Andrew Ference
Mixing pucks and pedals
Andrew Ference is at peace as his retirement looms. After 907 games not only in the nhl, but also the whl, ahl and even the Czech league, he’s prepared financially, physically – and mentally – for the next chapter in his post-nhl career. Ference recently completed a graduate program at Harvard’s Extension School i n corporate sustainability and innovation; he’s a partner in a venture-capital firm that invests in startups that use sustainable technology, and cycling is set to play a key role in the road ahead.
“I’m putting on a lot of miles on my bike these days,” says the 37-year-old. The journeyman defenceman won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011 where he used to cycle to practice. During the past 16 years, Ference also suited up with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames before signing with the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent in 2013. Unfortunately, he only played in six games in the 2015-16 season before a lingering injury, followed by hip surgery to repair torn cartilage, cut his year short.
“Thankfully, as part of my rehab, cycling was one of the few activities I was allowed to do following the surgery,” Ference says.
Growing up in Sherwood Park, Alta., on the outskirts of Edmonton, cycling was a way for a young Ference to get from Point A to Point B, his two wheels equalling freedom. “When my parents first let me ride my bike on my own and go outside the usual neighbourhood boundaries, I remember that moment better than when I was first allowed to drive a car,” he recalls.
Since then, cycling has always been a part of the athlete’s life. He spent summers mountain biking in Canmore, Alta.; others climbing the ski slopes in Whistler and touring B.C.’S Okanagan Valley. Ference has even travelled with his bike to Europe where he completed some of the Alpe d’huez, prior to the Tour to France. “Cycling was always a part of my off-season training,” he says. “A really hard climb up a road to a ski hill takes you to a place that tries to break you. If you can make it through stuff like that, you can get to triple overtime in the playoffs. It’s not even the same exhaustion level.”
Ference enjoys cycling year-round. He has a Strava account to keep track of his riding stats . Recently, thanks to a tip from a pair of professional cyclist buddies, he discovered Zwift, which transformed his winter riding routines. “Friends Ted King and Tim Johnson introduced me to it,” he says. “It’s like a video game. I put on a lot of indoor miles this year while I was rehabbing and getting through my injury. It really changes the way you indoor ride.”
Some of Ference’s favourite rides these days are early morning runs through the downtown core of his hometown. “I love to get up super early and climb on my bike at 4:45 a.m. for a city ride,” he explains. “The streets are completely empty. You get to see the sunrise as you tear down these usually traffic-clogged roads.” Following these rides, three days per week, Ference leads the Edmonton version of the November Project, a free group fitness workout, organized via social media, founded in 2011 – part Crossfit, part flash mob. Looking ahead to life off the ice and on the bike, Ference is psyched to do some ambassador work for Cannondale. He rides a new Synapse Hi-mod. He has also signed up for the Haute Route in Colorado in 2017. He knows he’ll have to drop a few pounds to be competitive in this seven-day gran fondo. “It’s such a great sport,” Ference concludes. “I love it and can’t say enough about how it’s helped me in my career, and in my life.”