AVS/Deltec Woman’s Team 1st Race

The women learned a lot about racing yesterday.  The moderate pace and surgi-ness of the pack was surprising.  I had been warned, but I didn’t expect it to slow down as much as it did.  Erica experienced being forced to the front of the pack first hand.  She tried to some extreme slow downs, but the pack just went with her.  This may have been pack punishment for a couple of wobbles in the first first lap.  They left her in the front until she blew up.  With that said, she probably pulled the group for 10 or so miles. That shows a lot of strength.

I couldn’t see Candance the entire race, but I learned later that she was right behind me.  She hung in there very well for the first 4 laps, but got stuck behind the yo-yo-ing at the back of the crowd and had to keep working hard trying to catch the pack.  Eventually that burned her out.  That made me wonder how teams know where everyones at.  I never knew where she was the whole time.

I stayed with the pack until the end.  I sat in through the entire race and watched the teams work.  I listened to what they said to each other, watched how they pulled in a break, and watched how they tried to support breaks (by the way, I didn’t think any of the teams were organized enough to be at the front and block for a girl on on break).  I thought the actual effort of the race was minimal.  I tried to make one break in the last lap because I had so much energy, but I probably went too hard and gave up too easily.  I was surprised at how lonely you feel all of a sudden when you go off the front.  You really get used to how easy it is in the pack and the security of having everyone around you.  All of sudden your alone and exposed and you know your getting chased.  After I got pulled back in,  I sat back and recovered.  I tried to position myself around one of the girls from the Lee-McCrae Team who I knew had to be their sprinter.  I’d ridden with her before and had pretty good idea what her strengths were.  I wanted to be where she was and watch how she moved up at the end of the race.  I was able to easily move up in the last half mile.  I finished the last hill about five back with nothing in front of me.  I could make a million excuses for myself, but the bottomline is, I didn’t go for it.  I stayed in my seat and peddled as hard as I could, but that didn’t comptete with the ladies who stood up and hammered.  I lost that race the second I knew I’d have to sprint.  I was 8th in the Cat 4 category.  I was dissappointed in myself for having so much left and not giving it my all in the end.

Lastly,  thoughout the race I saw a lot of teams working together and controlling the race.  I made an assumption that they were higher categories only to find at the end of the race that they were cat 4 teams.  That was a wake up call to me that it’s time for us to really start working together.  I feel good about the strength of our team, now we need to fine tune some skills and start working together.

Most importantly, my biggest fear was not realized.  I did not hate racing.  I had a lot a fun and I’m excited to go back today and do it again.

I watched The Juniors finish and can say they finished first and second by a pretty good gap.  No cameras needed!
-Jody Mcfarland
AVS/Deltec Womans Racing Team (sponsored by BioWheels)

Jill in Alaska

Jill up in Alaska writes one of my favorite blogs. Jill rides a lot, and she rides a lot in REALLY horrible conditions!

Definitely worth a regular check - Up in Alaska Blog

Little did I know…

I have always had an inner pull towards the dirty side of cycling…that was apparent when I was 13, out on my 1983 Nishiki 12 speed’s maiden voyage and I hucked a woopdy-do resulting in a bent rear rim…ooops!!!

Three years ago I was introduced to what has grown to a slight obsession. (OK OK…for anyone who has tried to have a conversation with me about ANYTHING besides mtbikng knows d@mn well I am COMPLETELY obsessed!!…but let’s move on about why!!!)

I was getting my life back in order (after what I would like to call one of life’s unfortunate detours)…I joined a gym, hired a trainer, started running & lifting weights. I had heard many stories about this place called Oleta. It had dirt, little hills, roots, rocks and something known as “singletrack”. Everyone who had been there always had a huge smile when they talked about it. A client of mine would come in for pedicures with her mtbike shoes on…the one with clips on them so she would tip-tip-tip all the way to my chair. She had mud on her shins, spots on her face, her hair was mussed, and stories of escape! I wanted to experience that freedom…I would in time. So I took my 1994 Diamond Back rigid mtb (a little boys model) in for a tune up…I was gonna be a “mountainbiker” !!!

