike costs anywhere from Sh200,000 (used) to over Sh500,000 (brand new).
“When I started, my bike was an entry-level MTB, which costs between Sh20,000 and Sh30,000. “I got another MTB, which was an upgrade from the previous one, then a Cyclo-cross hybrid and later I jumped to a carbon road bike,” she says. “There are people who are sold on off-road MTBs, and there are those who love road bikes, which is what I’m most passionate about.