A tribute to one legendary guy, inspiration, supporter and friend of Stolen Goat.
Ok, so most of you (hopefully) will have seen the new AW20 collection. It’s been a strange old year with no shortage of challenges but we are extremely happy with what we have produced and our stockists have deemed it our best collection yet.. And we agree!
As much as we love the entire range, there is one jersey design in particular that is extremely special. One that will probably be framed and placed on the SG wall of history (metaphorically for now, until we get back to the office). Yes… I’m talking about none other than the ‘Ronny’ design, available as a Bodyline jersey for men and women.
So why is this design so special I hear you ask?
Well, let me explain. If you are an avid follower of our Instagram page and hashtags or even the SG Facebook group… you may have seen a guy called Ronny Jansson (@cyklarforlivet). Ronny is a stolen goat super fan, a great customer and friend. He probably has more SG kits than I and maybe even loves SG as much as I do… maybe. Ronny is legendary status, not because he’s a customer of ours, or because he publishes a lot of photos in SG kit, or because he is very social and a great conversation starter on our FB page (although all of these things do make him legendary and helps us massively) …. the main reason he is legendary is that Ronny overcomes the odds every single day… Ronny was born with two club feet.
Having undergone 23 operations since he was born, Ronny has never been able to stand, walk or run without experiencing incredible amounts of pain. The most recent operation back in 2017 seemed to have gone well and for 2 years the pain had died down. Unfortunately, the pain in Ronny’s right foot has started to come back and so, a visit to the doctors has been scheduled with the intention of removing some screws from his foot to see if the pain eases. Ronny mentioned that he’s had a conversation with the doctor in the past regarding amputation as a future path but for now, he remains optimistic and waits to see what happens next.
As you can imagine, with minimal exercise because of limited movement, Ronny gained weight easily. In early 2016, he weighed 270 pounds and ashamed of how he looked, set out to change this. Dabbling in different exercises and sports, there was nothing that either didn’t hurt him or that kept him motivated.. until he tried cycling. With a 3-speed 10-year-old bike, Ronny covered 500 miles experiencing Freedom like never before. But it wasn’t until he purchased a road bike from a friend that he really found the love for cycling.
After seven months, and riding over 2,500 miles, Ronny had lost a whopping 66 pounds (30kg). He has carried it on ever since 2016 and to date, has logged over 600 rides and over 14,000 miles – an epic feat. But it doesn’t stop there, with the weight falling off and the love of cycling getting stronger… Ronny wanted more. He set challenges for himself. One of them being the Vätternrundan (the world’s largest recreational bike ride, with around 23,000 participants riding 175 miles around Lake Vättern, Sweden’s second-largest lake ). “It was absolutely magical and the most fun thing I have ever done in my life” and the best thing is… his feet were not hurting by the end of it.
Ronny’s story is incredible and inspiring, yes it’s totally heartbreaking to hear but Ronny has turned his life around and keeps ploughing on, always keeping hopeful and positive. And this is what we love about him, you can always find him on socials spreading love and encouragement to all. And his kindness and positivity doesn’t stop there, Ronny works as Treatment Assistant at a facility for young people aged 15-21 years with drug problems and criminal lifestyles. What a guy!
He is a helper, a GOAT, a true inspiration, a hero and totally deserving of the goat jersey.
Ronny, from all at SG HQ and from the entire Herd… You are Epic! Keep doing what you are doing.
