I have this short list of incredible women riders who I am lucky enough to know. All of them are what I call good riders. Not because they are/were incredibly strong and fast, but because they don't talk about it, they just do it. You won't hear any of them brag about their accomplishments because they don't have to. They're willing to hang back with a weaker rider because they don't have to prove anything. They are my role models, my mentors.

Lorie Struzik
Kris Kuss
Cass King
Katie Compton
Jane (Eickhoff) Becker
Amy Wise
Katrina Dowidchuk
Betty Tyrell

Lots of people I know have blogs. I've wondered what it would be like, so when I turned 59 on July 11, it seemed like a good time to start one. My birthday was an awesome day that started with a 6am bike ride. I like riding that early because it's peaceful, relaxing and you're done early. But wait! I hear my name being called! I look up and there's Amy, Kat, Karen, Jeff, and Karem ready to ride! It's 6am and I can't believe there are others who want to ride that early! So, I join their group for what was labeled as an "easy" couple of hours which was actually 75 miles at a 19+ average. Easy is relative. Fortunately they let me do what I do best and that's sit in! I can't think of a better way to celebrate a birthday!