Team Velo Girls: The Riders

Age: 46
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Disciplines: Endurance Cycling (and running)

Why I ride:
I love the way cycling makes my body feel. That moment of achievement when you're on top of the hill that just 30 minutes ago looked impossible, is a rush I will never tire of. Ultimately, I love cycling because it gives me a place I can go where I have quiet time to think. Some of my most important and best decisions have been made on my bike.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Demanding that the paramedic not cut off my favorite bike shorts while they were treating me for a few broken bones and a concussion.

Favorite off-bike activity:
I love to hike and spend time with my husband and kids.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
I am extraordinarily proud of my children every day, and watching them develop into smart, confident young women is extremely gratifying. With a childhood history of being uncoordinated, out-of-shape, and asthmatic, I have accomplished things that I never dreamed I would do. Like climbing Half-Dome when the poles were down, and meeting my future husband in a kickboxing class.

What's in my iPod (not when riding, of course):
600 podcasts from NPR, NY Times, and the BuzzCast.

My favorite season:
Anytime it is not raining.

A bit about me:
I've been living in San Francisco since the early 80s. I work for a small publishing firm as the senior operations manager. I spend a lot of time working with numbers, though ironically, I love words. My two daughters are 12 and 14. I took up cycling about four years ago -- there was a guy involved, but now I mainly ride with women. I got married in August. My husband does not ride a bike. And, yes, I've tried!

Goals for 2011 season:
As a ride leader with the endurance team, I see 2009 as an opportunity for me to pass on some of the support and coaching that I've received from so many great women cyclists.

Words to live by:
My two rules are: Does it make sense? Would I want my daughter to do that?

Age: 41
Residence: San Mateo, CA
Disciplines: Endurance Cycling

Why I ride:
I love seeing the world on a bike. ItÕs home for me. I can always go to it. I feel happiest when IÕm on a bike. I also love helping people to feel the same way.

Proudest moment on a bike:
When I finished the Triple Crown in 2005. The Triple Crown is 3 double centuries in one season.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Anyone who has dared to use clipless pedals

Favorite place to ride:
Up Mt Tam on a clear day

Favorite cycling event:
Tierra Bella (my very first century)

Favorite off-bike activity:
Going to the movies. Reading. Playing with my dog. Hiking.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Doing things I never thought possible, which occurs quite often.

A bit about me:
I work hard (and smart!) and I would do anything for those I know are my true friends.

Goals for 2011 season:
Lead several series to help women who want to do a century. I'd like to complete 5 centuries myself.

Words to live by:
"Never, Never, Never Give Up" & "Conquer We Must, Conquer We Shall" -- Winston Churchill

Age: 43
Residence: San Francisco Bay Area (Berkeley/San Francisco)
Disciplines: Endurance

Why I ride:
I ride my bike because I like the way it makes me feel. I find it to be a great stress reliever, and enjoy the challenges it provides me, both physically and mentally. The more I accomplish on my bike, the more confidence I have in all other aspects of my life.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Rolling into Los Angeles on day 7 of my first AIDS/Lifecycle, having climbed every hill, conquered every challenge, and ridden every single mile - all 545 of them! I was so happy that I was actually in tears. I felt like I was on top of the world and that anything was possible.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Lance Armstrong

Favorite place to ride:
The hills of Santa Clara County.

Favorite cycling event:
For charity events, the LIVESTRONG Challenge. For organized rides, Strawberry Fields Forever.

Favorite off-bike activity:
Spending time with my friends, traveling, playing with my cats

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
I don't know if I can narrow this down to one single thing, as this has changed for me over the years. The most recent thing was seeing my name in print for the first time as an author of a scientific publication.

A bit about me:
I'm an interesting combination of math nerd and girly girl. My favorite programming language is SAS, my favorite color is pink, and my manicure and pedicure are always flawless.

Goals for 2011 season:
Do lots of centuries, lots of climbing, and then the Death Ride

Words to live by:
The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Age: 25
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Disciplines: Road, cyclocross, mountain biking

Why I ride:
For fitness and fun!

Proudest moment on a bike:
Racing my first cyclocross season last year. It felt great to get dirty and finish strong.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
My boyfriend, Stephen. He helped me get started as a competitive cyclist and is my personal bike mechanic.

Favorite place to ride:
Too many great places in Northern California to just pick one! Some of my favorites are the cyclocross trails in Golden Gate Park and all the great loops in Marin/North Bay.

