It was March of 2006 and my Dad called to tell me he had signed me up for something called Little Red Riding Hood. Little Red is a women only bike ride, one of two in the country, that my mother and sisters had participated in for a few years. In March of 2006, my family had a history of biking, and I had a history of eating ice cream. I had been the 'fat sister' for some time, and though I walked regularly, and hiked and rock climbed here and there, I wasn't anywhere near their level of an athlete. I thought Dad was insane when he called. I didn't bike. I had been on a road bike once and hated it. I hadn't gone more than 10 miles and it had been years since I had done that. Little Red had three courses; a 45, a 68, and a 100. He had signed me up for the 45 and told me he was positive I could do it.
I decided to give it a try. My first ride was on my mountain bike. I think I went 12 miles. To me that was HUGE. I told my fam I was too afraid of the road bike and that I didn't really notice a difference anyway. They assured me there was a huge difference and talked me into trying it again. The road bike they had given me, called The Heggie, was an old Cannondale with the gears on the frame. You had to let go of the handle bars to change gears! I went over to the parking lot by the theater to practice and then set out on my second ride. This time I think I went 15 miles. A few days later Ryan and I went together. He separated from me early, because he had Spencer in the bike trailer and it was tiring. So I went a few more miles on my own. 18 whole miles this time. I was liking this biking thing, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself. It was upon returning from this ride that my life changed.
I was sitting in the swing in my front yard, still in my biking gear, when Amber Christiansen came walking by. Amber's husband had been our Home Teacher for years, as well as Josh's scout leader. Amber was in the Primary presidency while I was a teacher, and I saw her at church. That was about it. We had never hung out, talked on the phone, or done anything together. We had chatted briefly a few times. I had always wanted to get to know her better, but it just hadn't happened. She stopped to say hello and we started talking. She noticed my bike, and I told her how I had just gone on an 18 mile ride! I told her about Little Red and that I was training to do a 45 mile bike ride. "That sounds fun!" she said, with her typical Amber enthusiasm. "Well, you should do it too." Now, I must admit that at this point, I didn't really picture us doing it together. I wasn't sure how serious she was, and I didn't want some newbie slowing me down. I mean, I had done 3 rides already. (Silly me, it wasn't long before Amber was leaving me in the dust!) We made plans to meet up for a ride. She called me a few days later to tell me that she had told her neighbor Dominee, and she wanted to do it too.
Dominee Miles was the wife of our other Home Teacher, and lived across the street from Amber. I had brought her some soup when she had her son, Cutler, back when I first moved into the ward. That was the extent of our relationship. I had also wanted to get to know her better, but it hadn't happened. I am always having parties, and the Christiansen's and Mile's had been on many invite lists, but hadn't come to anything.
So, we met up for our first ride. Neither of them had ever done any biking. Dominee was a daily walker, and Amber did stuff here and there, but like me, they were new to this form of exercise. Amber and Dominee only had mountain bikes. We biked out to Mendon and back, a 16 mile ride, and they were kinda slow, if I'm being honest. It was their bikes though. A mountain bike just can't keep up with a road bike. They were hooked after their first ride. They decided they were going to need to buy road bikes and had them a few days later. I made up a training calendar for us, and we began our training. I think we logged several hundred miles. I had told my mom that I hoped we were prepared enough. She assured me that we were the most prepared of anyone she knew. She couldn't believe we did those long of rides without stopping for a coke in the middle!
We would ride 4 to 5 times a week. Some rides were short 20 milers, and others were 40. It was after our first 30 miler that we decided we were going to go for the 68 mile option. We had fallen in love with biking, and were feeling so empowered by this new hobby. It was such a great outlet and it was giving us so much confidence in ourselves to be able to start from nothing and go out and do these rides. Those 2 1/2 months of training were some of the best times I have had. The three of us just clicked and had the best time together. We were best friends, and we were biking partners for life...and the big ride hadn't even happened yet. Cache Valley is beautiful, and traveling it by bike is a blessing.
One day while coming home from a ride, we decided we needed to make ourselves official. We needed a name. A few ideas were tossed out until Amber suggested 'Kick Asphalt.' We LOVED it--though my Dad doesn't think it is very lady like.
