B.C. Lions legend Brent Johnson slims down, gears up in post-CFL life

Following the decision to retire from the CFL after 11 seasons as one of the most dominant defensive linemen of his generation, Johnson has embraced civilian life and the physical proportions of a normal working man. 4,079 Bc Lions Photos & High Res Pictures - Getty Images

Cycling is his new passion now and, because of it, Johnson believes he will a shadow of the man he was when he terrorized CFL quarterbacks.

“I’d like to get down to 210 [pounds],” said Johnson, who will be placed in the Lions Ring of Honour at half-time Friday at BC Place Stadium. “I know that’s a very ambitious goal, but I’m biking a lot. I still need that competitive outlet. I’ve been doing the speed and power thing with football for so long. And now I need another challenge.”

Johnson, who played at 265 pounds because that was the requirement of his position, is already headed south because of cycling competitions such as last Saturday’s RBC GrandFondo Kelowna, a 142-km. distance race around scenic Okanagan Lake, where Johnson was among a pack of 1,200 riders.

In June, he was a participant in the Squamish Test of Metal cross-country bike race, which covers 67 km., half of that distance single-track and featuring 1,200 metres of climbing. Vernon Adams Jr. shrugs off injury concerns ahead of Stampeders tilt - Coast Reporter

He’s no Ryder Hesjedal or Catherine Pendrel, the reigning world queen of mountain biking, just yet. But the overall calorie burn, and strain and stress on his thighs, hamstrings and gluteus maximus is just as profound.

“They’re fun, neat little toys,” Jackson said of his specialized, carbon-fibre road and mountain bikes, “It’s not life or death if I win or I lose. At the end of the day, I’m not picking up a paycheque for my cycling, and I won’t be any time soon. But it’s enjoyable and I still want to do well. I still put pressure on myself, but the good part is I don’t beat up my body too much doing it.”

Indeed, unlike many other professional football players, who give blood, sweat and sinew to the game, and feel the physical cost long after retirement, Johnson seemed to have been surrounded by a protective barrier.

He joined the club in 2001 — Johnson was a third-round pick in the 2000 draft, from Ohio State, one of those dumb-luck selections who rewarded the Lions for years to come — and he never missed a game, except once. That was to attend the birth of his first child, Roman, whose arrival coincided with the Lions game against the Eskimos last Oct. 29.