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Published Nov 11, 2025 • 3 minute read
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Montreal Alouettes head coach Jason Maas speaks to the media at the Grey Cup head coaches’ media conference in Winnipeg, yesterday. The Alouettes and Roughriders are set to to play the 112th Grey Cup on Nov. 16. David Lipnowski/The Canadian PressArticle content
Not having the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup gives us a chance to take a peek into another CFL organization’s inner workings.
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Today’s peek: into the back rooms of the Montreal Alouettes and what they call their 30-cal challenge.
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What began almost as a punishment two years ago has become a punishing workout players love and hate at the same time.
“Just push the limits on our conditioning – and suffer,” is how head coach Jason Maas described it on Tuesday. “It’s something that separates us. Not too many teams want to do it or have done it. But we’re willing and able and love it.
“It’s a window to your soul, we like to say.”
It started when members of the Montreal defence challenged each other after a less-than-stellar practice in 2023.
Putting two air bikes side-by-side in the weight room, they competed to see who could burn 30 calories the fastest.
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A week later, the entire team started doing it. Then coaches joined in.
When the Alouettes started winning, it created a snowball rolling straight into hell.
“It’s just doing something that you really don’t want to do,” is how veteran linebacker Darnell Sankey put it. “It’s not just about football. It’s about life, too. In life sometimes, especially as grown men, we have to do things that we don’t want to do. To play on this football team, you’re going to do the 30-cal challenge.
“And if you don’t do it, then you’re probably not going to be here too long.”
The air bikes allow players to use their arms and legs for power.
Maas says the best time for a big player is around 19 seconds. Smaller players may take 40 to 50 seconds.
“But you will give it everything you have, until you have nothing left,” the coach said. “Which is what we ask our guys to do in practice and we ask our guys to do in the game. It will hurt you. And it’ll hurt you really bad for a number of minutes. And our guys are willing to do that every week and try to break those records every week.”
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“A true test of character,” D-lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund added. “No matter if you’re injured – we’ve got people doing the 30-cal just with their arms, people in there doing it just with their legs, people with torn ACLs in there… it’s more than just a challenge. Throughout the game you’re going to get tested that way as well. And throughout life.”
This year, as in ’23 when they won the Grey Cup, the Als have gone on a late-season run and reached the championship game, knocking off the Blue Bombers and first-place Hamilton along the way.
And yes, an air bike made the trip from Montreal. It’s parked in the Bombers’ part of the stadium, as Montreal took over the home team lockers and weight room.
“I don’t know too many people on the team who actually like the bike,” receiver/kick returner James Letcher, Jr., said. “We saw it getting packed up and we were shaking our heads.”
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When their turn comes this week, though, they’ll get on it and embrace the pain all over again.
Linebacker Alexandre Gagne says he doesn’t get stressed by much, but the day he has to do the challenge he feels anxiety as soon as he gets out of bed.
“It’s something special,” Gagne said. “It’s not something special fun.”
The times are tracked, so they can tell when someone slacks off.
Hence, the window into their souls.
“How much are you going to give us? It’s all on you,” Coach Maas said. “It’s a choice. Do you want to make the choice to get better, or not? And it’s for the guy next to you. So give ‘er.”
The Als will try to turn that pain into the ultimate pleasure on Sunday, taking on Saskatchewan in the CFL’s title game with all those 30-cal challenges not just under their belts, but in their hearts and minds.
“When you get to this level, you’ve got two teams sitting in the Grey Cup. What’s different about those teams?” Adeyemi-Berglund said. “They both believe they should be here. They both believe they’re going to win that Cup. What’s the difference?
“This is one of the defining parts of our culture.”
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca
X: @friesensunmedia
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