…little did I know that escape was going to become a passion!

Somewhere between breakfast and dinner my good karma cashed in (with a little help from a friend) and I met “him”. He borrowed a bike, some of those clippie shoes and told me to follow…and follow I did. We rode as fast as we could (ok…so I had some fitness to work on) but I think I impressed him a bit! Apparently I passed the pavement ride with gold stars so off to that “singletrack” I had yearned to see.

This ride started off slow…I think I actually closed my eyes a few times. Somehow I made it over the first drop (not very gracefully I am sure) but failed the little climb littered with roots. My guide would holler out “PEDAL HARDER” in hopes I would make the next little hill….whew!!! Barely, but I did! He would stop and give me tips, yell out words of encouragement, constantly ask “are you having fun?” as if the grin on my face was not explicit enough!!! As the ride developed the speed accelerated…the risked increased…and the ego bloated! I was a mountain biker…hehe

He tried to warn me…”after the next little hill you have to swerve blah left blah blah then blah blah blah” I thought I was invincible, a natural, this trail is MINE!!! Hahahahaha…splat!!! I flew to the right…the bike to the left…and boulder (yeah! Boulder as in rock) in between. My guide, shocked and scared, ran to see if I was OK. HA! Of course! What is a little scrape? I popped up and swung my leg over the bike and wanted nothing more than to pedal farther down this “singletrack” to see what else it had in store for me!!! I think it was that very moment I had truly won that guides heart…

That night, tired, bruised, in pain and still grinning, I knew I would be visiting that “singletrack” again and again and again! A new passion was sparked in me…I found a sense of escape, freedom and challenge. Something that no matter how long I pounded away at it I wanted more, something that would bring me to tears but I couldn’t stop, something causes suffering and pain but I longed to endure…I wanted to pedal farther and farther and farther!!!

And pedal I do…I get cranky (pun not intended but made me giggle) when I can’t ride. I ride a roadie now too…have a commute/touring bike, as well as a unicycle (I hope to actually ride one day). I have had many hobbies and “things I like to do” but nothing seems to keep me as happy as simply riding my bike.

Thank you my Love for guiding me and continuing to ride along with me on this wonderful adventure…

Laurie

Something Special About The Road

Three years ago you couldn’t have paid me to ride a road bike. “I don’t like riding with cars, I don’t feel safe, I would get REALLY hurt if I fell,” I would say. My husband (Kris) would say,“You go downhill mountain biking at Killington - you’re chances of getting injured are much greater on the trail than on the road.” And of course there are statistics to back up his point. Nevertheless, I had no interest. Welll…I wouldn’t say I had NO interest, but I didn’t have enough interest to justify spending money on something I might not like.

Hubby knew me well enough to know that it was more about me being cheap than anything else. He saw how jazzed I was mountain biking - downhilling, cross country single track or simple fire roads and furthermore, I couldn’t get enough of spinning class. Kris knew cycling was in my blood and it was just a matter of time before I’d answer the call from the road. So…he devised a plan.

Kris and his parents jointly bought me a road bike for Christmas. They gave me a Bianchi Volpe in October, as late December in New England isn’t the best season for road biking. And even though some of the funds came out of our joint checking account, I didn’t complain. I was thrilled; but extrememely nervous - about cars, pace lines, not being able to clip out fast enough at an intersection…did I mention cars?

I vowed to only ride by myself. Again, pace line fear, didn’t want to hold others back, didn’t want to feel pressured. Also, I had a baby at home and it was nice to have true “alone” time. That fall, I got used to the bike and to being on the road instead of the trail and treasured the time by myself.

Winter in New England came quickly. When our daughter went to bed, we headed to the basement to pedal on trainers and watch reruns of Seinfeld. On rare temperate days I’d venture out on the road for 12-15 miles and needless to say, I didn’t get hit by a car (knock on wood!!) or get stuck in my pedals and tip over as I had so feared. Instead I nurtured my growing connection to the road and anxiously awaited the spring thaw.

