Weal: Pedaling with purpose

MONTREAL - Jordan Weal is taking full advantage of his surroundings in North Vancouver to stay in tip-top shape during the NHL pause.

The 28-year-old forward has been road biking with his father, Kelly, several times per week to complement his daily workout regimen with his trainers over Zoom.

Weal first made the sport an integral part of his offseason program last summer, and he was eager to begin cycling again when he returned to British Columbia in mid-April.

"It's perfect for keeping the legs in condition," said Weal, who registered eight goals and 15 points in 49 games this season. "There are huge mountains around here. They've got these paved roads that go about 20 to 30 km into the mountains, too. They go up, down, and around, and you can ride for as long as you want. And there's tons of biking here in Vancouver and bike lanes, in general. You just go for a ride and see where it takes you."

One of his favorite spots to work up a serious sweat is Lynn Valley, which is located between Mount Fromme and Mount Seymour. It's where the former third-round selection grew up.

"We've been doing some 50 km rides with 3,000 feet of elevation. That's my sweet spot, distance-wise, between 25 km and 50 km," explained Weal. "I try and keep the rides hockey-specific, too. It's almost like interval training with all the hills. You go up a hill really hard for three minutes, and then you get a five-minute break on the way down. I found it really helped me with my cardio, my fitness, and my endurance going into the year, so I've been carrying it on a lot this spring as well."

It's safe to say that Weal's relatively newfound passion for cycling came from Kelly, who is a real enthusiast.

"My dad's a big Tour de France guy, but he's also into the technical side of things. He's always fixing bikes, and he actually helped me get my first bike last week," mentioned Weal. "He got into it about seven years ago. He really opened my eyes to it, kind of the nuances, and we watch the Tour de France every summer. I think I got most of my competitiveness from him, and he's kind of channeling that into cycling now. It's pretty cool to see."

Admittedly, the five-year NHL veteran isn't a big fan of riding indoors to maintain his fitness level.

Appreciating the picturesque scenery is just too good to pass up… and a little friendly competition with one of his biggest fans is always enjoyable.

"I think I'd just go crazy riding the stationary bike for that long. That's part of the reward of going up the mountain, you get to come down and enjoy. You're outside in the fresh air and you're in the mountains. You feel like you're racing bikes," said Weal. "And you get to spend some more time with your father. It's fun to compete with him and get a little rivalry going. That's what it is out there. You're riding with each other and helping each other push through stuff. We're both very competitive."

Those competitive juices won't be flowing super high when he hits the ice in BC for the first time in quite a while this coming week or next.

He'll be taking things slow, which is only natural when you haven't laced up the skates since early March.

"It's going to be a process," said Weal. "You can't expect to go out there and go a million miles an hour for an hour and a half. We've been off the ice for two months. You've got to kind of ease into it. It's about getting the feel of being on the ice again."

On the homefront

Weal hasn't been riding out the League's pause solo.

Two of his favorite people have been staying with him - his younger sister, Mackenzie, and his girlfriend, Brenée.

"It's nice to be home. My sister goes to school in Calgary, so I only get to see her during the season when we play there. We're kind of the same personality. There's always a little butting heads with your siblings, but it's been a lot of fun," mentioned Weal. "Brenée also made the trip out from Nova Scotia, so we've all just been hanging out in the sun and social distancing at parks. It really helps that Vancouver is an outdoor city, so you can kind of get out there and socially distance from people pretty easily."

Speaking of social distancing, Jordan and Brenée proudly rocked these epic unisex T-shirts recently.

They were created under the CHic brand by Angela Price and Julie Petry.

Click here

to purchase yours now.

All profits will be donated to Moisson Montréal, which will provide food for Montreal's most vulnerable.