Juniors' Day Out and Maryland Special Olympics Fall Games
The chicas of Team CycleLife p/b Specialized helped out at the Junior's Day Out event September 26. For most of the team, it was the last cycling event of the year (though the girls weren't racing). It was also an opportunity to finally give back to the sport in a very small, but hopefully significant way. The CycleLife members donated together lots of cycling items including clothes, tires, gloves, socks, hats, and other equipment for the purpose of this event. Although the weather was a bit chilly and raining in the afternoon, the women rode with the special olympic cyclists in every event throughout the course of the day ensuring that they were more than motivated to get to the finish line. More importantly, the team helped monitor the safety of the riders and tried to provide as much support on and off the course, at the registration table, at the awards table, and even serving as podium girls! Overall, the event proved to be a success, and the promoters did a fantastic job with the race.
A quick recap of the season
Cyclists are known for their discipline, focus, and near obsession of training and racing. It's really a sport that doesn't allow much time for relaxing and slacking (even during the off-season). Each year, most riders improve from a year of intense training and racing, but there's always room for even more growth when looking ahead at the upcoming season. The strong women of Team CycleLife ended this year with a bang; Leslie won the Senior Women BAR, Christina won the Cat 3 BAR, and Sara, Robin, and Jen all upgraded to Cat 2. Despite stresses from work, injuries from races, and the ups and downs in life, the team was able to perform well and deliver fantastic results throughout the year. With the exception of one or two races, the team consistently placed in the top 3 in every local race. Furthermore, the girls were competitive racing among the best in the country in the National Calendar Races (NRC professional races).
Sponsors are awesome
(So awesome Sonja raises a bike in your honor)This year couldn't have been possible without the strong support through the year of our sponsors. Sometimes people just think it's all about the money; it's not at all. It is helpful to have the financial support, and it relieves the team from individual burdens that come with the high costs of the sport. More importantly, it keeps the team focused on what's important: racing together and achieving great results as a team because we aren't wasting time worrying about funding. The money you give us keeps us going, and believe it or not, it helps keep the team solid, strong, and together through tough times too! It's also great to know that there are other people who believe in what we do - people who support us, and people who understand why we choose this lifestyle. Thank you to all of our sponsors! We never take you for granted, and we hope you've enjoyed working with us as much as we have with you.