Finally the big day arrived. It was the first Saturday in June. I had written the girls a little card and gotten them some chocolate. We met at Amber's at 7:00AM and Kyle took us out to Wellsville. If you've done an organized ride or race, you know the charge in the air from that many people gathered to compete in the same event. There were so many bikers! There was music! There was breakfast! We were so excited!!! After taking a few pictures (Which I still don't have a copy of!!!) we got on our bikes and took off. We all had different paces, and we were used to riding what we could and meeting up at a designated rest stop. It was nice to not feel the pressure to keep up, or feel bad if you were in the lead. The first leg of the ride was from Wellsville to Amalga. I think it was about 15 miles. I started off strong, but because I was 5 weeks pregnant with Hannah, I grew winded at about mile 8. Amber passed me about then and I told her I'd have to slow it down. I don't know how something the size of a pea can constrict your lungs so much. Anywho, the three of us met up at Amalaga, and then started leg #2 to Lewiston. A lunch was provided there, and Ryan came out with Spencer and brought his bike and the bike trailer. The idea was that he would ride with me for a few miles, but he ended up following Amber, because she is faster. They are both little speedy competitors. So Dom and I stayed together through leg #2. There is a hill in this leg that we were not expecting. We had done some rides with hills in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, but those were nothing compared to this. Oh my gosh! It is a climb that goes up around the East side of Newton hill. Although it's not a steep grade for most of it, is a steady climb for about 4 or 5 miles. The last part does get steep. Several women were walking their bikes up the hill. It took all my strength to peddle through that. I was worried about Dominee behind me, because she has asthma. I kept calling over my shoulder, "Are you alright?" We finally made it and enjoyed a nice down hill coast into the town of Newton, where we were provided with another rest stop complete with drinks, fruit, crackers, etc. Ryan and Spencer had been waiting for me there, and Spency was having fun at the park. After refueling, we started the last leg back to Wellsville. This portion of the route we had actually rode several times in training. Mentally we had prepared for 60, because that's what we thought it was going to be. It wasn't until ride day that we learned it was actually 68. Those last 8 seemed to take forever. We had been riding for hours, and the sun was hot!
The last mile was incredible. All these months of training, all the miles logged had led to this moment. I thought about my Dad, who had believed I was capable of something I never would have thought I could do. I thought about my little friends, who had just accomplished something so big. I was so excited for us! So grateful for the experience. Fine! I teared up! It was hard not to bawl as I rode back into the Wellsville Tabernacle parking lot. I set my bike down and went looking for Amber. I couldn't hold back the tears when I saw her. I threw my arms around her and said "I'm so proud of us!" A few moments later Dominee crossed the finish line and we all cheered. It was really one of the most perfect experiences.
The very next day my morning sickness hit. I am so thankful that it didn't come a day earlier, because I would not have been able to ride if it had.
Little Red was all we could talk about. We continued riding throughout the summer. We'd do shorter 20 mile rides during the week, and longer 30-45 milers on Saturdays. You would think that our other friends would have wanted to tell us to shut up about Little Red...but actually, they caught the bug and decided to give it a try as well.
In March of 2007 5 other women had road bikes. I well remember them going out for their first ride of the season, because I was sitting on my front porch, 8 1/2 months pregnant. I pretended to cry and weep and wail as they went riding by. They felt really bad that I had seen them and felt left out. Milly was born April 4th and I was back on my bike before the month was over. This time I was only able to get 4 rides in before Little Red. I was pretty slow the first time out the gate and I felt a little embarrassed because of it. But I did just have a baby, so I'll stick to that excuse. A few days before Little Red, a 6th friend decided to ride it on her mountain bike.
The night before we went out to pick up our packets and enjoy a not so good dinner. The next morning we met at Amber's again and took pictures. This time there were 8 of us. One of the girls wasn't able to ride after all, because of doctor's orders. I'm still waiting for my copy of those pictures as well. We got to Wellsville, had some bagels and took off. I think originally most of the girls were going to do the 45 miler, with just a few of us doing the 68. In the end, I think two did the 45, the rest of us did what turned out to be 78, and Jill did the 100. It was so fun to see so many friends accomplishing something so big. Isela, had just learned to ride a bike that year!!!! I think women can sometimes be so competitive and jealous of each others accomplishments, but with this group it was so the opposite. We cheered for each other, encouraged each other, motivated each other. Having just birthed a baby 8 weeks prior to the ride, I was in a lot more pain then the first time around. I had to stand up in my seat pretty much every mile for the entire ride. The last 10 miles were killer! I was almost in tears from the pain the last 2. Ryan had parked in Wellsville and ridden towards me to finish it with me. He met up with me only about a mile outside of town. He told me I should keep going to make it an even 80. Easy for him to say! I felt just fine with 78. It was so fun to wait at the finish line and cheer for each of the girls as they finished. What an awesome adventure.
