Moving Forward

Last Saturday I was invited to join (the super awesome) Twenty20 bike shop at Girls’ Life Magazine’s Fitness Fest outside of Baltimore, MD.  It was an exciting and fun experience, and I hope to be able to go to more events like this. At the fest, I was introduced to so many amazing people, and it was very inspiring to see so many young girls out there. Seeing kids doing Pilates and yoga has inspired me to want to get more kids out on the mountain bike trails.

So, I have come to a conclusion that I am going to try and start organizing more rides. I want more young cyclists to get out there and have some fun! Especially girl cyclists! It is rare to see other teen or tween girls when I am out on the trails. That is a shame!

We need more kids out on the trails, so if you are a parent start bringing your kids out with you on your rides. If you aren’t into riding, don’t fret. There are always people in your local cycling community who are willing to ride along with kids to ensure their safety, show them the trails, etc.

Or you can do what my Dad and I used to do!

When I was little my Dad and I would “make a day” out of a race. It didn’t matter the time we came across the finish line. It was about the fun. We would stop to have picnics, throw mud at each other, and hike a bike up a hill if we couldn’t make it. I always smile when I think of the times I was on the trails with my Dad. The bike trails became a second home to the two of us, and always will be.  Just be sure to make it fun (especially for the younger kids), and you won’t regret it. Taking your kid out on race day is actually a great way to ride really fun, well marked trails. So parents, don’t hesitate to register them for a race. You can always contact the promoter and ask about how technical a course is. You don’t want their first race to crush their soul. Check with the promoters and local racers to see which courses are the most fun!

And….Any kids who are reading this, don’t let yourself be scared off by silly little things like not being able to keep up on a ride. Just go out and have fun!  People won’t mind waiting for you to catch up. Go play in the woods! If you don’t play now you may regret it. Every adult tells kids to not grow up, to stay young and have fun. They are telling us this for a reason. So, for once, let’s listen to the grown ups. Let’s have fun.

Better yet, let’s have fun on two wheels!

As you can tell, biking makes me happy. Everyday spent on the trail feels like the best day ever! Even if my face and lungs say otherwise. In my mind I am the happiest person. If you aren’t a cyclist, give it a try! Sure it may not be for everyone, but that should’t stop you from trying. And if cycling isn’t your thing, find what makes you happy and do it! There is always something for everyone.

The time is nearing when mountain bike races become more frequent, and I am on edge waiting for this rain to stop. I don’t like it when races get canceled. But, once summer comes it will be amazing. I will be able to bike when I want, and be able to travel more. And I will get to spend time with my cycling family! How could you not love it?

Leslie Miller and Tommy Bullough From Twenty20…and Yours Truly

Coming soon …to a trail near you

Hello my fellow cyclists, or soon to be riders. I have had a wonderful start to this year. I am looking forward to the mountain bike season. My days recently have been filled with many things from birthdays, to trail rides with friends, or  just spending the cold days in the snow with my brother. I have decided to make this post about self image.

I know for some people self image means a lot. From a young age we are told to be a certain way, and act a certain way. As a 16 year old girl in high school the idea of self image comes up a lot. I will be honest in saying I have struggled with it, but then again who hasn’t. The reason I bring this is up is because I want people to know that no matter what you don’t need the validation of others.  As a little girl I was told by some people that biking is a boys sport, and that it is silly for a girl to do. To some people that might have made them want to stop cycling all together, but for me it just made my will to bike even stronger. I was a competitive kid. I wanted to show those boys in my class that I did not care what they said. My view on their silly teasing was that one day I will be a great biker, so they will see that not only boy’s can ride a bike . My self image was not the best. Some days I would feel bad about the way I looked. I realized that everyone feels a bit bad about themselves. It is normal, but why is it normal? People have the idea that they want to look or be better, but not for themselves. The need to be validated by others is a strong will in humans. In the act of seeking validation people forget the good things about themselves. I wanted to write this to tell people that they don’t need the validation from others. Every person is amazing. The fact that people get up, and go to a job or school is amazing. You are priceless, and every part of you is something worth loving. It has taken me a while to figure this all out. My biking has helped me gain a positive self image. If you feel like you want to change something then do it, but do it for you. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t. Never let anyone get in the way of something you love, just because you may be different. Don’t be afraid to do something, because of someone else who doesn’t even matter in the long run. Do what you love, and love yourself. Thank you to everyone that has made me who I am, and who have helped me realize my potential.

