We are thrilled to have Lisa Hanson Tilley as a guest today. Lisa has a great story about the very thing that pushes us to do more each and every day and how sometimes all it takes is the feeling of accomplishment to make you want to just go one more mile.
Thank you for sharing your story Lisa.
‘Why I Ride’ As seen in The Racing Post…
Getting on the bike allows me to clear my mind and lets the details of the day fade into the background for just a little while. Instead, I focus on the sunshine and the Texas wind and hills ahead of me. It’s a chance to remember who I am from the inside-out, and to surprise myself on a pretty regular basis as to who I can be when I challenge myself. It has transformed me physically, mentally, and socially. It’s an addiction that happens to have ceaseless benefits.
The physical accomplishments are the easiest to point out. I was inactive and overweight for over a decade before I started riding. I have conquered hills I have previously only traversed by car, never dreaming that I’d ever power myself over them by bike. I have completed distances that exceed the 90 minute car ride to Nana and Papa’s house from Fort Worth to Meridian, TX. (This is particularly impressive to my children). In addition, I have completed the HHH 100k and earned a century patch at Bike MS (Go Team Plebeian Horde!), riding from Frisco, TX to Texas Motor Speedway. There is great personal triumph in completing a ride when everything in you is screaming that you cannot finish. I now registered for my first race with MBBC at the Tonkawa Time Trails—a 12 hour solo endurance race, and then I will conquer the HHH 100 mile route this August.
It’s no secret that exercise is a stress-reliever. Add camaraderie to that and you have a real chance to de-stress on the bike. I participate in rallies monthly and meet new people who become friends nearly every time I get on the bike. I met my forever-HHH-roommate at the Weatherford Peach Pedal after a 5 minute chat at the start-line.
I am connected to some tremendous people, event coordinators, like Brent Grelle at Tour de Norway, who are constantly networking and working to improve their routes and races for cyclists. I have ridden with Bike Friendly Mid Cities, a sociable group for new and experienced riders who support a locally owned restaurant by cycling to a location and chat over coffee or beer. On occasion due to schedule, I get to ride with Bikes Inc. or MBBC. We remember riders who are no longer with us, promote cycling alongside our Fort Worth Mayor, Betsy Price, and celebrate holidays with a parade, a bike crawl or by following the Fort Worth Cycling Pub. I ride with a private group of friends who have the same interests as far as pace and enjoyment of the surroundings. The synchronous way in which we manage is almost surreal and definitely relaxing. The point is that each group is extended family. The sense of support and belonging is priceless. The opportunities to ride are infinite.
I ride to inspire myself, my children and others. I ride to beat my own personal records, related to distance, endurance and occasionally speed. I enjoy impressing my children by accomplishing great things on the bike –things they can’t do just yet, while encouraging them to ride, too. My daughter recently wrote a note that said, “I want to become determined like my mommy.” THAT is exactly what I hope for for my girl. I ride because there was a time when I could not due to my health.
I am a reminder to myself others that it IS possible to change the direction one’s life has taken! The global CycloFemme ride is a great example of this. Every Mother’s Day around the world (based on the U.S. date) groups of women (and men, too) ride and encourage others to ride who have never done so before. This year I rode with the ReGeared group in Grapevine, TX with my daughter. It was her first ride outside of our neighborhood.
Just as importantly, it is my honor and pleasure to promote both cycling and rallies by writing about the events for The Racing Post. The opportunity to review Texas cycling rallies has literally transformed my life as a cyclist and as of this month, my tenth review has been published. I have been all over the state, as far east as the piney woods and as far south as the Sam Houston National Forest. Each event represents enthusiastic volunteers and a whole lot of hard work, benefitting charities, schools, first responders and more. The opportunity to ride and write has taken me to a myriad of places that I could never have guessed. I am lucky. And blessed.
I ride because I always have something to look forward to. I am inspired to stay busy at the gym so I can meet my next challenge with confidence and keep my goals for health in check. I look forward Texas Forts Tour this fall, which provides up to 300 miles of supported miles Columbus Day weekend and the HHH Triple Threat in 2014. And then there are the bucket list rides… the East coast in the spring cherry blossoms or the fall foliage, Holland in the flower fields, and Norway to encounter the dramatic landscape. If there is one thing I’ve learned on a bike, it is this:
One can dream.
photo credit: Maggie McDonald Photography
