When I was 7, my then- 13 year-old brother was going through quite the bmx phase. He was constantly striving to learn new tricks and get the latest gear as a way to pass the time in the less-than-exciting town of Lubbock, Texas. While today my brothers remain two of my closest friends, as a kid they were my absolute idols. I wanted to follow them everywhere and do whatever they did. So if Ben was going to get into biking, so was I.
My tricks were not as showy and, well, about what you’d expect from a seven year-old girl. It probably didn’t help my street cred that my bike was just about as girly as they come (shocking, I know). Ben eventually grew out of that bmx phase, but never out of biking as last year he rode 5,000-miles across Africa with his friend Spencer. I suppose I never grew out of being envious of my big brother and trying to find ways to put a spin on his excursions. But Bike and Build is my adventure and is about proving to myself that I can do something of this magnitude, rather than simply impress my older brothers.
I have flirted with the idea of biking cross-country for ages and have always felt that if I see a problem, I should be able to fix it. I owe it to myself to try at the very least. Bike and Build is seemingly the perfect fit for me and although there is still a great deal of preparation yet to be completed, I know every second of it will be so, so worth it. A great adventure, amazing people, and helping others? What is not to love?
It goes without saying that biking coast to coast will be a physically exhausting feat. And while I’ve always considered myself an athlete, I still am not completely sold on identifying myself as a cyclist. Sure I love going on bike rides and even have a sticker on my “fun bike” that proudly proclaims “I ❤ my bike” – but does any of this merit me the title “cyclist”? As I dive into training for the trip I suppose I will learn what it is that earns one that title and once I arrive in Monterey, California, I hope I’ll have earned that designation.
I received some official Bike & Build gear recently.
So what do you think- do I look like a cyclist?
Be the change you wish to see in the world,
Arden
2wheels4acause 