Until next time. I am over the barriers and through the woods.

32 miles

Ski day with a friend

Riding with amazing women

 

Bike Blast

Hello, I am sorry it has been so long since I have done this. I have been busy with so many things. I am now almost 16! My birthday is next Sunday, and of course like any good rider I will be spending my birthday at a cyclocross race. I am having trouble deciding between a car or a new bike. This is how you can tell when someone is a real racer. Another thing I have been looking at is cycling schools. I have been trying to look for colleges that offer cycling scholarships. I want to be sure that my cycling will not stop even after I leave for college. My state has been pushing currently for getting mountain biking in the high schools, and I am proud to say that things are looking good for the next year. The program is growing rapidly. It is so important to have kids be able to enjoy such an amazing sport. It offers so many things for people, and not just health benefits. I have talked about the cycling community time and time again, but I can not stress enough how important it is to me. I think that is one of the reasons I am excited to spend my birthday with everyone. They are all such warm and kind people. They allow me to better myself, and believe I can do anything.  The cycling community protects each other like a family, and as the holidays near it makes me think more and more of how much I care about all of them. There is just something about suffering through cold mud filled races, and laughing while rolling over little whoops that brings everyone closer together. I just want to say thank you to anyone who cheers me on while I am out there, and thank you to all the wonderful people I race against who make me strive to be better everyday. Another huge thank you to all of my sponsors who allow me to race without having to worry about getting the things I need. I am so thankful for all of you. Also I would just like to say, I can not imagine my life without my bike family.  Thank you all!

 

Why I Ride

Time flies!

I love my bike!

Hello again. It’s been long enough since I posted something (over a year) that I figured it was time for an update; it’s been a very busy year for me! The past 12+ months were filled with exciting races, new friends, amazing journeys, and new experiences.

My team has been very helpful in allowing me to have such a great year.  JB Mountain Bikes and Stoudt’s Brewing have helped me a lot with participating in a sport I love.  They have also helped me in achieving my dream of being an advocate for cycling and its amazing community. For example, this year we are planning on expanding our junior team! It will be great to see more kids coming together to do something I love and know I had a part in getting them addicted to riding their bikes. I want to also thank my teammates for supporting me and cheering me on during the mountain and cross seasons!! And lots of thanks go out to Dave Borden. Thanks for supporting and believing in me Dave!

Speaking of junior racers, I was so excited to meet a fantastic young lady this year named Abbey Ronca. This amazing junior came out to race this year and truly rocked it for someone at such a young age! It was so great to see her never give up! Among my competitors, the Krasley sisters were amazing, and pushed me every step of the way to do my best. We shared lots of laughs and suffered together in the mud and dirt.  I also want to congratulate my friend Hunter on winning a PA state title his first year of mountain biking!!

Emma and me. Happy to be done Greenbrier!

Another amazing thing happened this past cross season! One of my dear friends Emma Freymann took her place on top of the podium. Emma and I have always pushed each other; but, this year she took it to a whole new level. It was amazing to see my friend fight so hard, and it made my grueling races so much more enjoyable. We had a great groove out there together. We would take turns sharing the lead and work hard together to pass the older ladies in front of us. It was always such a rush whenever we would sprint to the finish too! We would work together every race, and it would always be a battle at the end.

This past season for mountain biking was really fun, and probably one of my best seasons. I managed to go undefeated in the MASS U19 Women.  Of course winning isn’t why I race. It was always a great feeling just to be able to say “I did it” when I finished. The feeling is indescribable. Just the realization that it was your hard work and determination that got you to the finish is enough to make me want to keep racing.

My little bro.

