Canton man cycles his way to balanced life

By Janette Dragvold

Cycling along the picturesque bike trails of Southeastern Minnesota is a leisure sport for most people, but Canton resident Shane Birch has taken his love of cycling way beyond that.

He purchased his first full suspension mountain bike while in college, participated in his first mountain bike races, and was hooked. 

“I loved it,” states Birch.

Though it started with mountain biking, he eventually expanded his cycling endeavors to include road racing, duathlons (much like a triathlon but instead of swimming the competitor runs, bikes and then runs again), and cycle cross.  At one point he took a short break from cycling and ended up getting into running.  Birch has competed in running races anywhere from 5K to marathons and everything in between.  

The rolling hills and numerous bike trails in the area make it a perfect place for him to train.  Though he admits to being competitive and enjoys the competitive nature of the events he does, he didn’t necessarily start out that way.  He began training a couple times a week  and progressed to having a structured training plan.  Now he trains six to seven days a week, sometimes a couple times a day depending on what he has planned for races coming up.  He currently participates in around 20 races a year; all within the tristate area. Cycling and running races go throughout the year, even in the winter months. 

Even though he really enjoys competing in the races he doesn’t necessarily do it to win.  He does it for himself and tries to do the best that he can.  

“It kept me active; it gave me some structure in sports,” says Birch. “Now it’s progressed into more of a lifestyle where it helps me balance my life with staying healthy and being mindful.”

To help keep himself motivated, Birch tracks his stats on an online virtual bike application called Strava.  He can even pick routes that are on Fillmore Counties bike trails.  If you have a bike computer with GPS it will automatically track stats for you.  

“At this point in my life I like to train, and I like to push myself,” states Birch.  “It’s not necessarily about the numbers that I get; about the times that I get, although sometimes that’s good motivation, but it’s more about putting the time in and looking back in my training log and seeing what I’ve done and what I’ve accomplished.  Last year, I had a goal of 5,000 miles on the bike, and I finished with 5,800 so the goal this year is to do 6,000.”

The support of his family helps him also, but it goes both ways.  His wife Paula and children Dylan, Nathan, and Carlee have participated in 5K runs with him at different times over the years and have also come to cheer him on at various events.  

“He makes me very motivated to try to be active at my level, but I get more enjoyment out of watching him reach his goal,” explains Paula.  She also supports her husband by taking photos and videos of him in action at competitions.  

A couple years ago the now 50 year old started cycle cross, which added more races to his season.  These races are done on a road bike with special tires where the participants go through a course of obstacles.  Every course is different and can include anything from fly overs, to man-made stairs, to hills so steep that you have to carry your bike up them.  There are even low hurdles that some of the more skilled racers are able to jump over while on their bikes.  Two of the cycle cross races that he participates in are also attended by many of the professional cycle cross racers.  

He already has various cycling races and runs planned for this year.  His closest is a fat bike race he is planning to attend in February.  He explained that fat bikes are essentially mountain bikes with fat tires.  With these bikes you can race all year long, and they are easier for beginners.  

Though Shane Birch is what most people would consider a true athlete, he encourages others, no matter what age or physical ability, to be active.

“A big stigma that I think people have is ‘I have to be in shape in order to do something and since I’m not in shape I’m not going to try’ and they think that people are going to look down on them when we don’t because obviously we had to start somewhere as well,” he explains. “Just get out there and put one foot in front of the other; one pedal in front of the other and just keep going.  Ultimately you have to do it for yourself otherwise its going to be short lived.  You have to find something that’s going to keep you healthy whether its walking or snowshoeing or whatever… just do it.”