About a year and a half later, I decided to ditch work one day and attempt my longest ride ever. To that point I had never ridden more than 35 miles, so I set my sites on 50 miles. I did it and was thoroughly impressed with myself. Kris was too, and he was so proud that I had called in to work to ride my bike!

Not long after that, we decided to leave behind long commutes and long winters and head south. In Asheville, we are immersed in a cycling lifestyle; partially because hubby left his sedentary computer tech job behind and pursued his dream of working in a bike shop. But there are other factors at play. In my previous life I left my home in suburbia at 6am to get to my desk by 7am where I stayed until 4pm before getting back in my car for the second hour of the day. Now I live a 5K away so when possible, I bike commute to work. There are far more cyclists in Asheville than in metrowest Boston and plenty of girls that are into the sport too. We got a Burley trailer for Greta who LOVES mountain biking with mommy and daddy at Bent Creek and thinks she is too cool for school when daddy brings her to day care in the Burley. Cycling is definately a lifestyle for our family these days.

And for me, the biggest factor that has kept me engaged over the last year is the female contingent here. In fact, it’s what got me to where I am today, which is literally the 62 mile mark. With two girl pals I completed my first metric century; and not any ol’ metric, but the Hilly Hellacious!

Stretches were tough and I’’m tired for sure but I never once thought “why am I doing this?” Instead I rode in a pace line and thought, there’s something special about the road.

Laurie’s Off-Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell

ORAMM 2007

These are not trails unfamiliar to me, in fact I rode 83% of the ride only 2 weeks prior. So why…why…why was I soooo nervous??? I laid awake for most of the night; when I actually did slip into REM my dreams took every wrong turn on the ORAMM route…why was my head in such turmoil over this??? Breakfast was just not going to happen either…I managed to get some breakfast drink down and compensated my lack of appetite with a gu and started on my Perpetuem drink early. Chris & I arrived in plenty of time to get situated…chat amongst The Misfits…visit the port-a-john waaaaay too many times (at least waiting in line gave me something productive to do) Finally, time to line up with the rest of the crowd and embark on what is known as the hardest ride in WNC….

GO!!!! I manage to stay with the Misfits, drafting…chatting…calming nerves that had
inexplicitly taken over. We turned up our first gravel road where I latched onto Mr. Stone’s rear wheel…not sure if he was so happy about this…he kept looking to see if I was still hanging on! And, yep! I was gonna hang on for as long……ARRRG!!!!!!! MY GLASSES!!! *%$#@#$% NOT AGAIN….I dropped my lenses! See ya boys… (I must get duct tape and secure those things to my head before the next big ride!)

Back on my bike struggling to make up for lost time. We are then directed to a surprise bit of single-track which happens to be a conga line of hike-a-bikers. I snag my place in line right behind out-of-towner local Cory…we babble our way to the top catching up with mindless chatter wishing we were actually ON our bikes pedaling away. At this point I feel compelled to mention that I was once again behind Mr. Stone…of course that would not be the case as soon as the hill began its negative elevation change. Continue reading Laurie’s Off-Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell…

Getting ‘Girled’

This will be one of the only posts you’ll ever see in ‘She Rides’ from a guy.

‘Getting girled’ is the latest in bike racing jargon from the man-pack. Admittedly, I know little of the history of strong women in cycling. My basis for discussion is simply emperical. Many years ago, only a few elite females could hand it to the guys. The lead pack of a road race was seldom anything but a sausage fest. In the dirt, even the Pro women were seldom pulling faster times in than the men’s Expert field. But women’s competition was marginal at the local and regional level in the midwest and SE US. Still, many men have blown themselves up to avoid being ‘girled’.

Before anybody finds any reason to be offended by the phrase ‘getting girled’, let me explain that it is a great thing. Moreover, ‘Getting womanned’ is just too hard to say.

