After Years of Struggling With Substance Abuse, This Former Dancer Found Cycling and Sobriety
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Name: Johnathan Jimenez
Age: 44
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Time Cycling: 10 months
Reason for Cycling: To build mental and physical strength and endurance in the game of life’s journey.
I began dancing at the age of 9. As a child, I was involved in musical theater, and it was recommended I take dance classes. I originally wanted to sing and act, but once in the dance studio, I accelerated and progressed rapidly with ballet. I began competing in Youth American Grand Prix and World Grand Prix ballet competitions, which led to scholarships with prestigious ballet companies. I danced internationally in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Austria. After many years dancing abroad I returned to North America and continued my dancing career.
But from my early teenage years, I had always had a struggle with substance abuse. A steady focus on ballet and my career always kept my habitual use to what I gauged as recreational usage throughout my teens and early adulthood. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s and going through a difficult breakup that I began to lose control of my drug habit. It quickly escalated rapidly, and soon I had a daily habit of using. I often felt it was out of control, but I had micromanaged it so successfully for so many years that I was able to hide it quite well from friends and family.
By the time I turned 40, my drug habit was a permanent fixture in my life. And although I desperately wanted to be rid of using, I couldn’t come up with a successful plan to eliminate it completely. I was immersed in the lifestyle and couldn’t ever remove myself from it, even though I kept trying month after month. I often felt like I was sitting with one foot in and one foot out, more often with both feet in. The people I surrounded myself with often left me in compromising positions and jeopardized what stability I had left in my livelihood.
On the evening of May 2, 2021, it all came to a tragic end. I befriended a transient on a street corner, inviting him into my hotel room to get high. My brother Dustin was staying with me at the time. Shortly thereafter, the individual came out of the bathroom with a gun in an attempt to rob us. That evening, Dustin was shot and killed attempting to disarm the assailant while protecting me. In no less than 60 seconds, the fabric of my life as I knew it had changed. Hearing Dustin take his last breath will never leave me.
I was broken, and knew I needed to start making changes in my life. On June 2, 2021, a month after the incident, I walked into CycleBar and took my first class. I had dabbled with spin classes before and knew that it was a form of exercise that I was drawn to, and was naturally attracted to the whole concept of rhythmic riding to music. I remember feeling challenged the first time knowing that my athletic ability was not nearly what it needed to be for me to be successful at riding.
But I quickly developed a regiment for myself by riding once a day, seven days a week for the first month. By month two, I had gradually built it up to two rides a day. I believe in setting goals, so I made some for myself: I wanted to hit 500 rides by the beginning of 2022, and then hit 1,000 rides within a year of joining CycleBar. I am currently on track, as I am now well past 600 rides. The overall goal with my indoor endurance training is to work toward long-distance ride challenge races here in Colorado in the next year, and then take it internationally for bigger competitive races by 2024. Currently, I ride approximately 13 to 16 classes a week. I am also training for competitive bodybuilding, and have my first competition in August 2022.
The community of friends I’ve met through cycling has helped me to heal tremendously. I often tell everyone that cycling has helped me turn tragedy into triumph, hatred into love, loss into legacy, and sorrow into celebration. It is a true honor and blessing to ride with a group of individuals on a daily basis that are on the same vibrational frequency as my own. There is nothing more satisfying than growing stronger together as a group. It is a joy to watch others achieve and overcome, as they help me to do the same.
The best advice I can give anyone new to cycling is to get out there and do it. What are you waiting for? Only you can make the change that you want, and no one will do it for you. The end result of taking control of your own happiness, whether physically or mentally, is worth it. The work will be hard and painful, and may ultimately press you to the limits of where you want to give up–but don’t. Achieving the best version of yourself is what this life’s journey is all about.
Only surround yourself with like minded individuals who encourage and support your growth and happiness. Get rid of anyone that doesn’t support that vision. Always remember your true self worth and what that means to you.
Love yourself the most so that you are ready to love others. It’s never ever too late to make a fitness change in your life–you just have to commit yourself to the vision and stick with it. Two of my favorite quotes are: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take“ from Wayne Gretzky, and “There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life” from Tom Brady. Only you can control your happiness or unhappiness.
Jonathan’s Must-Have Cycling Gear
→Kinisi Performance CBD Preworkout: I love this product. It’s an amazing preworkout without all the jitters other ones give you.
→Trigger Point MBX Massage Ball: This product is so great for working out any mild fascia pain in your body, whether it be on your legs or back.
→Vanquish Tapered Sweatpants: Right now my favorite apparel item is the men’s jogger pants from Vanquish. They are super form-fitting and hug your muscles. I wear them for riding and weightlifting.
These three tips have helped me create a consistent cycling routine that I love:
1. Give yourself grace
Have patience with yourself and overall contentment with where you are at. We all start our journey at the beginning, and no one is instantly perfect or a success. Growth on any level takes time, so be kind to yourself and try not to be judgmental.
2. Surround yourself with the right people
I think this is essential in achieving true success on any platform. Too often in our lives, we don’t take value in our own self-worth and what that ultimately means. Having the support of others who want to see you achieve the best version of yourself is empowering, and will only help fuel your own desire to meet goals and expectations.
3. Make some longterm goals
Look toward the future, not just in six months, but in a year or two years down the road. Mapping it out can be rewarding for yourself. Find ways to ultimately celebrate your milestones as time progresses. You are the winner in this game, and that deserves trophies along the way. Make sure you’re constantly acknowledging your work and achievements. Anyone taking on physical pursuits knows it isn’t easy!
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