Use Your Strengths

This week has been a peculiar week for me. I feel very fortunate in my life to have 4 beautiful, healthy, thriving kids, a wonderful husband and positively super job and the list goes on and on. My life isn't perfect, by no sense of the imagination (I'd like to meet someone who does have the perfect life), but in reality I have it pretty darn good. I get the opportunity to meet new people everyday and on the best of days I get to spend at least a few minutes getting to know them a little better. As a matter of fact, you may be one of those people that I got to spend time with, on the bike or in the shop. Each person I meet leaves some sort of an impact on me, at times I have to sit back and really think or reflect about it.

Now, what makes this week different for me is that I came in contact with 3 people in 3 days who have been affected by breast cancer. For me that is an astounding number. The first is a friend, who lost one of her dear friends this week to breast cancer. This lady was a cyclist, a wife and most of all a mother of two young children. The next is an acquaintance from my kids' school, whose sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago and just started chemo this week. Again, she is a mother of young children. The last is a dear friend of mine who thankfully found out this morning that she did not have breast cancer, after a very long few days of waiting for test results to come back. Once again she is a mother of a young child and a fellow cyclist. So I have spent time each day reflecting on these people and what they have been through and what they will continue to endure in the future ahead. My heart and my prayers go out to each family as they deal with their own struggles. But what else can I do to help, I'm only one person? Ahhh, I'm one person with a voice who can beg and plead for everyone else to use their voice and their strength to help.

What I ask is that you use your strength as a cyclist to help a good cause, support a charity that speaks to your heart. I personally have two, Breast Cancer Awareness and Research and the MS Society. I can't do much, but I can sign up for that charity ride and pay my $35 entrance fee, I can ask a friend to join me on that ride, now that's $70 going toward a charity. I know that my $35 when combined with 500 more people paying $35, can and will make a difference. I sit here asking you to do the same, sign up to ride, pay your fee, maybe even do some fundraising and then go out and have fun on your ride. You may choose a ride to prevent child abuse, to help end hunger, to help fight cancer, whatever your cause, just sign up and ride.

See, I told you it was really simple, no complicated training formulas here. Just you and your bike making a difference, one pedal stroke at a time.

Here are a few websites with good info:

www.komen.org
www.nationalmssociety.org
www.bcrfcure.org
www.teamintraining.org

Come Out and Support the MS Society

Here is a great chance to have a good breakfast, support a good cause and have some wonderful fellowship with your friends, all before 10am! Get up and out to the Farmer's Family Restaurant for a MS Walk Fundraiser Breakfast on Saturday, April 11, 2009 and have breakfast with the MS Society and MS Walk participants, from 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Just $6.99 per person, all you can eat buffet, proceeds to benefit the Nashville MS Walk. Restaurant is located at 100 Suzanne Dr. in Dickson, TN. Call 615-446-7775 for further details.

Ask for Lisa Rose when you get there, Lisa lives with the effects of MS on a daily basis, is a super involved volunteer with Walk MS and Bike MS, she is a volunteer on both committee's, is completing another walk this year and although she has run SAG for the Jack and Back for years, has now signed up to ride in her FIRST Jack & Back this year. Shake her hand, congratulate her on her achievements and thank her for her tireless efforts!

Spring Has Sprung

Spring is officially here and not a day too soon! If you haven't started riding yet, get your bike out of winter storage and get moving. It is time to shake off those winter blahs and get in the sunshine once again.

With the beginning of our ride season starting again, let me remind everyone to ride SAFE, ride defensive, ride as though the driver coming up behind you , beside you, toward you does NOT see you. I've said it before and I'll say it again, most drivers are unaware of the 3ft law in TN or they don't care about it. While bike laws are up for discussion and debate all the time, I am reminded of one of the most important pieces of advice I have ever been given, "You can only control yourself". Put it on a post card and tape it to the top tube of your bike, plaster it to your helmet, whatever you need to do to remind yourself who is in control. No matter what laws are passed, what roads we are given the freedom to ride, you can not control the person in the car on the road with you. I encourage you to get involved on a local level or go even further with it, find out what you can do to make your area a safe place for cyclist to ride. As cyclist we are to follow the same laws as a vehicle, this includes stop lights and stop signs, yes you may have to unclip. Just consider it practice and a good time to stretch your legs.

Now that I have that out of my system, let me also encourage everyone to come out and join us for one of our group rides. Just check out our Event Calendar for ride specifics.

I also need to apologize, I had said I was going to get a women's team together for 3 State 3 Mountain this year and as luck would have it, my oldest niece is getting married that day. So I chose to see my beautiful niece marry the man of her deams on May 2nd instead of climbing miles of hills. Yes, I know, what was I thinking. :-)

I hope you ALL have a wonderful, challenging and rewarding ride season and I hope to see you on the road or in the store soon!

Spring will be here soon. Right?

Here we are almost the end of January and of what has been a terribly wet and cold winter. If you are like us at Trace Bikes, we are not-so-patiently waiting on Spring to arrive. So while we wait what can we do to prepare for the upcoming riding season? Believe it or not there are lots of things you can do to pass the next few weeks by.

(1) Check out some of the upcoming organized rides and begin to plan your ride calendar. Trace Bikes will be organizing training groups for a few different rides this year, like 3 State 3 Mountain, Jack & Back and more. For a new twist this year I'll be getting a group of women to train for 3 State 3 Mountain, they offer a metric course and a full century. Training for this ride will begin in March, check our website for more info in the upcoming weeks. Jack & Back training will start in early June, but don't wait until then to get on your bike.

(2) Now is the perfect time to get your bike tuned up without the long wait that comes with Spring. Bring your bike by and let one of our mechanics check it out, you'll be happy you did when the warmer days get here.

(3) Get in the gym for a spin class, hit the pavement for a walk/run or on your trainer and get started on your base/core training. Get those muscles moving and start shedding those extra winter pounds that can slow you down.

(4) Check out your riding gear, does anything need to be replaced? Now is a great time to find good deals on cycling apparel like jackets and jerseys.

Now, get up, get out and get riding!