In the mid-90’s thousands of women like Amanda McKay, Trish Stevenson & Karen Masson (now a mom!) got into the packs with the men, put up with our attitudes and egos, and perservered. In the new millenium, these grassroots heroines are huge players in the bike racing scene. They are inspiring all riders, shattering the glass ceiling of the male-dominated sport.

In 2003, I had the opportunity to ride the Shenandoah Mtn 100 with Trish S. I was in pretty good shape at the time and expected to finish in the top 10%. About 30 miles in, Trish grabbed my wheel, and we worked together for the next 30 miles or so. She probably did most of the work. Eventually, she pulled away on a long singletrack climb. I never saw her again. Damn, it made me smile. She won the women’s category with a big margin, and I made it into the top 10% of the robust field about 20 minutes back. (This was my first time at being ‘girled’. Frankly, it was a turn-on.)

Personally, I think this strong woman phenomonon kicks-ass. Maybe it is just because I love the balance women bring to the scene. Maybe its because they smell better than the guys. Maybe its because I own a bike shop and know that stong woman are growing our sport. Maybe its because I was raised in house full of women, and have a daughter. Maybe its because I enjoy watching guys wrestle with humility and their personal demons. For whatever reason, I have no choice but to look forward to ‘getting girled’ more often.

Show the world what you’ve got, ladies!

My New Pink Ellsworth

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, I suppose the wife of a bike shop owner would be expected to have a nice bike, perhaps the nicest available. Now I do, and I’ll tell you something, “I love it.” I’ve always had a nice bike and was quite pleased with them all, it’s just that now, I know what a bike can really do and just how good it can feel.

My little pink Ellsworth Truth is the finest ride I could of imagined. I feel like it wants to go faster than I can even go, like I need to catch up to my bike’s abilities. I better get riding. Truth is I had it for a couple weeks before I could even find the time to take it out for a spin.

Finally, yesterday I was not working and my friend Kristi was off as well. It was oddly cloudy and cool for the the beginning of July in Asheville. We headed out to Bent Creek in favor of Dupont as we were clearly not going to be able to swim.

The rain started when we got there, I barely noticed I was having such a good time. The bike wants to move, it wants to go over every log and get air on every jump. I guess in retrospect, I’m a little surprised how much of a difference a fine bike can make. I know it’s mostly about me and my abilities, but damn if i didn’t go faster on this thing, climb easier and just plain float down the trail.

I can’t wait to take it out again. I am really needing a ladies group ride with long miles and some swimming stops thrown in. Who’s going?? Summer is here!

Angela’s Bike Experience

Through the years, riding has meant different things to me. During my youth, riding was my only means of transportation. However, as I matured I realized I had potential and could develop my skills if I worked at it. I have never been a really fast person, although I have competed in many races. I found that through competition, I was allowing myself to explore new abilities while achieving better fitness. As an added bonus, I realized it made me feel really good while developing better self-confidence. Who knew??!!

Ironically, I started cycling AFTER graduating college at Clemson University in 1998. My husband introduced me to riding and hooked me up with my first mountain bike. We spent so much time on the great Isaqueena Trails in Clemson. I love that place! Back then it was really slow moving with lots of walking. Especially when it was summer in the HOT – HOT - HOT South Carolina heat. But it was so worth it. I found that we would get to see so much on bikes. We would go to this one trail in the evenings before dusk and watch the deer feed before we would head back down. That was such a fun trail; we called it “Wounded Knee”. I realized then how much I love nature and being out there. After that, I was hooked!! I love the beauty - I love the socializing – I love the long days – I love the sweating – I love the colors – I love the smell – I love the smiles – I love the speed – I love the rush!

Once I was hooked, we started taking weekend trips and vacations just to go riding in different places. I had not yet raced, but was enjoying just the act of being out there. You can go so far, in such a short amount of time and see so much. It’s truly amazing!! The most amazing place we visited was Moab, Utah. It is so beautiful out there. I would recommend it to anyone. Even though that was fun, what made it fun was that it was different. Being exposed to different terrains, different experiences and different locations is part of the addiction.

