In wrapping up the 2014 riding season for Ride Like A Girl here in Portland, I asked the women who participated to share how they have personally grown, what they learned, which barriers they overcame, or the goal they accomplished. This post is a simple list of their responses, separated into three categories: “Yearlings” (girlfriends new in 2014), “Alumna” (girlfriends who have participated for two seasons), and “Sweeper/Support” (our awesome Alumna girlfriends who came back to serve and encourage the Yearlings by sweeping and co-leading rides).

Yearlings:

• Making new girlfriends I gained confidence, … built up my strength & stamina, …biking on and off the road. – Melanie
• I learned how to ride safely in a group. -Sam
• Confidence. – Susie
• Then: I would never be caught dead in bike shorts. Now: I love bike shorts! – Kathy
• Riding with RLAG gave me strength in pushing myself to be a stronger & more confident bike rider. – Emily
• I learned how to change my own tire! – Sherry
• I learned that challenging my abilities and being gracious to myself in my lack thereof go a long way to enjoying the journey. – Tammy

Alumna:

• I found great joy in going distances that were beyond my expectation and energy derived by being in a group. – Jan
• Three years of cycling has greatly improved my overall health  and happiness. – Laura
• After not biking for 15 years;  I’m confidently pedaling up to 20 miles now. – Lauren

Sweeper/Support:

• The confidence I have gained through cycling is giving me confidence to go forward in other areas of my life. – Linda
• I learned to enjoy sweeping and encourage riders at the tail end of the group. -Trudy
• I made new girlfriends to bike with! -Evy
• When I was a newbie (not so long ago) I learned from so many people.  I appreciate the opportunity to pass it forward. -JoAnn
• I learned you just need the desire and heart to succeed as a bicyclist, not an expensive bike or Spandex shorts. – Melanie
• New friends!  New vistas!  New challenges!  New joys! – Leslie

My heartiest congratulations to each and every girlfriend for finding the courage to step out of your comfort zone, learn something new, and discover how much fun it is to bike with girlfriends.