The biggest accomplishment for me was achieving a win at the 2014 Mountain Bike National Championship (Cat 3 15-18 Women) at Bear Creek in Pennsylvania. Winning a National Championship has always been a huge dream of mine. I was so nervous at the start of that race. I was up against some amazing skilled and fast women in my age group. All of them had phenomenal talent, and I had no clue what the outcome would be. Once the race was off I knew that it was all or nothing. I put everything I had into that one race. The whole way all I could think was “this is what I want!” I wanted to do my best and give it everything I had. I knew that I needed to get in the “I can do it” mindset.

It was a steep, rocky, technical, lung burning race to the top of the mountain. Then from there it was a combination of luck and skills to get down through all the huge rocks. The best memory was cresting the hill to the finish line and realizing that this was it. I gave it everything I had left, and pushed through the pain. Crossing the finish line in first place  was the happiest moment for me. I started to tear up, and all I could think was I did it and it’s something I will always have. I can remember seeing my little brother’s face and his huge smile after I finished and that’s when I truly realized what I had just done. I was so grateful for everything I had and everyone who was there for me. Like Cati Scheifele who had been a huge support for me, and took care of me.

Another thing I was so grateful for was my Niner EMD- which got me over the boulders with so much ease. I love that bike to death. It helped get me to my National Championship and I won’t even consider riding anything else.

Sadly, mountain bike season came to an end, but at least it ended with a lot of amazing achievements.

That brought me to the start off cyclocross season in September where I had a blast! One of my favorite races was Swash Buckler which took me through the PA  Renaissance Faire. I was pretty sick that day- could hardly breathe. But, it was so much fun, and the giant turkey legs were so yummy!!!

Something else yummy I discovered are Kind bars. I have become addicted. My favorite has to be the Dark chocolate nuts and sea salt. So. Good. And I love the awesome jewelry I got from the amazing Amy at Tube U Ware!!!

Charm City Flyover.

Another race that was great was Charm City. It had these huge fun flyovers that would give you tickles in your belly every time you went over them.

The Gran Prix Of Gloucester (MA) was another great race. Beautiful weather. Right on the ocean. I had to race against the “grown ups” both days. I was intimidated at first but managed a 15th out of about 75 women on Day 2- despite a last row call up! I was so happy with my ride that day!

One downside to my cyclocross season was we found out my mother had breast cancer for the second time. It seemed very bad this time round which affected me quite a lot. All through the season I would sometimes have to miss a race to go see her. It has been a very sad time for me and my family, but biking gave me an outlet. Being out on the course gave me time to clear my head, and I was able to just be free from everything.

Biking has always been something that gives me a reason to smile. When you’re on a bike everything changes you forget about everything, the world becomes yours. And in that moment it doesn’t matter what others think of you, or what people say you can and can’t do because when you’re riding down a rocky hill or pushing yourself up that mile long climb, you feel invincible.

Laura Van Gilder and me! Sly Fox Cross.

One HUGE plus to the season though was meeting one of my biggest heroes, Laura Van Gilder!!!! She is just as amazing off the bike as she is on it. Laura is a legend in the sport and so very loved by everyone in the community. I can’t think of a better role model. We not only share a love for things with two wheels, but we also love our 4 legged friends. Laura is a dog lover too! I hope to be as strong and as spectacular as her someday. She has one of the biggest hearts, and I hope to learn more from her in the days to come.

Overall this year has been a good one, and I hope this year will be even better. Also for anyone else out there thinking about biking and has some questions you can contact me at cxgirl99@hotmail.com. I would happy to help you get into this life changing sport.

With mountain bike season looming in the head lights, I want to wish everyone a great season!!! See you on the trails soon!

Until next time, I am over barriers and through the woods!

Emily

(NOTE: Here is some info on my mom’s charity ride to raise money for breast cancer research: http://www.theboobride.org/2015-ride/pa/ .  And here is her fund raising page for the 3 day walk: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=7480222&fr_id=1934&pg=personal)

My father. There are no words….

 

It’s been a while!

I would like to apologize for not writing in a while. I have no excuse other than I have been busy racing and doing homework.

Me, Elizabeth, and Emma atop the podium at Whirlybird!!! Triple E!!!