After moving to Asheville, I bought my first road bike. Although I mostly enjoy being in the woods, I must say that I enjoy the simplicity, speed and non-technical side of road biking. Sadly, I feel like I am a much better roadie than mountain biker. Once I had both bikes, I would ride so much more frequently. I finally decided I was ready to take on racing/metric centuries. So back in 2001, I signed up for Blood Sweat and Gears Metric Century. I was so nervous. I trained and knew I was ready, but that morning I felt so sick! I had it in my head that it was a race, when in fact it’s not. After the event, I felt like I was on such a high. I felt like I had achieved a huge thing!! And I had!! Since then, I’ve competed in several cross-country races, metric centuries and endurance mountain bike races. My toughest events thus far (that I have completed) would be racing duo with my husband at the Wild 100 Back Country Mountain Bike Race in West Virginia and racing solo at the Night Train 12 hour Cross Country Race the week prior. During that year, I learned a critical lesson. During a race or an epic ride it’s not how fast you go, it’s all about forward motion, without complaining!! At times, that’s really hard to do! But it’s definitely an attitude you have to keep, or it’s no fun for anyone.

I put in many miles that year. That’s the year before we conceived our daughter, Wiley. Since then, many things have changed. Thus far, I haven’t been able to put in as many hours of riding that I would like but that’s okay, she’s only going to be little for a little while and I plan to enjoy every minute. We’ve had to adapt our riding around her. Most of my rides now involve pulling a Burley Trailer. But it’s so great to be able to expose her to all of the things that we love. We have often talked about how lucky Wiley is to live in such a wonderful place and to have parents who enjoy getting out there, with her. Not only that, I’ve found that I have several great friends with small children, and we often get out there with kids in toe. During my time off the bike, I did reflect on my many memories and just get a rush, which would bring a big smile to my face. I am very excited to be a member of the BioWheels Race Team again this year. I plan attend more events offering support while focusing on participating mainly in metric centuries. Eventually, I’d like to compete in some endurance races; we’ll see what the year has in store.

Through the years our riding experiences will change based on where we are at that time in our lives. But the most important thing to remember is to keep ridin’- it’ll make you smile!!

Happy in Nature

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.   The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy while cares drop off like autumn leaves.” -John Muir

Not so long ago, maybe it has been about fifteen years now, I started to open myself up to my surroundings and know a feeling of happiness that was like nothing I have ever experienced before.  I grew up in rural Pennsylvania with nature all around me and sometimes the only friends to be made were the flora and fauna that surrounded me. I couldn’t avoid them, so I learned their names and cured my lingering loneliness with the help of my newfound friends.  I was fortunate in this respect because I formed an intimate relationship with nature, the greatest friend and best psychologist anyone could ask for.  What a feeling, to be in constant amazement and awe every single day at what to others may seem like the simplest of things.  The miracle of a flower, a rainstorm, a spider, and a tree, of the glittering stars above unobstructed by man-made light: of the mysterious sounds of the night.  Of all the sights, sounds, and smells of my forest.  I would lie down and listen to the spring peepers for hours and just surrender, accepting their invitation to a very peaceful and joyful place.  I stepped beyond experience alone and found the needs of my soul this way.  I have pondered my role in nature and feel good about any conclusions I have come upon.  I let my friends speak to me.  My feelings of interconnectness are the grandest things in my life and have shown me a happiness that exceeds all others.  One truth I seem to have found is that we have always been far more a part of the mystery of the world than our fearful egos can tolerate knowing.

