Thanks for all these stories, gals. It's so nice to know there are kindred spirits out there. It's hard to say these things to folks who don't know what it's like to feel that grit in your teeth an hour after you get off your bike...

This summer I completed two centuries: America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe with Team-in-Training (Go Team!) and the Mid-Valley Covered Bridge Ride out of Albany, OR, and I'm commuting every day in September (14 miles each way) for the Portland commuter bike challenge. These have caught my imagination and given me my fire back (not to mention helped me overcome various physical challenges, not to mention aging).

It's so cool to be this lucky. Thanks for knowing this feeling.
Best,
-Kate