Why I ride

As promised, here is my essay for the Women Who Ride contest. The topic was Why You Ride and it had to be less than 500 words.

Riding was not something I took to right away. I admit it wasn't something I enjoyed when I first started. In triathlon, it is the only way to go from the swim to the run. My first year of training, I bought my road bike and rode because my triathlon training required it but I didn't like going out alone. Speeding cars freaked me out. I began to question if triathlon was really for me. Why continue doing something I didn't enjoy?

At the end of the triathlon season, I started riding my mountain bike on a regular basis. I didn't have any mountain biking experience and it was difficult at first but I kept at it. I was determined my bikes were not going to beat me. I was not going to let two bikes get the best of me.

I rode my mountain bike all winter. By spring, I was ready to tackle the road again. I joined a weekly group ride that went out of a bike shop. Those first couple rides were definitely challenging but it got easier every time. My stubbornness kept bringing me back. I wanted to be one of the faster girls on the ride. I continued to ride and then I realized I actually enjoyed it! I could get on my bike and I could go anywhere!

I realized there was so much I had been missing from a car! I began to notice patches of wild flowers, streams I'd never seen, views of rolling countryside, sections of road that stayed cool by tree cover; all the small things that are hard to see in a speeding car! Riding had become fun! It reminded me of what it felt like to ride a bike as a kid; before caring about structured training, heart rate monitors, nutrition, or schedules.

I continue to ride because I like seeing something new on a regular route and I like to go fast. I like to keep up with the guys. On group rides, I want them to know there's a girl right behind them keeping pace. I make them go faster. My sense of purpose now keeps me going back for more; I want to be the fast girl on the rides.

Last year I took time off from triathlon. My training had become a chore and I needed a break. After finding a hidden love for cycling, I am ready to go back to triathlon. I am determined with a renewed passion for competition. My bike is no longer the only way to get me to the run. Now my bike is what takes me places I never expected.