Favorite cycling event:
Cyclocross race at Golden Gate Park. BBQ, beer and a good time.

Favorite off-bike activity:
Cooking, being outdoors and spending time with my friends and family.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Learning to wakeboard in a lake full of alligators!

A bit about me:
Moved to San Francisco three years ago after graduating from the University of Florida - Go Gators! Raced my first road race in March of last year and have been hooked ever since.

Goals for 2011 season:
Become a stronger, fitter athlete and have fun!

Words to live by:
"It always seems impossible until it's done." - Nelson Mandela

Age: 59
Residence: Burlingame/Sausalito, CA
Disciplines: Endurance

Why I ride:
Because I want to. Because it makes me feel so great.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Realizing that people who said they liked climbing were telling the truth - and that I was now one of them.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
All the Velo Girls who were willing to hang out at the back of the pack with me when I was learning.

Favorite place to ride:
Big Sur coast.

Favorite cycling event:
Ride FAR, a Massachusetts AIDS ride

Favorite off-bike activity:
Reading in a warm place.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Any time I am out with my grandchildren.

A bit about me:
I run my family's insurance business; I'm a grandmother (did you guess?); I love tap dancing (as long as no one can see me); I stop to look at birds (did 2 Christmas counts this year); I got on a road bike for the first time when I was 51 and have hardly been off it since.

Goals for 2011 season:
To spend the summer riding across the US - Anacortes, Washington to Westbrook, Connecticut.

Words to live by:
"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." - E.B. White

Age: 40
Residence: San Jose, CA
Disciplines: Road, Mountain, Endurance

Why I ride:
To feel unencumbered, to release stress, to be connected to my community, to have FUN

Proudest moment on a bike:
Riding my bike, 35 weeks pregnant, getting a condescending "you can do it" comment from someone passing me, then seeing his face as he realized he was passing a hugely pregnant woman.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Marla Streb...she just rocks

Favorite cycling event:
Tahoe Sierra Century Favorite off-bike activity:
Reading

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Winning Teacher of the Year for the second time.

A bit about me:
I'm a former teacher turned stay-at-home mom and Trek Woman Who Rides who aspires to try new creative endeavors and spends too much time writing rants to politicians and newspaper editorials.

Goals for 2011 season:
Start climbing like I mean it, and learn how to use the mechanics of the bike to my advantage

Words to live by:
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. (from The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss)

Age: 43
Residence: San Jose, CA
Disciplines: Endurance

Why I ride:
To feel the wind and freedom.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Finishing 1st century while in my 5th month riding after taking on cycling; and finishing 2nd century the date after my 1st century

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
All cross-country bike tour cyclists

Favorite place to ride:
From Grant Teton National Park to Yellowstones

Favorite cycling event:
All touring bike events

Favorite off-bike activity:
Pretty much everything outdoors and to exploring new adventures

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
14 days hiking and camping in Alaska when 8 days were pouring rain

A bit about me:
I came from Taiwan to Oklahoma for college, moved to San Jose for career, and found cycling for love. I enjoy consulting people for technical implementation in e-commerce and m-commerce and seeing great innovations in software engineering field is part of my daily life.

Goals for 2011 season:
Hill climbing and long distance cycling

Words to live by:
It's all good!

Age: 44
Residence: San Mateo, CA
Disciplines: road, cross-country mountain bike, cyclocross, coaching

Why I ride:
Cycling has transformed my life and I can't stop!

Proudest moment on a bike:
Too many, really. One of the more recent experiences was racing in the Kern County Women's Stage Race in May - one year to the date of getting back on the bike after a couple of icky surgeries. I cried at the top of the 13-mile hill climb.

Favorite off-bike activity:
Playing with my puppy, Julie!

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
I can't think of one thing that stands out more than the others. I try to live my life so that my parents would always be proud of me. I try to make an impact in all that I do. I try to be good and positive and help others.

My favorite season:
When I lived in NY it was spring because spring was alive and new and green and marked the end of dreaded winter. Here in CA I'd have to say it's summer. The sun energizes me.

A bit about me:
I have the best job in the world! I help men and women improve their self-esteem and their lives by helping them succeed at cycling.

Goals for 2011 season:
My primary focus is on helping our team succeed in this new structure. As always, my goal is to get more women to ride and race their bikes!