I was reading the article on happiness on this website and it seemed like common sense to me.   Physical people are happier, but then I hike or jog or ride my bike nearly every day and so do most of the people I see day in and day out.  I am surrounded by a bunch of physically active folks and they all seem pretty happy pretty much all of the time.  One difference I noted is that for me and many of my companions, being active goes to another level of not just being active but being active in the out of doors.  I’m active outside, with my friend nature and through my activities I am able to reconnect myself to my planet and find happiness and inspiration on a daily basis.  To be honest, I feel like I know a happiness that some people may have never fathomed.  A more ecstatic happiness, if you will, and one that is rooted in my relationship with my world.  So I pose the question, am I happier than most folks?  I think I am, but then who am I to judge the depth of another’s happiness?  I do know that I have friends who use to play with me in the realm of ecstatic happiness, who in their adulthood have been swept away from it by their corporate jobs, their families, their city environments, or plain and simple rough times like divorce.  In our youth there was always time for a hike or ride and more than that, to just be in our surroundings in love with everything.  I am so fortunate that my work revolves around biking.  Having a lifestyle that revolves around owning and operating a bike shop has many benefits, like always being able to stay active.  It is the lifestyle my husband made possible for us and he can feel good about having an important role in protecting the environment through bicycle advocacy. It’s no wonder I am so flippen happy.   Many of our old friends busy lives don’t leave time for biking or hiking anymore moreover any advocacy for things close to the soul.  As a result, that connection they once knew gets put on the back burner way to long.  An occasional weekend get away just doesn’t cut it anymore because it just allows only a glimpse into the connection they once knew and leaves them wanting more.  I wonder if somehow they were able to take a hike every evening and made a point of it, they might find it somehow therapeutic, moreover inspiring.  Perhaps that one mountain bike ride a week would rekindle an old love affair.

I believe physical activity greatly increases your senses and could serve as a reintroduction to an old friend.  Imagine Getting out on the trail on your mountain bike.  Hurting atfirst, but letting go after the lactic acid burns away.  Realizing that you are indeed strong and that your legs still work pretty damn good.  Imagine climbing steep single track and getting over a few obstacles successfully.  You begin to descend and you are flying through rhododendron tunnels, gliding over streams just filled with magnificent energy.  You are on a mountaintop overlooking the valleys below, rhodendron in full bloom, pure beautiful color.  Your in a pine forest, soft trail beneath you, riding by a waterfall, a rock formation, hey there is a spiderwort, an Indian pipe, a boxer turtle.  Hello old friends!  I love this!  Physical activity like some drug opening closed doorways and you embrace your beautiful planet in a moment of ecstatic happiness.  The connection you feel be it through biking, jogging, paddling… takes you to that level of happiness that you got to know so well on those quiet contemplative days of discovery under an old oak tree that was your special place growing up.  A sacred place.  Maybe you never had such an enriching feeling of ecstasy and want to give it a shot.  Everyone should step beyond the outer limits of existence and embrace them.  As Socrates said; “an unexamined life is not worth living.”  Maybe our modern day bouts with anxiety and depression are  rooted in the separation we have created between the planet and ourselves.  Perhaps we should be trading in our paxil and Zoloft for a bike or a pair of hiking boots.  It certaily couldn’t hurt, but what if your just not able to fit in in your busy schedule.  Then maybe its time to pose the questions to yourself that you don’t want to face.  What is my job doing for me other than creating a paycheck?  What is more important, the things my television shows and commercials and magazines tell me I need.  Maybe what I actually need is free of cost.  Maybe I don’t need to work so much and then I can make time to be outside and to do the things that really mater to me.  Scary? Yes unfortunately for some it is but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.   Like the survey says, people active in the outdoors rank among the happiest, and what I am suggesting is that the root of that happiness lies within nature itself.  Perhaps human existence and the natural world have a unique unity, which needs to be present in our lives for the sake of our happiness and sanity.  Perhaps we need the aesthetic beauty of the world and that a separation from it may actually cause unnecessary neurosis.  Ecopsychology is an entire field of study on such ideas and many adventurous psychologists are finding huge successes using the environment as therapy.

We need access to wilderness and natural wonders.  We need the companionship of trees nd beasts; we need the reverence we experience in these inhumanly magnificent surroundings.  Worked for me and as far as I can tell I’m just another person not privy to any special secret that someone else doesn’t ave access to.  Give me a pair of hiking boots, a bike to ride, a boat to paddle and I am smiling big.  Give me an intimate moment with nature, and I damn near explode!

