"If you worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on." -Lance Armstrong

I'm going to say something that might scare some people if they read this, but it's very honest. When I applied for a spot on this team...when I accepted a position and made the commitment to train and fundraise and ultimately ride to Alaska.... all along I never really even knew if I would enjoy cycling! It wasn't until training camp in November that I knew I would love to ride my bike. But even then, with Christmas break approaching and the weather turning cold (at least for Texas), I stopped riding. I didn't have the appropriate warm cycling clothing/accessories, I didn't know routes in Austin, and did I mention I was deathly afraid of traffic?

This semester has been a different story. Our first week back, we were required to ride 40 miles. I rode 65. Our Saturday morning ride was 25 miles and the other 40 I rode earlier in the week—in preparation for Saturday to make sure I didn't embarrass myself actually. On days I wasn’t riding, I was running. I found that my bad knee actually does better cycling than jogging. (That had been another of my worries with this trip).

Now, I find myself wanting to take my bike everywhere (well, anywhere I can take it inside with me because I refuse to rely on a lock when there are master bike thieves lurking) and I am always surfing the internet looking for cycling jackets, jerseys, and accessories. I’ve always loved the shopping center on 6th across from Whole Foods with Anthropologie and Book People, but since my new love of REI, I could spend all day hopping between the three.

The other night, Daniel, Steph, Will, and I went to TC’s in East Austin for a night of Jazz music and some good home cookin’. Through mutual friends, I met a 2009 Rockies T4Ker and if I wasn’t already excited enough, her stories were incredible—I can hardly wait. Recently our travel committee finalized the day-by-day route that maps out the Rockies route down to the mile. We go through some incredible cities! I have posted it here:
http://www.texas4000.org/rides/routes

So, thankfully, I have fallen in love with cycling. There is even something addicting about it. And there is also something very appealing about having no obligations this summer other than waking up every morning to ride my bike. I may not touch my bike for a few weeks (maybe months?) after Anchorage, but all riders eventually come back to it. I have found a new hobby in the most unexpected place. Don’t get me wrong, I have a long way to go before being ready for June- heck I have a long way to go before I am ready for the team’s Spring Break ride. But the experience is challenging and filled with wonderful people who keep me pedaling on.

Please visit http://www.texas4000.org/give/give to find out how you can help.