Words to live by:
You only have one opportunity to live today. Don't miss it. You can't get it back. Run, ride, walk the dog, smell the flowers, live life everyday! This is something I wrote as a daily reminder and it pops up in Outlook every morning. I went through a period when I needed to be reminded that life is wonderful.

Age: 47
Residence: San Jose, CA
Disciplines: Endurance

Why I ride:
Because it's the time I most often find that "lucky to be alive" feeling.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Getting up Pacific Grade (24% - ouch!). And it wasn't without a lot of encouragement of friends. And a cowbell.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Fabian Cancellara

Favorite place to ride:
Anywhere where I feel like I'm a tunnel of redwoods or eucalyptus, or alongside the Pacific Ocean. Cycling across Italy wasn't bad either.

Favorite cycling event:
Death Ride - some of the most spectacular riding scenery ever.

Favorite off-bike activity:
Seeing San Francisco Ballet perform or doing just about anything with my daughter.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
My MBA graduation at University of Chicago and anytime my daughter does something wonderful, most recently being accepted to college.

A bit about me:
Ballet dancer in a previous life. Girl geek and mom in current life. Still figuring out what I really want to be when I grow up. Oh...and getting back on a bike for the first time since college five or six years ago probably saved my life.

Goals for 2011 season:
Finish all five passes of the Death Ride (a year ahead of my original schedule).

Words to live by:
Work hard, play harder...and drink some good wine while you're at it.

Age: 32
Residence: Fremont, CA
Disciplines: Mountain Biking

Why I ride:
Don't remember how young I was when I started riding, but my bike has always given me freedom. Whether it's zipping by cars trapped in traffic, going to my friends' house by myself as a kid, cruising downtown at 2 am with confidence, or reaching off-road destinations my feet alone couldn't take me.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Anytime I conquer something I could'a swore was impossible. Fast downhills, long climbs, remembering to unclip my shoes before stopping at an intersection.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Dave Mirra, Missy Giove

Favorite place to ride:
At my parents' ranch, with the dogs; avoiding mesquite and wild hogs.

Favorite cycling event:
I love watching Downhill, BMX, Trials... I love riding single track... no specific event.

Favorite off-bike activity:
Making stuff with my hands: metal sculpture, gardening, tinkering with my bike, building furniture. I also love going to sprint car races and hearing live music.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Conquering the impossible...

A bit about me:
Passions: biking, outdoors, art education, travel, Texas chili. Pets: 2 box turtles, ball python, bearded dragon, uromastyx lizard, and a great pyrenees. Peculiarity: someday I'd like to try taxidermy.

Goals for 2011 season:
Finish every race I start, getting faster and building technical skills along the way, and have fun so I'll wanna do it again and again.

Words to live by:
"Dirt is for racin' - asphalt is for gettin' ya there."

[RIDER PROFILE COMING SOON]

[RIDER PROFILE COMING SOON]

Age: 47
Residence: Menlo Park, CA
Disciplines: I'm just starting, so I'm figuring this out. This year I'm going to do some road races, criteriums and time trials

Why I ride:
To stay sane! Beside, who doesn't love the feeling of wind on their face and that great buzz from a nice workout?

Proudest moment on a bike:
it's a tossup between successfully helping someone else change their tire and finishing a race in the pack (and not off the back!)

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
My husband: he introduced me to cycling and is my biggest fan (and I his!).

Favorite place to ride:
Anywhere!

Favorite cycling event:
I love watching cyclocross; I'm just not brave enough to try it yet. I love the energy and excitement of a criterium.

Favorite off-bike activity:
Flying over a jump on the back of a horse.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Athletically, it was finishing my first half marathon. Personally, it is every time I see my kids accomplish a personal goal on their own. Professionally, it was starting my own business.

A bit about me:
I did not discover the joys of running or biking until I turned 40

Goals for 2011 season:
Finish 8 races, beat 27 minutes off Old LaHonda, learn how to do two more repairs on my bike

Words to live by:
The glass is always half full

Age: 52
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Disciplines: road biking, endurance

Why I ride:
It's fun!

Proudest moment on a bike:
Finally learned how to descend not like a weenie

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Has to be my husband/bike mechanic. He keeps my bike in top shape and taught me to descend not like a weenie.

Favorite off-bike activity:
Cooking for my family.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Lost 35 lbs., thereby avoiding becoming an old lady and requiring a major overhaul of above favorite off-bike activity.