Cross season has been going well. I have been very excited to race a bunch of races with my good friends Emma and Elizabeth. While there are other girls I line up against every weekend, I race against these two ladies so much that we are now known as “Triple E” or “E^3″ . 🙂 I love them so much and I love their families too. Part of me is heartbroken because this might be Elizabeth’s last year racing cross for a few years. She is going to college next fall. So excited for her but so sad at the same time!! Hopefully she will go to a college close by and we can give her rides to the cross races.

ARRRG! Swords and Turkey legs on the podium at Swashbuckler!

I have been to many races since I last blogged. I have been having a fun season and even pulled off a few surprising wins! I jumped out into first place on Day 1 of Charm City. And despite feeling like I wanted to barf all over myself from the effort, I was able to hold off 3 very fast, very awesome young ladies.  Gloucester, MA was really fun too. There were over 100 women in my class ( I think around 100 finished). It was a beautiful course, right on the ocean. And unlike last year, lots of sunshine made the weekend awesome. I had to race against the grownups and finished mid-pack. I was the 2^nd U19 woman overall! It was so fun.

I lead the MidAtlantic Cyclocross (MAC) series for half the season. Elizabeth eventually took her spot as top dog (she is such a strong and graceful rider). I was very proud of her. She doesn’t fade during a race… at all. It seems like she gets stronger with each lap.

Over the barrier….

I won the U19 Womens class at the PA State Championships. That gave me the state title and the over all PA Cyclocross (PACX) title. My good friend Emma took the championship title for the U14 Women!  YAY Emma! It was a frrrrreeeeeeeeeeezing day.

Bilenky Junkyard Cross is this weekend. I can’t wait to see what craziness will take place!! There is one more race left in the MAC which is Limsetone. Then the season will be over for me. 😦

Totally Tubular! Thanks for my new wheels everyone!!!!

Now for the important stuff. Some amazing things happened to me this year as well. So many things I am thankful for. Velocity Wheels, West Chester Cross Alliance, JB Mountain Bikes, Bob Reuther, Dave Borden, Mike Yozell, Andrew Miller,Kevin Fryberger, and a bunch of other people came together to buy me an incredibly AWESOME set of PURPLE Major Tom Tubular wheels and tires!!!!!!! Soooooo COOL!!!!!!!!  I don’t think those people will ever know how much I appreciate what they have done for me. The cycling community is filled with wonderful and amazing people. Thank you so much everyone!!!

I also want to thank my teammates at Wooden Wheels for cheering me on and helping out. They are good people and such a great bike shop! I hope I have made you proud this season!

And thank you to all of my friends! You make my weekends from September through December soooooo much fun. I love being around you all!!!!

Cati and I by the sea after our race in Gloucester.

I want to thank Cati Scheifele for supporting me through the season (mountain bike too!)!!!!! I wouldn’t be able to race it wasn’t for her. And my dad is the most awesome mechanic, driver, and cheerer in the whole world! Thank you daddy for loving me so much!!!

Check back soon. I have one more announcement that I am going to make. I will leave you filled with suspense!

During the off season I am going to ski as much as I can. Then it is time to get back on the mountain bike!! National Championships in 2014 are at Bear Creek again! If I don’t have heat stroke (like last year), maybe… just maybe I can pull off a miracle and make the podium! 🙂

Until next time, I am over the barriers and through the woods! – Emily

Good bye Mountain biking, hello Cross!!!!!!!

Lineup at Nationals! 100+ degrees at the start.

I have found that in life no one is the same. Everyone is different. However people often find things that they have in common. These things in common are what bring people together.

For example cycling acts as glue that brings people from all walks of life together. I have met so many wonderful people that share a passion for biking. For example:  Marc and Diane who gave me a bike, M who brings me smiles and Gavin who is always with me as a great friend and teammate, Maddie and Nicole who are there for me as racers and friends, and everyone else I have met who pushes me to do my best and believes in me. It warms my heart and gives me a reason to smile every day to know that all these people I have met, and know, believe in me. I feel as if I am the luckiest person in the whole world. I wish from the bottom of my heart that everyone will know that I am so very grateful for being able to have such wonderful amazing and kind people in my life. And I guess the one thing I can thank cycling the most for is all the friendships and opportunities it has given me.

