Struggling with how to start this blog - the BFF says “why did you decide to start riding?”. So obvious! But such a loaded question. Fitness, weight loss, stress relief - all the usual reasons. But there was one more thing: I have been teaching indoor cycling or “spinning” for 7 years. The kind people at 24 Hour Fitness gave me drills to teach my students, ways to make them “feel” as though they were outside on a real bike instead of in a sweaty room on a bike going no where. The problem was, I always felt like a bit of a fraud. Sure I knew how to ride a bike (1976 on a Schwinn with a banana boat seat and no helmet!) but I didn’t know how to ride a REAL bike. Well at least not one with more than 3 gears that I couldn’t ride with a solo cup of alcohol in one hand.Thus began my adventures in the great outdoors on two wheels. After saving for 6 months (a decent road bike is surprisingly expensive) I found my bike. Thats her pictured above right after I bought her: a Specialized Dolce Elite. However - in the search for my bike one thing became apparent: Cycling was a man’s world and they didn’t really want girls in the club house. There are a brave group of women who do this, but our numbers are few. Its like a secret club. So - I don’t pretend to be any kind of expert. Not at all! But I hope that what I have learned in the past two years of riding I hope will help and inspire (and maybe even entertain) you. I am not a “typical athlete” and have had many physical challenges along the way, but I ADORE cycling. The feeling of being on that bike is the best in the world. And if what I have to tell can inspire just one person, that makes it all the better.