How Karen got hooked on Mountain Biking

I am going to attempt to describe to you how my blissful relationship started with the “fellas” at BioWheels and biking. After breaking my shoulder last spring, in another sport, I couldn’t find anything that compared to whitewater kayaking. One afternoon I was asked to try a road ride with my supervisor (who happens to be a bad-ass cyclist) She took me on the West Asheville, Hookers Gap ride. The intensity of the pain that I felt over my whole body showed me that this could be a long process.

I liked the thrill of the miles I could cover and continued to meet friends through riding with Robin (my boss). She had me pulling up the Parkway, riding the Ox Creek Plunge, and pressing around the Two Toe River Ride in Burnsville. Robin was riding for the “fellas” at Bio Wheels and I took frequent side trips to the shop and started meeting others to ride with. Eric Krause took me on an amazing ride in Saluda, NC that finished with a 22-mile uphill “death march” through the Watershed and various other rides. I had completed a few century rides and couldn’t decide if I was doing this to fill a void, ride behind men with nice butts or for the scenery. Then I went Mtn Biking and everything became clear.

This is where the real relationship began. The thrill of going downhill was like no other. Although slower on an Mtn Bike, especially on the uphill, I realized that there would most always be a downhill after the uphill and that was where I felt alive. So, like most of us do, I dove in head- first and purchased my first full suspension Mountain Bike. I couldn’t get enough. I was riding with various people with varying skills who really made me realize that you have to ride to get better so that is what I did. I rode as much a possible with encouragement from family and friends.I rode right in to the fall with hopes of jumping back on my bike this spring and feeling like I did the previous season. That was creative reality and a false perception of what truly lied ahead.

My shoulder got better so I started back kayaking. Pulling back from these wonderful people who had encouraged me to ride and who had been supportive. Although my winter travels took me across Central America where the whitewater kayaking through the jungles and the surf were breathtaking, I was missing something. The all over body buzz from a hard afternoon ride, the Friday night hack sessions over local brewed beers at the shop. The conversations with Amber and Matt, into the late night hours of the night, on any subject we could think of to talk about that infected our world. I realized that I had made bonds with good people and made memories that had become embroidered in my mind. I have this same feeling with my circle of whitewater friends, the biggest difference was I was using my lungs (gaining endurance) and strengthening my legs.

So I approached Matt (my kindred spirited friend) and I relayed to him that after reading his wife’s articles on the website, that I wanted my “fellas” back and I wanted to get back on my bike. He arranged for Amber and I to go on our first road ride of the season. Pushing a 45- mile marker, we giggled, and realized that maybe the winter didn’t totally ruin us. We decided to make our weekly rides more intense and more frequent. Riding for 1 hour, then two. You see it was happening again, the comradery, the very essence that had previously attracted me to this particular sport. “I have a hurt shoulder!” ” I am over 30!” “I have severe asthma and I hate up-hills!” I could make up a hundred reasons why I shouldn’t be Mtn Biking but then it all comes back to the single fact that the people I ride with are healthy, happy and successful individuals.

I was having such a grand time riding that I decided to plan my summer vacation around my bike. The question now was which bike. Would I Mtn Bike out west or road ride the east coast? I played with all my options and still in deliberation I decided to summer tour across Alaska. I mentioned this to Matt, one Friday night at the shop, and he talked to me for hours about touring and set me in the direction for my planning process. Little did I realize that somehow, that process had me joining the Bio Wheels racing team. A bit skeptical, I went to the Bio Wheels Team meeting at the Asheville Pizza Company. I listened to why people were there and it was all the same reasons that I wanted to get back with this group of riders. I voiced to Matt that “support” to the team was my main interest because I had done “support” the year before. (taking photos, carrying water and beers for the riders) Well, for those of you who know Matt, understand that “no” really isn’t in his vocabulary and he could possibly talk the bark off a tree. Secretly enjoying the support he gave me and accepting the challenge, I made arrangements to go on weekly rides with Amber and Kristi. (Bio Wheels riders)

The first few rides were probably the most entertaining. Laughing, taking frequent breaks and getting to know each other, I really felt like I was becoming a part of something meaningful. We started running together in the evenings, and riding together on a routine like schedule.