I have now had my first cross practice of the year. A lot of people showed up to ride their skinny tire bikes on the grass track. I was happy to meet some new people, and see everyone out there practicing and enjoying life on the bike. I did some laps and tried some run ups. At the end of practice I was energized, so I decided to keep riding when I got home. I went all around town. I felt free. When I get on a bike there’s just a feeling I cannot explain.

I finished my ride at home to find some of the younger kids in my neighborhood riding around. I was so excited to see them enjoying riding their bikes on a beautiful night. One of them even had my bike that I had when I was 8. When I outgrew the bike, my dad and I decided to give it to a younger neighbor. We told them to just pass it on to another kid when they were done with it. Anyway, I took these kids on a ride. Leading the ride made me realize how much I want to spread the joy of biking, and to reach out to all people to get them pedaling.

Hopping cars at Bilenky Junkyard Cross.

Though I am sad to see the mountain bike season end I am so excited to start cross season. I had lots of ups- and one down- during mountain bike season. I am excited that I was able to make the podium. I won a couple of Alison Dunlap JR Race Series/AMBC gold medals and silver at States. I came close to making the podium in a u 40’s women’s race, but I went over the handle bars and ate some dirt.

The one thing I regret from this year is my first DNF ever. And of course that had to happen on the day of Nationals!  It was over 100 degrees that day. But, I now look back and say that I am proud of myself for even trying.  There were only 13 girls that raced that day. Only 13 girls in the whole nation actually tried, and I am proud to be one of those girls.

I’m also looking forward to next year where I will practice harder and try again. More important than all of this though is that I made a new friend this past season! I am grateful to have met her. In the end, I want to thank all the sponsors of Trestle Bridge Racing and all the people that make bike races possible. I’m excited for the upcoming races and practices for cross. And, I hope to make a difference in someone’s life with biking. Til next time, I’m over the barriers and through the woods. -Emily

My first mountain bike race ever. I think I was 6.

Before my race at the Nationals.

welcome

Hi!

My name is Emily. I am 16 years old,and live in pa. I have created this blog to mainly share my love for cycling (especially mountain biking and cyclocross) with other kids.

I began my love for biking when i was 5. I remember being on my Trek tag along with just one wheel ,pedals,and handle bars attached to my dad’s seat post. We would always be riding through the woods as fast as we could, going over logs and having so much fun. It was that feeling of making that first log over and hopping over the first barrier that got me hooked.

Most people would think biking is a male dominated sport, but i have to disagree… kind of. The prizes and classes are pretty much made to benefit the men. And, it is true that there aren’t as many women mountain bikers as there are guys. Sadly not a lot of girls my age mountain bike or do cyclocross. So, I do have to race against the boys a lot of the times. BUT, I have seen a lot more women on the trails and at races the last few years. AND…I know a lot of tough women who kick butt in the sport!

Through cycling, I have met a lot of amazing women who I aspire to be like when I am older. These ladies show that you can be well educated,work hard, be sweet, run a company, run a house, be a mom and yet shred the trails, rip the downhills,and rock the rock gardens while still looking fabulous. They also show that a woman can pass a guy going both uphill and downhill. If you are a guy, it’s called being “chicked”. And it is nothing to be ashamed of.

The biking community is more like a family if anything. We look out for each other despite competing against one another on the weekend. After races, you usually see people from different teams under the same tent sharing food, drinks, laughs and stories. It’s one of the reasons I love biking so much.

I have gotten to travel to so many cool places because of cycling. One of my favorite places was downhilling at Lake Placid in NY. And I’ve gotten to eat fresh caught lobtser and race along the beach in MA.

Biking means a lot to me and I hope to share my love for it with y’all. In the future I will post more about training,races,gear,practice,and the cool people I meet. Until next time, I’m off…. over the barriers and through the woods.

One of my first mountain bike races. 2007ish.