Perhaps you remember your first bike (mine was a yellow banana bike), or your first ride. Maybe you were young or maybe you aren’t, but it happened…you pedaled your bike and that feeling of freedom, independence and confidence come over you. Next time you went a little farther, then climbed that big hill, then rode a charity event and perhaps even have participated in a race or two. Now you can’t imagine life without your bike. This is the magic between a girl or woman and her bike.
Magic is what it felt like last Saturday at Bicycle John’s bike shop in Agoura, CA. Bicycle John’s graciously hosted a WomenCyclist (a.k.a.RaeLynn) Ladies Ride & Clinic. We met in the morning for breakfast and divided into two groups; one route was shorter lead by Jennifer(owner of bike shop) and Irene Johnson (Cat 2 racer). The second group rode a warm up pace with the first until the split in Westlake Village where we went on to practice paceline and group riding skills with the guidance of Kalyra RAAM 2010 Ladies Jill Gass &Sonia Ross.
If you haven’t experienced the thrill of a double paceline 40 women strong you must give it a try. It isn’t about the speed, but the incredible energy of the group. Truly inspirational from beginner to advanced rider. We were lucky to have sunny skies and quiet roads to enjoy this experience.
The longer riding group returned to Bicycle John’s in time to help the first group finish up a flat changing clinic, eat lunch and dive into our other topics of interest for the day.
Many of our riders took full advantage of Janis Burns; professional soigneur who worked out the kinks, helped stretch and relax the riders after the ride. I think Janis deserved a massage at the end of the day—she worked hard and we all learned a lot. Best piece of knowledge for me: the ice bath benefits—challenge is; actually doing it!
Jill Gass and Sonia Ross shared with us their goals for 2010 RAAM and experiences at past RAAM events. Amazing level of commitment/ planning and training…All to benefit Girls Inc. in Santa Barbara, even better! http://www.kalyrawomensracingteam.com/index.html
Next up on the podium we had Susan Farber, sports psychology coach from The Winning Edge: www.thewinningedgesb.com. Susan talked about goal setting and fears that hold us back, as well as answered questions about specific issues/challenges woman in the audience experienced. We learned that group riding poses a great deal of anxiety for women and hope to bring more clinics in to help with group riding skills, both mental and physical.
Irene Johnson explained the benefits and challenges associated with bike fit. How to overcome issues and the importance of bike fit to aid in injury prevention as well as improving performance. The right chamois and the right saddle top the list of most necessary items for our ladies.
We finished up the day with another flat changing clinic for those long riders who hadn’t had the opportunity to do that earlier.
I would be remiss not to mention that we even had our very own videographer filming this event—wow did we feel special, but I bet he felt like the luckiest man alive that day—haha… Thanks Michael.
And of course we ate again…after all we did ride!
All in all it was an amazing day, with amazing women who love to ride bikes, share their experiences and knowledge for the benefit of the movement: Get more women on bikes!
Days like Saturday inspire me…
Women I’ve met like Jill, Sonia, Susan, Irene, Jen, Janis and all the participants inspire me….
Indeed this is a long blog, but so much effort and time went into this event from all of our contributors it would be a shame not to spend some time sharing it properly.
Much thanks goes out to:
• All the participants for coming out to ride.
• To Bicycle John’s owners, Jen, Scott and Mike for the facility, food and support everyday
• To Kalyra RAAM 2010 riders Jill Gass and Sonia Ross
• To Janis Burns, professional soigneur
• To Susan Farber, sports psychology coach
• To Irene Johnson, Cat 2 racer
• To Bryan and Fabien for the mechanical support
• To Michael Rieder for videotaping
• To Robin Karlson for the photos that are attached to this post (please credit her if you use them on your socials/websites)
Pedal fast, but enjoy the journey…
RaeLynn
www.womencyclist.com
USA Cycling Coach
All a girl really needs is an open road,
her favorite playlist,
a beautiful, fast bike and
legs that let u never feel the chain:)
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