These Girls are Pretty Fast
Sofia & Victoria model prototypes at Bike Fashion Show
I am going to start off by telling you a little bit about these girls that I call “The Pretty Fast Girls”. About two years ago, I was coaching some high school boys and at their races began noticing these super dedicated/talented girls starting to really shine. It was pretty well known that the top ranking guys were training together with Whole Athlete. By the end of the season, I was inspired to find a way to offer these top ranking girls the same sort of comradery, and so that summer the Pretty Fast Girls came together under the Whole Athlete Junior Development Team. Immediately, I was blown away by the passion for riding that these girls possessed at such a young age. When many of their peers are fretting in the mirror and dieting, these girls are out ripping single-track, and hungry for more.
First Norcal Race 2011
It didn’t take long before these elite ladies from different High Schools began building a bond that allowed them to fully grasp the concept of competition being an opportunity to work together to take their sport to the next level. The first season of these girls racing together yielded many victories that were on top of the podium and far beyond as they have begun to inspire many new girls to enjoy the ride. Now as we begin the second year of racing, it is my hope that their journey will be full of life lessons that allow them to see the forest for the trees. Follow their stories as the season rolls on: Pretty Fast Girls Blog.
Posted on: March 3rd, 2011
Why Heather Rides
Heather in Spain
WHY I RIDE A BIKE
by Heather Sellers
Every single time I get on my bike, I feel two things: younger, wiser. Cycling is childhood perfected.
For a long, long time, I forgot about bikes.
I was married to a runner and I was a runner. When we got divorced, I needed a new context for myself. New people to be around, new friends, some version of running that was my own. I needed something to do that cleared my mind and strengthened me. Something to reset the counter to zero. I wasn’t sure who I was, but I suspected the bike would take me to her.
I bought a Bianchi because it was the most beautiful, perfect thing I had seen in a long, long time. Like most adults, I had forgotten all about bikes. Their perfection as machines: nothing missing, nothing extra. Like a poem.
At first, the Bianchi was like a lover, a rebound relationship, a summer romance. I didn’t want to date for a long time after my divorce. I just wanted to ride my bike. On the bike, I am my most essential self. I’m happiest. The bike tunes me to myself.
I teach writing and creativity at the college level, and this is what I tell my students: you don’t need this class. You already know everything you need to know. Remember when you danced? Drew? Sang? Played all manner of musical instruments? You have been an artist all along. Why did you stop? When did you stop?
Same thing for the bike.
We’re all cyclists. Those of us fortunate to have had bikes as kids know exactly what it is that makes riding the bike as important, vital, and sustaining as prayer. Riding is heavenly.
Why did we stop?
Posted on: January 15th, 2009
SSWC08 as a Mom
Abbie riding in My Alibi Skirt and Bloomers at SSWC08
Posted on: November 26th, 2008