A Lovely Life

Twenty years ago this month, I moved to Georgia and got a job at a local bike shop. My long-term boyfriend from my early twenties was an avid cyclist and bike mechanic. He had gotten a job wrenching at a local shop, Bicycles Unlimited. I was 19 and looking for a retail job since, at that point, it was all I knew. The shop was owned by a family and they were welcoming to this young girl working there with ZERO experience. I started on the sales floor and moved on to inventory management. It was my first foray into the inner workings of small businesses. More importantly, this was my introduction to the bicycle industry which has been one of the most meaningful relationships I've ever had.  I'd say 75% of the people I know in my life can be credited to a bicycle. Whether it be through rides, shops, or sponsors... I have met some of the most inspiring and influential people because of a BIKE. Some of the most fulfilling experiences I've had have been on a bike or because of bi...

I've been wanting to give Kebler its own post because it deserves it. And so do I, for that matter. Some of you may have heard me reference Kebler. Some of you KNOW what Kebler was like because you were there. Some of you have no idea what I'm talking about, so let me elaborate. Kebler Pass is a mountain pass outside of Crested Butte here in Colorado. It summits at 10,007 feet and passes through the Gunnison National Forest and is a mixture of paved road and gravel. It's known for one of the largest Aspen forests in the United States. It's part of my Big Bike Adventure course and has been scheduled on the third (of four) day of my ride. It's big and bold and stunning. It's also the place I've learned (twice now) how to dig deeper than I have considered impossible.  I went into my ride with Noah in 2018 woefully underprepared. I hadn't looked at an elevation map, or any map for that matter, before taking this on. I knew it was gravel and I...

I'm still in a post-ride haze: 141 miles with, 8,400' of climbing, and 130 pounds in tow through the mountains of Colorado with one of my favorite, most inspirational guys. There's a lot to process from last week. It was wonderful and HARD and life-changing. My Big Bike Adventure with Hank. All of it is too long to ever share in a single post, or ever probably, but I'll try to give you some snippets as I recount our ride together. For now, I'll share some lessons I've learned in no order of importance. Lesson #1: There will always be lessons. The thing I love about events (and life) is that you're constantly learning. Something will always come up. The goal should be to figure it out, overcome it, write that shit down and remember it next time. Lesson #2: Check your shit. Hank got a special bike to ride with me because he was my pusher in this. The HUGE upside was that he was able to train on it getting him comfortable in it for our adventure. Th...

Hi. It's been a while. Sorry about that. Life's been a little weird, which has made me weird(er) and much MUCH quieter than normal. I wanted to post some updates on life and training for any of you who may still pop on here from time to time. Life. In June, I took a full-time position with the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center in admin. It was 8 months of back-and-forth and figuring out a place for me to get my foot "officially" in the door there. I love the environment and much of the work that the wonderful people I work with do. I've already learned so much and have begun to carve out a little niche for myself there. Something I seem to be good at--making shit work! I'm excited to be a part of it and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to continue to grow myself and my career where I actually feel valued. Plus! BENEFITS Y'ALL! I work an hour from where I live. I'm also trying to have some semblance of a dating life, so I feel like I live...

This will be a long one.  Mostly, for me. I want to savor every moment of what was the biggest physical (and emotional) challenge I've taken on. I want to relish this great accomplishment. If you're into small novels, sit back, grab a cup of coffee (or wine depending on the time of day) and come with me back through Helen & Noah's BIG Adventure. First, I have to say that our team of people was INCREDIBLE. I couldn't have asked for a better, more perfect group of humans. They played every "role" perfectly. I'll name them and give a general description of what they were around to do. However, I cannot possibly describe them or what they gave me any further. Simply put: I wouldn't have gotten through this without each of them. Naomi - Noah's Mom Stacy - my coach Peter - mechanic/sherpa/human compass Josh & Nic - our film crew Day 1: The Intro We got Noah into the trailer and learned quickly that zip ties would be our friends during...

Sunday was a massive training day. A few weeks ago, Cindy Snyder reached out to me via Facebook offering me the chance to train with her son, P.J. P.J. is 32 and has Angelman Syndrome and an incredibly accomplished athlete. We were connected through Dennis with Athletes in Tandem here in Colorado. Dennis is the guy who sparked this entire adventure idea. We made plans to have a training ride with P.J. and to invite the local community to come ride with in hopes of promoting inclusion, showing how it's done and gaining donations to Helen & Noah's Big Adventure.  It would be the most I'd hauled at 104 pounds. The trailer is 32lbs, P.J. weighs 72lbs. I was scared sh*tless. My training leading up to this had been with a max of 45lbs. There were a few rides where I was climbing when I was like, "How in the HELL am I going to do this with even more weight. I'm going to embarrass myself in front of a group of people who are there to support us." So, I took...

Holy CRAP, I love the cycling industry. This week I got a reminder as to why. On Sunday, I had a big training ride pulling P.J. My bike shop hosted, we invited the community and had a group of about 10 of us. It was awesome! The day didn't go without incident, though. Our group was heading back toward the shop, riding on a 2 lane road and riding single file. I was 2nd in the line of cyclists which included a dad and his 7-year-old daughter on a tandem and P.J. in my trailer. I look to my left and see a student driver vehicle dangerously close to me. There was an oncoming car in the opposite direction. I look into the passenger seat and see an older gentleman and a terrified-looking driver white knuckling the steering wheel at 10 & 2. I raised my hand to (admittedly) flip him off, but I've been making a habit not to do that. I know better than to get into confrontations with 4,000 pound death weapons. I also like to give thumbs down if needed because it actually feels...

Ugh. People can be massive assholes. I know this because I started my Monday morning seeing multiple notifications from my business' Instagram page from an internet troll. For those of you unaware of what trolling is in this day and age, I give you Urban dictionary's definition:  "The art of deliberately, cleverly**, and secretly pissing  people  off, usually via the internet, using dialogue." This guy has been trolling our page for a few weeks now, leaving snarky comments that have made me roll my eyes but not much more. Until yesterday, when I started scrolling to see that this former customer who is completely unjustified in being pissed at my business and totally and utterly wrong in directing his anger at me, decided to personally attack me. On the public social media page of the business that I help run. The same page whose very content I solely manage. **He isn't "clever" as I've been able to easily identify him, BTW.  It's ...