What a wonderful day! Megan and I started the day right with a hot cup of coffee and some incredible edible eggs…we then chamois-ed up and mounted our steel steeds in search of dirt trails. After zigzagging, zestily through downtown Boulder we swooped onto the bike path and made our way to the mouth of Four Mile Canyon. The weather was cool but as our legs propelled us up and up and up, the heat from those efforts quickly led to the shedding of top layers. Every pedal stroke lifted us higher into the mountains until we crested and cornered into a moment where everything else in the world ceased to exist. The snow covered peaks and the blue sky took over. Megan shot the scenery for documentation’s sake before we began the descent. Shortly after, our top layers were again put to use, as the pursuit for lower altitudes proved to be quite chilly. We rolled back into Boulder a bit numb in the toes and fingers but our spirits were far from cold. It is days like these enliven the soul and give breath to life.
Today is the first day of our Women’s Demo Tour. Once showered and fed we picked up the Dodge Sprinter, loaded it with the eight BMC women’s specific mountain bikes and navigated the beast towards our quest-Women’s Quest that is. By teaming up with the popular retreats and day clinics sponsored by Women’s Quest we are able to meet and inspire ladies that are excited and eager to become more healthy and active within the community. Our goal is to make it possible for women to feel comfortable, confident and empowered on a bike.
The Sprinter, dubbed the “Beast”, maneuvered into the parking lot where it met the familiar faces of the rest of the BMC/Sports Garage women’s mountain bike team, Dellys and Kristina. Together, we were a little unsure of how to begin our inaugural demo. I looked and Megan who looked at Dell who gave an Aussi shrug while Kristina smiled. Here we go!
The ladies situated in a horseshoe around us and listened to four introductions; hello my name is…then the questions came…rapid fire. How do you change a tire? What kind of lube do you use? Is my saddle really supposed to hurt that badly? It was fantastic. Dell, being the seasoned mechanic of our quad squad thoroughly responded to each inquiry and even demonstrated how to clean your chain, apply chamois butter and inflate a tube. It was the perfect beginning to the Tour. We met amazing women of all ages and abilities and hopefully encouraged them to confidently get out and ride.
Our next scheduled women’s ride will be in Eagle, ten miles west of Vail, on May 16th. You can also soon check www.sportsgarage.net/womensdemotour for a complete list of events and rides that we will be organizing or attending. Keep tuning in for an update on cool rides and inspiring tidbits from our journey and to follow the path of the “Beast”- and the BMC/Sports Garage Women’s Demo Tour.
Roll with love, light and happiness- JG
