Meaghan Hackinen, a remarkable athlete and author, has masterfully woven her experiences as an elite cyclist into compelling literary works. Her journey from the demanding routes of the Trans Am Bike Race and Tour Divide to the pages of her acclaimed memoirs, "Shifting Gears" and "South Away," is a testament to resilience, passion, and the transformative power of storytelling. This exploration delves into how her two passions converge, revealing the depth of her physical and creative endurance.
In 2018, finding herself at a crossroads after the arduous 2017 Trans Am Bike Race, Meaghan Hackinen, a Canadian author and cyclist, faced unemployment and a sense of disillusionment while residing with her parents in Saskatoon. It was her mother who catalyzed her next creative endeavor, urging her to channel her recent intense cycling experience into a new book. Hackinen responded by meticulously recalling 30 pivotal moments from the race, diligently crafting daily scenes of 200 to 500 words. These initial writings, after being reviewed by her mother, were recognized as the nascent stages of a book.
Despite her initial skepticism about unifying these disparate narratives, the onset of the pandemic provided Hackinen with the solitude and focus needed to immerse herself fully in the project. This dedicated effort culminated in her second memoir, "Shifting Gears: Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race," published in 2023 by NeWest Press. The book's refinement was significantly aided by her "Beta Babes"—a group of her mother's well-read, retired friends who, with ample time during the pandemic, offered invaluable feedback. Their consistent advice to adopt clearer, more direct language was instrumental in helping Hackinen achieve her artistic aspiration: to craft a narrative that would intimately draw readers into her world and her sport.
Hackinen's ambition to create an accessible work resonated deeply with her goal of inviting readers into her journey. As the 2024 Tour Divide women's champion, whose record time in the 2,745-mile solo mountain bike race from Banff, Canada, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, stands as a near-unrivaled achievement, she profoundly understands the essence of endurance. This spirit is vividly captured in "Shifting Gears," which mirrors the relentless pace of racing, presenting a more approachable narrative compared to her debut memoir, "South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels." The latter, chronicling a cycling tour with her sister from British Columbia to the Baja Peninsula, distinguished itself from typical travelogues by offering a more literary exploration of the cycling experience, earning it finalist nominations for both the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and the Alberta Book of the Year (trade nonfiction).
Hackinen views writing as a profound method for deeper understanding, stating that it allows her to connect ideas in ways that mere thought cannot achieve, transcending simple documentation. Her first manuscript, "South Away," faced its own set of challenges, almost remaining unpublished. After completing her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Saskatchewan in 2016, she pitched the manuscript to a single publisher, only to be rejected. Disheartened, she set the book aside, focusing on her role as a volunteer coordinator. However, during a difficult climb in the 2017 Trans Am Bike Race, a fellow cyclist, Rolf Moser, challenged her about her unshared writing. Moser's persistent encouragement post-race, despite Hackinen's initial self-doubt and the obstacles of daily life, ultimately propelled her to commit to publishing "South Away." Enduring a string of rejections, her perseverance paid off when NeWest Press eventually accepted her manuscript.
This unwavering determination and grit are evident in both her literary and athletic pursuits. At 40, Hackinen continues to excel as a competitive athlete, having recently secured the women's title at May's 880-kilometer Hellenic Mountain Race. She is also planning a creative residency in November, where she will embark on writing a book detailing her victorious Tour Divide adventure. Both writing and cycling are, for Hackinen, endurance activities that require finding a state of flow. She sees parallels in the challenges they present, from the meticulous planning of packing lists and travel logistics in cycling to the rigorous process of incorporating feedback and refining word counts in writing. In both realms, she is driven by the intrinsic choice to forge her own path, a stark contrast to the conventional nine-to-five routine, allowing her to continually craft her life's narrative and journey.