That afternoon we all met at Amber's for a water party and pizza dinner. She set up slip-n-slides and pools for all the little children. They played while we ate. I had made up some certificates and Amber and Dominee and I had bought a candy bar for each of the girls that represented how they rode. We officially inducted them into the Kick Asphalt Bike Club. Then we played some water games with the husbands. They beat us pretty bad in water baseball. They were kind of gloating and one of the girls had to say, "Yeah, good job. You just beat a bunch of women that rode their bikes 80 miles."
Tomorrow morning we are meeting to discuss our plans to make this years Little Red a fund raiser for Eliza Saunders. We'll have a flier with our picture and ask people to donate what they can, or so much per mile. We are really excited about making Little Red be about something more than just us this year. I love the Kick Asphalt Bike Club. I love this group of women. I love biking. And I love my Dad for starting it all.
I was sitting in the swing in my front yard, still in my biking gear, when Amber Christiansen came walking by. Amber's husband had been our Home Teacher for years, as well as Josh's scout leader. Amber was in the Primary presidency while I was a teacher, and I saw her at church. That was about it. We had never hung out, talked on the phone, or done anything together. We had chatted briefly a few times. I had always wanted to get to know her better, but it just hadn't happened. She stopped to say hello and we started talking. She noticed my bike, and I told her how I had just gone on an 18 mile ride! I told her about Little Red and that I was training to do a 45 mile bike ride. "That sounds fun!" she said, with her typical Amber enthusiasm. "Well, you should do it too." Now, I must admit that at this point, I didn't really picture us doing it together. I wasn't sure how serious she was, and I didn't want some newbie slowing me down. I mean, I had done 3 rides already. (Silly me, it wasn't long before Amber was leaving me in the dust!) We made plans to meet up for a ride. She called me a few days later to tell me that she had told her neighbor Dominee, and she wanted to do it too.
Dominee Miles was the wife of our other Home Teacher, and lived across the street from Amber. I had brought her some soup when she had her son, Cutler, back when I first moved into the ward. That was the extent of our relationship. I had also wanted to get to know her better, but it hadn't happened. I am always having parties, and the Christiansen's and Mile's had been on many invite lists, but hadn't come to anything.
So, we met up for our first ride. Neither of them had ever done any biking. Dominee was a daily walker, and Amber did stuff here and there, but like me, they were new to this form of exercise. Amber and Dominee only had mountain bikes. We biked out to Mendon and back, a 16 mile ride, and they were kinda slow, if I'm being honest. It was their bikes though. A mountain bike just can't keep up with a road bike. They were hooked after their first ride. They decided they were going to need to buy road bikes and had them a few days later. I made up a training calendar for us, and we began our training. I think we logged several hundred miles. I had told my mom that I hoped we were prepared enough. She assured me that we were the most prepared of anyone she knew. She couldn't believe we did those long of rides without stopping for a coke in the middle!
We would ride 4 to 5 times a week. Some rides were short 20 milers, and others were 40. It was after our first 30 miler that we decided we were going to go for the 68 mile option. We had fallen in love with biking, and were feeling so empowered by this new hobby. It was such a great outlet and it was giving us so much confidence in ourselves to be able to start from nothing and go out and do these rides. Those 2 1/2 months of training were some of the best times I have had. The three of us just clicked and had the best time together. We were best friends, and we were biking partners for life...and the big ride hadn't even happened yet. Cache Valley is beautiful, and traveling it by bike is a blessing.
One day while coming home from a ride, we decided we needed to make ourselves official. We needed a name. A few ideas were tossed out until Amber suggested 'Kick Asphalt.' We LOVED it--though my Dad doesn't think it is very lady like.
Finally the big day arrived. It was the first Saturday in June. I had written the girls a little card and gotten them some chocolate. We met at Amber's at 7:00AM and Kyle took us out to Wellsville. If you've done an organized ride or race, you know the charge in the air from that many people gathered to compete in the same event. There were so many bikers! There was music! There was breakfast! We were so excited!!! After taking a few pictures (Which I still don't have a copy of!!!) we got on our bikes and took off. We all had different paces, and we were used to riding what we could and meeting up at a designated rest stop. It was nice to not feel the pressure to keep up, or feel bad if you were in the lead. The first leg of the ride was from Wellsville to Amalga. I think it was about 15 miles. I started off strong, but because I was 5 weeks pregnant with Hannah, I grew winded at about mile 8. Amber passed me about then and I told her I'd have to slow it down. I don't know how something the size of a pea can constrict your lungs so much. Anywho, the three of us met up at Amalaga, and then started leg #2 to Lewiston. A lunch was provided there, and Ryan came out with Spencer and brought his bike and the bike trailer. The idea was that he would ride with me for a few miles, but he ended up following Amber, because she is faster. They are both little speedy competitors. So Dom and I stayed together through leg #2. There is a hill in this leg that we were not expecting. We had done some rides with hills in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, but those were nothing compared to this. Oh my gosh! It is a climb that goes up around the East side of Newton hill. Although it's not a steep grade for most of it, is a steady climb for about 4 or 5 miles. The last part does get steep. Several women were walking their bikes up the hill. It took all my strength to peddle through that. I was worried about Dominee behind me, because she has asthma. I kept calling over my shoulder, "Are you alright?" We finally made it and enjoyed a nice down hill coast into the town of Newton, where we were provided with another rest stop complete with drinks, fruit, crackers, etc. Ryan and Spencer had been waiting for me there, and Spency was having fun at the park. After refueling, we started the last leg back to Wellsville. This portion of the route we had actually rode several times in training. Mentally we had prepared for 60, because that's what we thought it was going to be. It wasn't until ride day that we learned it was actually 68. Those last 8 seemed to take forever. We had been riding for hours, and the sun was hot!
