About Me

A Little About Myself:

I've only been cycling for less than two years, so in no way am I an expert on cycling. I biked as a child, of course, but just up the road and back or around the yard. Nothing much. About two years ago, I decided I needed a good way to get exercise that didn't involve me going to a gym. The weather in CA is beautiful so I felt like working out inside was a waste (that and I hate going to the gym). A friend of mine had been cycling for years, so I figured that if I purchased a bike, he would be able to help me learn how to properly use it as well as know some good places to go riding around the bay area. So my husband and I went out and purchased brand new mountain bikes. We decided on mountain bikes, figuring that they would be good for multi-purpose riding. Meaning that we could ride on the road or paved paths, but we could also go off-road and hit up some trails. Thankfully, this thought process paid off, as our friend was happy to have some other people to ride with. He started us out on easy paths as well as on Canada Road, which has a bicycle Sunday event where they block off part of the road for only bicycles. This was perfect to get me going and my friend would at times ride beside me and teach me how to shift properly and which gears to use for different situations. I quickly picked things up but I was still a bit of a slower rider. I often felt like I was getting left behind by my husband and friend. This was not going to do! The more I practiced and learned how to use my bicycle more efficiently, the more I started to realize that this wasn't just exercise for me. It was a new passion. I loved the feeling of gliding along, wind in the hair (through the helmet of course). I fell in love with cycling. I made the decision, I needed to get a road bike and become a legit cyclist (not that mountain bikers are not legit; I give props to those crazy hardcore mountain bikers).

After a ride one day, I got a call from my friend. He had found a road bike and if I was interested, it was mine. He brought it by and I gave it a quick little test ride around the block. Seemed fine to me; I didn't really have any experience with road bicycles before, so what did I know. Also, it was a great deal and I couldn't pass up the price. He told me that he would clean it up and even helped me get some new tires for it. Also, if after riding it a few time I didn't completely like it, he would buy it back off me. Well, he never needed to buy it back. I quickly became attached to my new bike and haven't looked back since.



How Did I Become Involved With ALC:

So, that friend of mine I mentioned above, well the year I was planning my wedding, he was training for ALC. I'm not really sure how he came across it, but after seeing and hearing about his journey, I was intrigued. I didn't decide right away that it was something I wanted to do, but I was interested in what it entailed. Since I had started to get into cycling more, my friend recommended that I join the cycling group he was a part of and check out some of their rides. This group was a South Bay training group for the AIDS LifeCycle ride. Little did I know when I joined them for my first group ride, they would become a second family to me. The first ride I did with them was on my mountain bike and it was actually a celebratory ride after they just completed ALC.

This past January, I decided that I would continue to ride pretty much every weekend and join the South Bay Blaze for their new training season. At first, I only wanted to go to the ride if my friend was going to be there. I didn't like the idea of riding with a bunch of strangers. What if something happened to me while riding, they wouldn't know who to call. But I soon realized I would be fine, no need to worry about the 'what ifs'. The more I rode with the group, the more new people I met. It was a great way to meet friends who I would never have met otherwise.

I did almost every ride with them that training season. However, due to a prior commitment (my sister was getting married; no way could I miss that), I wasn't going to be able to actually participate in the ALC ride. Instead I signed myself up for the Tour de Cure. I was able to raise a little over $600 for the American Diabetes Association and completed the 76 mile course. It was an accomplishment in its self. It was the first time I ever raised that much money for charity.

After seeing all the photos my friends posted from their ALC ride, I knew that nothing was going to stop me from doing ALC next year. So on June 13, 2013 I signed myself up for AIDS LifeCycle 2014.