Beyond the Bike: Routt County Reflections
A month after wrapping up the pilot program in Routt County, we received an email from a parent describing the impact that The Cycle Effect had on her daughter:
“I want to share with you this piece of writing Vanessa did for her Language Arts class. In this writing, she compares her life to the mountain bike experience. We knew that TCE had impacted her life in so many ways but when my husband and I read this, we were speechless. Thank you so much for all the work you all do to empower Latinas.” -A TCE Parent
Essay by Vanessa Avitia
While you pedal up a hill, you don’t know what to expect but you must be ready for anything. In my life, I am not always ready for what comes my way but I am always prepared to choose a path. What path I choose, the people I bike with, and the challenges I face can affect how enjoyable the ride is. People, places, and events in my life have made me the confident, happy, leader I am today.
My bike is the most reliable thing I have. It has been with me through the ups, downs, and twists of trails. My family is like my bike, reliable, supportive, and has always been there for me. My sister reminds me of my pedals, the thing that pushes me when things get hard. She has taught me to always keep my head high and to never let anyone or anything lower it. My mom and my dad are like the tires, they can be strong and soft. They always get me over rocks and pebbles. My parents have always taught me to keep going until I reach my destination.
Once I reach the summit, I can feel and see the places I can see the mountain where I grew to love skiing. The ski resort is huge, bigger than I remember it. I can see the place where I spend most of my summers where I lend a helping hand. CIIC is the place where I got the opportunity to help others, and learn from them. I can feel the hot sticky sun, shining on me like a Christmas morning in Mexico. Seeing all the nature on the trails is like all the events in my life, some are rough, bumpy, colorful, beautiful, and incredible.
Life is full of memories, trails are full of nature. The flowers blooming remind me of when my little sister was born. She was tiny and fragile just like the flowers. As I continue to ride up the trail, I can view a hard rocky trail above and don’t know what to expect. COVID was like that! You never knew what to expect, or what was coming. It was a hard ride, and I could see no end to the rocky trail, so I decided to take it slow. While I continued to make it through the rocks I noticed “perritos,” the flowers that look like a little dog. This flower looked like the puppy we got and he brought so much happiness, laughter, and love to my family. I’ve learned that memories are what makes life worth living and seeing all the nature is what makes it worth riding.
My cycle team, the paths I have chosen, and the challenges I have faced have shaped the person I am today. My family, Steamboat, Mexico, and memories have taught me so much. Such as breaks and falling down is just part of life. One day life is easy and the next day it is hard. Thank you so much to all who have supported me in becoming the kind, joyous, passionate person I am today.
At the Cycle Effect, we often discuss how lessons from the bike translate into our everyday lives. Knowing that our athletes are sharing their stories with their families and in school ignites us to think about our programming and how it can influence each athlete and team. Empowering young women at practice and on the bike is something great. Seeing that empowerment extends beyond practice into other parts of our athletes’ lives is something amazing.