The last mile was incredible. All these months of training, all the miles logged had led to this moment. I thought about my Dad, who had believed I was capable of something I never would have thought I could do. I thought about my little friends, who had just accomplished something so big. I was so excited for us! So grateful for the experience. Fine! I teared up! It was hard not to bawl as I rode back into the Wellsville Tabernacle parking lot. I set my bike down and went looking for Amber. I couldn't hold back the tears when I saw her. I threw my arms around her and said "I'm so proud of us!" A few moments later Dominee crossed the finish line and we all cheered. It was really one of the most perfect experiences.
The very next day my morning sickness hit. I am so thankful that it didn't come a day earlier, because I would not have been able to ride if it had.
Little Red was all we could talk about. We continued riding throughout the summer. We'd do shorter 20 mile rides during the week, and longer 30-45 milers on Saturdays. You would think that our other friends would have wanted to tell us to shut up about Little Red...but actually, they caught the bug and decided to give it a try as well.
In March of 2007 5 other women had road bikes. I well remember them going out for their first ride of the season, because I was sitting on my front porch, 8 1/2 months pregnant. I pretended to cry and weep and wail as they went riding by. They felt really bad that I had seen them and felt left out. Milly was born April 4th and I was back on my bike before the month was over. This time I was only able to get 4 rides in before Little Red. I was pretty slow the first time out the gate and I felt a little embarrassed because of it. But I did just have a baby, so I'll stick to that excuse. A few days before Little Red, a 6th friend decided to ride it on her mountain bike.
The night before we went out to pick up our packets and enjoy a not so good dinner. The next morning we met at Amber's again and took pictures. This time there were 8 of us. One of the girls wasn't able to ride after all, because of doctor's orders. I'm still waiting for my copy of those pictures as well. We got to Wellsville, had some bagels and took off. I think originally most of the girls were going to do the 45 miler, with just a few of us doing the 68. In the end, I think two did the 45, the rest of us did what turned out to be 78, and Jill did the 100. It was so fun to see so many friends accomplishing something so big. Isela, had just learned to ride a bike that year!!!! I think women can sometimes be so competitive and jealous of each others accomplishments, but with this group it was so the opposite. We cheered for each other, encouraged each other, motivated each other. Having just birthed a baby 8 weeks prior to the ride, I was in a lot more pain then the first time around. I had to stand up in my seat pretty much every mile for the entire ride. The last 10 miles were killer! I was almost in tears from the pain the last 2. Ryan had parked in Wellsville and ridden towards me to finish it with me. He met up with me only about a mile outside of town. He told me I should keep going to make it an even 80. Easy for him to say! I felt just fine with 78. It was so fun to wait at the finish line and cheer for each of the girls as they finished. What an awesome adventure.
That afternoon we all met at Amber's for a water party and pizza dinner. She set up slip-n-slides and pools for all the little children. They played while we ate. I had made up some certificates and Amber and Dominee and I had bought a candy bar for each of the girls that represented how they rode. We officially inducted them into the Kick Asphalt Bike Club. Then we played some water games with the husbands. They beat us pretty bad in water baseball. They were kind of gloating and one of the girls had to say, "Yeah, good job. You just beat a bunch of women that rode their bikes 80 miles."
Tomorrow morning we are meeting to discuss our plans to make this years Little Red a fund raiser for Eliza Saunders. We'll have a flier with our picture and ask people to donate what they can, or so much per mile. We are really excited about making Little Red be about something more than just us this year. I love the Kick Asphalt Bike Club. I love this group of women. I love biking. And I love my Dad for starting it all.