There was something terribly intriguing about Stephanie's essay titled, "I stole my first bike" that captured our attention. Although it was her description of her transformation from utilitarian riding to a true love affair with her bike that sealed the deal. Stephanie's story is familiar to many of us at Trek, from saving money for six months for a new set of wheels that cost more than her first car, to the Zen feeling she gets from truing a wheel. And only after two years of riding she says, "I know what cadence means, how many watts is a lot. I can fix a flat in my sleep and tell the difference between a pinch flat and goat head at 50 yards." Clearly she fell in love with cycling hard and fast. But her husband fully supports her cycling affair.
With her recent move from Idaho to Minnesota, she is expanding her horizons quickly to city riding and cruising the river bottom trails. Without a doubt you too will be intrigued by Stephanie's cycling journey from utilitarian riding in College to a true love affair on and off the road only two years later.
And went outside to find it was cold, foggy, and very very DARK...
And ran for one mile on a quiet dark road...
And let your thoughts get the best of you...
And thought about all the WILD animals that might live in South Dakota...
And this came to your mind....
And this...
So you decided to run back to the farm...
At a considerably faster pace than before...
And you made it back just fine...
Felt silly, but safe...
And did some wind sprints in the yard to make up for the shortened run...
And finished up with a few stretches on the front porch...just to be sure.
All that happened to me a couple weeks ago. I was more scared on a run than I have ever been. I look back on it now, and it was pretty funny. Just thought I would share!
Bill and I had so much fun on our bike trip to Duluth. The Willard Munger State Trail was amazing. 70 miles of the most beautiful scenery I have ever ridden through. It was breathtaking with all the fall colors and great views! Duluth was amazing as well. We spent half the day Saturday just hiking around on trails and through the city. Just wonderful. We ate at some really good restaurants and even went to a University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldog Hockey game. That was a ton of fun to watch and the Bulldogs won in overtime...very dramatic and exciting!
We spent all of yesterday riding back to Minneapolis. After about 75 miles on the bike I was ready to be done. Unfortunately, we still had 40 more to go. I made it, tired and sore. We got back last night just in time for dinner at one of our friend's house. (Randy and Chrissy you're awesome)
Some of the cool animals we saw on the trip...snake, deer, red-tail hawk, blue-jays, and a porcupine. Just a great trip! We cannot wait for our next biking adventure!
Bill and I are headed off for a short bike trip to Duluth MN this weekend. I hear it is beautiful and cold up there this time of year. There is apparently a paved bike trail going from Hinckley to Duluth. It is called the Willard Munger State Trail. We have never been on it, but this is what the website says: "The 63 mile Hinckley - Duluth segment of the Willard Munger State Trail
is now completely paved, making this the longest paved trail in the
world." Longest in the World! Amazing, and right here in Minnesota!
I love this time of year, and the leaves should be beautiful. We are going to start about 100 miles out and then pedal 100 miles back. It should be tons of fun...just Bill and I...and our bikes...and the camera. I'll bring back some pictures!
Trek's Breast Cancer Awareness Ride at Sioux River Bicycles went great. Over 100 people came out to show their support. It is not official yet, but I think only one other store in the Nation had more people at their event then our group. Way to go Brookings! I feel like we took a step towards fighting back cancer.
The day started off with some thunder, rain, and chilling temperatures, but that didn't stop us. By the time we got out to ride, the temperature was still cold, but it was a beautiful day. There were multiple breast cancer survivors there who participated in the 25 mile ride. So cool! I met wonderful people from Brookings; what a great city!
Thank you for everyone who donated time, and funds for the event. I hope you had as much fun as I did!
I am headed to Sioux River Bicycle and Fitness today. They are one of 100 stores across the nation that are hosting Trek's Breast Cancer Awareness Ride. Their store is a four hour drive for me, but definitely worth the drive. I met the owner in Madison Wi, at Trek world, and I was very impressed with his "women friendly" store, and his involvement in the community. He is really getting people involved in Brookings, SD.
He recently wrote to me in an email:
"This weekend is our local college homecoming. The exciting thing is that the College president and his wife are borrowing Gary Fisher Simple City's and riding in the homecoming parade as the first entry. Then they are circling back and riding with our hopefully large group of riders from the store as we promote 1World2Wheels.
The parade is normally watched by over 35,000 people, so we should make some sort of statement.
The Student Association President and his vice president have pledged to never drive their cars to the college this year, just walk or ride their bikes.
We are doing our best for advocacy here, and I have been tasked by the city to create a bicycle plan for the city and the University."
I am so impressed with this store and what they are doing for women, and for the community all together. I am very excited to go visit. I'll let you know how the Breast Cancer Awareness Ride goes tomorrow. We should get a big turn out!
If you want to read more about what Sioux River Bicycles is doing in the community, click here.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that means it is time to Think Pink and Ride. Every year, Trek sponsors a family-friendly bike ride in order to raise awareness for Breast Cancer research, treatment, and prevention. This year it will be held in participating Trek dealers across the Nation on Saturday, October 11th.
I will be joining Sioux River Bicycles in South Dakota for the ride this Saturday. If you have not signed up yet, hurry! It is for a great cause, and if you live anywhere near me or Minnesota, this may be your last chance for an outdoor ride this year...it is getting cold.
Bring you friends and families. I hope to see you there! For more information or to register, click here.