After talking about some upcoming races the three of us decided to enter the beginners’ race at Knobscorcher April 12th. This brings us to recent history. Friday April 11th rolled around and I decide to go up like I was going to race. (still not sure) Kristi, Kirt, Amber, Hyla and myself drove up to a beautiful setting at our cabin. Matt and Scott had already started a fire (weather was still cold from the snow storm the day before) we entered the cabin and the fun began. We all started creating rap songs about racing and being 30 years old and pulling out our best break-dancing moves. Then Matt showed up and showed us that he could have been the Cincinnati Street Break Dancing Olympic Hopeful back in his day. (nice moves!) The ladies then took off on a run (what turned into an accidental 1-½ hour run which was not recommended the day before a race) as other teammates arrived we watched the sun set, drank an Amber Lager (French Broad River Brewing Beers) and hacked until we couldn’t see the ball any longer. The question of the night buzzing around my cabin was, “Are you racing?” We wrapped up the night with a group yoga session and set off to get some sleep. My eyes were bugging out of my head, (it could have been all the beers I had consumed), but whatever the reason I was nervous and excited about the mornings events.

Race morning arrived and I awoke to the beautiful sunrise and smiling faces. Wolfing down coffee and bacon on my way out the door to the registration post, my stomach was rumbling fierce fully. (After making numerous trips to the porta- potty (mental note to self; don’t drink a six- pack before a race)) we approached the starting line giggling to each other as officials were asking us questions about logistics revolving around the race. I, myself, had never riding Tsali so I was completely oblivious to what was taking place. I spoke to Erica, the lady to my right, and heard words of nervousness at the starting line. I made the comment aloud, “Ladies, lets ride like it’s an afternoon ride.” And we were off.
All my memories from playing tennis and swimming as a child came racing back to me as the crowd clapped and cheered us up the first climb. I climbed away and zigzagged off into single track. I held first place for a good while and proceed to misjudge a mud pit at the base of a climb. I fell. I fell into the mud (my first endo) and could hear folks yelling for me to get up and out of the way. (Note to self: always pay attention to how many people pass you and what color jerseys you now have to catch up with) I jumped back on my bike, knowing I had fallen on my bad shoulder and continued to catch up with the ladies who had passed me. It was exciting, thrilling, and scary all at once. (I stopped at the bails of hay, (which wasn’t the finish line)) I had to start again and complete the race. This was a task because my bike had been stuck in 3rd gear for a while because my chain came off twice (I realized then that I had a lot to learn about riding bikes). Nonetheless, the race was over and Christy, Amber and I had finished our first race. We were smiling from ear to ear. Our teammates seemed more than satisfied with the results. There were 18 racers there from Bio Wheels and the most important part of this team was the support from Chris Wode, Justin’s dad, Ben’s wife and many others. They took time getting us fired up and making everything delightful. We were a presence at this place and it showed. I had found “that feeling” again. This was a place of acceptance. I liked these people, the ladies around me in the race, the judges, and spectators. It was a good feeling and I felt proud. Today is another day. I will go out to Bent Creek and run my 30- minute run and ride my hour ride. I will continue to plan my trek across Alaska. And I will continue to drink beers and hack at Bio Wheels in the evenings. I will grow as an individual and share what I have experienced and learned along my way. I plan on sending journals for you to read while I am venturing across this Grizzly terrain in Alaska. I will look back and remind myself what these “fellas” and “ladies” have done for me in a time of major self- transitioning. Thanks to those “ladies” and thanks to those “fellas” for keeping it real and making riding a fun thing to do.

Here is a great picture from the archive.