Loving the Team Loving the Bike

It's Day 21 of #30daysofbiking and, despite the crazy Minnesota weather, I don't think I'll have any trouble finishing my third round of 30 Days of Biking.

I certainly am not logging many miles this time around but I am, save for one day when I rode a stationary bike on vacation, getting outside every day and riding a bike.

That means that when it snowed last week I was out on my bike. And when it rained yesterday I was out on my bike. And today, even though I'm kind of grumpy, I'll get out on my bike. Why? It would be easy to quit and think that no one is paying attention to whether I ride or not. But people DO notice if I don't ride.

Gravel road I rode on yesterday's ride.

Because I'm part of a the 30 Days of Biking community of people.
And for this round of 30 Days of Biking I am also part of a team - Team Loving the Bike.

Darryl of Loving the Bike created a challenge with a group of bicyclists at Bicycle Radio. The deal is team members rack up points for riding each day, for posting a picture from their rides on the team's Facebook page and for riding a bike when they could have driven. It's not a competition of speed or miles - rather it's more a competition based on the dedication to ride every day.

And Darryl asked me to be a part of Team Loving the Bike.
Our team has members from the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
And I'm one of them!

In gym class in grade school I was picked last or near last for teams. When I played softball in 8th grade people groaned when the ball was hit in my direction because I usually dropped it. The other team pretty much cheered when I got up to bat, I was an "easy out." Team sports were never my thing - so getting asked special to be a part of this team, many of whom are pretty hard-core athletes, made me feel pretty darn good.

I thought about this, about being a part of a team, while I was riding my bike in the rain yesterday. I rode on wet gravel which was pretty tough. But I rode, and pushed myself to ride terrain I'm not comfortable on because of 30 Days of Biking and because I'm part of Team Loving the Bike. Because the points I earn for Team Loving the Bike for riding every day count.

Because what I do counts.
Because I count.
Which, at times, is kind of hard for me to come to terms with - but there it is.
I count.
Cool.

And I'm in a very cool Team Loving the Bike video created by one of our team members, Aaron the Strong. Watch it. It will make you smile :)

30 Days of Biking The Loving the Bike Spectacular from Aaron Madrid on Vimeo.


I'm Loving the Team! I'm Loving the Bike!

Comments

Loving the Bike said…
Oh my gosh....I almost cried reading this post. Those teams that used to pick you last don't know what they were missing. We are so incredibly excited to have you on Team #LovingtheBike and you've got exactly the kind of winning attitude that our #30daysofbiking challenge is all about.

Anyone who gets out there and rides in the conditions you were in yesterday is a superstar in my eyes.

Of course I had to get you on the team....it was last April's #30daysofbiking that brought us together, and is the reason that today we're friends, teammates, and "island timers".

Awesome, Myrna....totally Awesome.


Darryl
April 21, 2011 at 5:13 PM
Cassi said…
I completely agree with what Darryl already said - the team is so lucky to have you, and everything that you stand for in cycling. I love that you are riding through it all - the bad weather days and the good. That is tenacity, and part of what I think is most inspiring about #30daysofbiking. You go, girl!!
April 21, 2011 at 6:57 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Change in Plans

Image
My kids, Rose and Ryan, started a theater day camp today called Young People's Theater Workshop (YPTW). YPTW is a program put on through the Northfield Arts Guild  during which the kids, grouped by age, write a play, rehearse it, and then perform it at the end of the three week session. Rose loves the camp and this is her fourth year. In her first year I saw a huge change in her confidence from the beginning of the session to the end. She has grown each year since and I expect she will benefit from the camp again this year. Ryan has never been in YPTW and has been somewhat reluctant to go. But, to save on gas (it's a 30 mile round trip to town), make our schedule easier and give me time to work, Owen and I decided that Ryan should give YPTW a try. Given how good the program has been for Rose, we're hoping Ryan will benefit from the program as well. I dropped the kids off this morning and right off the bat Ryan found two friends from his class at Greenvale. He found
Read more

A Little Bike Schooling on the B Ride

I'll be honest with you, my two main motivations for riding my bike any distance are coffee and conversation. A good workout is also a motivator but going really fast is not. I'm more of a slow and steady - okay, really slow and not that steady - sort of bicyclist. But for months now I've wanted to join in on a group ride. From what I've heard people ride their bikes, chat away the miles and stop somewhere for a cup of coffee mid-way or at the end of the ride. Sounds like my kind of ride. Right? Maybe not. Most of the group rides I've heard about promise average speeds of 18 to 20 miles per hour or more and go 40 or more miles. Some sound brutal and talk about hill climbs and sprints. Granted, these are the "A" rides, rides geared towards competitive riders, riders who want to push their limits. "B" rides are supposed to be slower, "C" rides even more so but I've seen some C rides that sound too fast for me, some B rides with leng
Read more

One of the Best Bike Rides. Ever.

I hauled my bike over to the Cannon Valley Trail today to ride all by myself, something I don't do very often. The whir of my bike wheels and the ticking of my gears got me into a meditative mode as I rode the nice, flat trail. The trees formed a canopy overhead, the leaves crunched under my wheels, my pace was fast, my spirits high and I realized I was on one of the best rides of my short biking career.  Then I started to wonder, what is a best ride? Is there such a thing as THE best ride? Like the very best that can't be topped? Or are there different kinds of "best" rides, like the fastest ride or the longest ride? Can the best ride be a whole month of rides, like I'm doing for 30 Days of Biking , rolled all together to create a best? Maybe the best ride is in an beautiful location, like Italy. Or maybe it involves riding a great race or setting a record. What makes a ride a best ride? I'm really not sure. But then I thought back to yesterday's ride, t
Read more