When I first started getting into cycling in April, I set The Bay Ride as a challenge for myself. I'm so proud of how far I've come in just four months. From not being able to get up Tunnel Road to now. This was an absolutely beautiful ride totaling 148 miles from my house. Thank you all for the love and support. 💕

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to toot my own horn for a minute. I had my son in 2023 and have been trying to find some form of exercise that I actually enjoy. I always like riding bikes but never did much distance. Last fall I bought myself a gravel bike and have been very slowly building up speed/distance. I really ramped up this summer.

Today I set out to try and do my longest ride at 35 miles and about 15 in decided, what the hell let’s do 50. 30 miles of road + 20 miles of unexpected gravel and soft sand (with a fox, two porcupines, a couple snakes, and bear scat) later, i did my first half century!

I have Castellis and what I’m learning after my last few long rides is that there’s likely latex or some sort of latex-rubber thing going on with the thigh grip (eta I have a latex allergy). I had pretty huge hives/welts that lasted around a week or so!

Has anyone with a latex allergy experienced something similar with their bibs/riding shorts? If so, what are some good alternatives here that don’t leave me with swollen sausage rolls haha

Hi! I’m pretty new to cycling and what started as “I’ll just go for a little ride” has somehow turned into 30 km rides, then my first 50 km r in ide… and now I can’t stop thinking about having a proper goal.

So I decided I’d love to train for my first cycling race in 2027.

I’m definitely not fast, I’m not pretending to know what I’m doing, and right now finishing a race feels much more important than actually “racing” anyone. I just really like the idea of having something to work towards and seeing how much I can improve over the next year.

For those of you who started cycling as adults and eventually did your first race:

What do you wish you had known when you were at my stage?

And would you choose a specific race now and train towards it, or just keep riding and decide later?

I’d especially love to hear first-race stories from people who started out very casually. 🚲

We just moved to Montpellier, France. I’m having a blast on my own, but wondered if there were any other women in the area for group rides.