The Feminine Face of Cycling

I live in a cyclist-dense community. Two small communities connected by a bridge over a canal contain one university cycling club/racing team, two community cycling clubs, and an adult cycling team. Allow me to briefly plug these groups:

* Copper Country Cycling Club (C4) - Michigan Tech's cycling club and racing team
* Keweenaw Cycling Club - Still in the beginning stages, the KCC is a new cycling club that is also starting a kid's competitive cycling team.
* Red Jacket - BlueSky Health Racing Team - A group of close-knit riders who fell in love with the camaraderie brought about by the impromptu Red Jacket cyclocross team.
* Trekkers - Started as a group of adults getting together for adult fun time. It evolved into what is now a large community cycling club with Monday night rides and potlucks.

These two small cities have more cycling clubs than many large cities. What makes them special is that they are not just cycling clubs, they are communities. The people in these clubs spend a lot of time together because the lifestyle of cycling is what brings them together. What makes all of this even more special are the familiar faces you find around any random corner and the conversations waiting to be had by bumping into one of these people.

I ran into three of my fellow cyclists within five minutes of each other at Michigan Tech today. What was even more unusual is that the four of us are all women. I couldn't help but smile as I walked through campus thinking about the good fortune I had just experienced. The masculine face cycling originally presented itself to me as was transforming into a symbol of feminine strength and means.

Today's occurrence may not be of much significance to you, but it is of great importance to me. I greatly admire the female cyclists in my community because they are my role models. Men have Lance. I have Bobbie, Heather, Kathy, Lori, and Melanie, to name a few. These are women who have allowed cycling to play a significant hand in their lives while juggling what life throws their way: school, work, relationships, travel. Most of them can identify with me. To see three of them doing what I do: going to school, some commuting by bike, is a great motivation.