What's in my iPod (not when riding, of course):
To my dismay, lots of oldies. I think I need to update.

My favorite season:
Summer! No rain and lots of daylight!

A bit about me:
I am a securities lawyer and mom of two daughters, Rose and Grace, and lots of pets: two dogs, Conan and Chaz, two cats, Frankie and Jonnie (I did not choose those names) and numerous fish (They have names but I don't know what they are). I love to cook (and eat).

Goals for 2011 season:
Complete the Cinderella ride with my 13-year-old, complete AIDS/Life Cycle, complete Death Ride

Words to live by:
It's not worth doing something unless you were doing something that someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing. (Sir) Terry Pratchett (English Writer, b. 1948)

Age: 28
Residence: Oakland, CA
Disciplines: Road, Endurance

Why I ride:
Cycling has transformed my body and life. Plus, it's the only time I am not available by email or cell. It's the ultimate "me" time.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Learning that going down hill really is more fun than going up!

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Kristin Armstrong

Favorite place to ride:
Bogus Basin Road, Boise, ID, Mt Diablo, Anywhere where there is smooth pavement and the sun is shining!

Favorite cycling event:
Levi Leipheimer's Grand Fondo

Favorite off-bike activity:
Cleaning my bike, then thinking about getting back on my bike. Obsessed!

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Feeling comfortable in spandex.

A bit about me:
18 months ago I joined my family on a leisurely bike ride, 70 pounds later I am proud to have joined the Velo Girls race team! I work full time as an Executive Program Manager for an interactive agency focused on creating digital programs for patients and physicians. My partner and I live with our two dogs, Sky and Rugby, in a little yellow house. I am a true perfectionist and pour all of my energy into the things I love.

Goals for 2011 season:
Ride my bike (ongoing), Increase fitness (also ongoing), Finish every race (results TBD), Survive the Death Ride (check the July obituary)

Words to live by:
Live to the point of tears (Albert Camus)...and ride through the pain (Me)

Age: 27
Residence: Woodside, CA
Disciplines: Cross Country Mountain biking

Why I ride:
I just love being outside and riding lets me cover some miles while taking in beautiful vistas.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Getting 3rd at Sea Otter in 2010. Never in my life would I have ever believed I would have been competitive racing.

Favorite place to ride:
Skeggs and anywhere off Skyline!

Favorite off-bike activity:
Catching up with my wonderful friends who feel like they have to compete with the bike for my time.

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
Generally, venturing off to California and taking advantage of the amazing experiences life has to offer.

A bit about me:
I am a critical care nurse at Stanford. I can truly say I love my job and getting to know the diverse people that I cross paths with. I love just about anything that gets me outdoors hence what brought me to the California sunshine! Biking, running, hiking, kayaking, backpacking, snowboarding, adventure races, orienteering, even a little ice hockey... I'm in!

Goals for 2011 season:
To be a little more structured for my 2011 race year and and enjoy seeing my skills grow on the bike every year that goes by!

Words to live by:
"It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln

[ RIDER PROFILE COMING SOON ]

Age: 35
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Disciplines: Road racing

Why I ride:
Because my body no longer allows me to participate in any high impact sports.

Proudest moment on a bike:
Conquered my fear in climbing by riding up and down a local mountain, despite the freezing rain and high wind.

Who's your favorite cyclist/cycling idol:
Jens Voigt

Favorite place to ride:
Anywhere that has nice wide bike lanes, smooth pavements with no traffic lights or stop signs.

Favorite cycling event:
Tour de France

Favorite off-bike activity:
Yoga and Strength Training

Proudest Moment off the Bike:
I tore my ACL in the left knee during the first part of a martial arts demonstration. Despite the injury, I came back for the second part of the demonstration so my sparring partner could participate. This was my partner's first major martial arts demonstration. She would have had to sit out if I didn't come back to spar with her. Also, this event only happened once a year. We won first place, Best in Show, that year. Perhaps the judges thought that the one-legged martial artist was part of the planned demo.

A bit about me:
I was a cross-country runner, a track sprinter, a javelin thrower, a triple jumper, a concrete canoe racer, a soccer player, a martial artist, and now, a cyclist.

Goals for 2011 season:
Race well and injuries free.

Words to live by:
Live life to the fullest.

[ RIDER PROFILE COMING SOON ]

[ RIDER PROFILE COMING SOON ]