The Cycle Effect is my escape and my place to get away.

Currently, nearly 1 out of 4 students report being bullied at school. In elementary school, Ana Maria found herself being the target of bullying and was called various names.  The bullying made her struggle in school and insecure in everything she did. She used to lip-sync for her talent shows because it was terrifying for her to be vulnerable and she thought she would be bullied.

“Once I joined The Cycle Effect, I learned I had a voice of my own and that I wasn’t afraid to use it.”

The Cycle Effect coaches helped her overcome some of her struggles.  She realized “We are who we are. At the end of the day, we are all different.  I learned to respect different opinions and see the good in people, without focusing on the bad.”  Now as a more social person and more secure, she has learned to love herself for who she is. And she has learned to be “thankful for life, no matter what’s going on, you’re still here.”

Mountain biking helped Ana Maria find her voice. "Now I speak for The Cycle Effect, for my school, I write speeches, and I present." Ana Maria said mountain biking helped her put herself out there when it was just her, the bike, and the mountain. 

"I would use the bike as my way to think about life in general. The mountain and the uphills were my issues and I was confronting them."

With goals of getting a scholarship and going to college, The Cycle Effect helped her realize her dreams of becoming a child psychologist.  Through The Cycle Effect program, Ana Maria had the opportunity to mentor some of the younger participants and she loved it. She realized so many kids have trauma in life, she wants to help them and let them know they are not alone.  Tam, her coach and mentor, taught her the value of working hard to achieve your goals.   

“Working hard prepares you for life in general.  You need to learn how to get back up by yourself when life kicks you down. Life is hard.  Riding bikes has helped me to learn to fail, get back up and work harder.”

Through our year-round program, participants learn to transfer determination and overcome obstacles from mountain biking to their everyday lives.  At The Cycle Effect, we are dedicated to empowering young women through mountain biking to create brighter futures and build stronger communities.  The program uses mountain biking as a vehicle to support the development and future success of participants. Our main goal is to create a path for underserved girls to graduate from high school and move into a career or college education.  

100% of program graduates have gone on to college, 

75% are first generation to attend college.

To Ana Maria, The Cycle Effect is not a biking team, it’s more of a group of people trying to leave their mark on the community through the community service hours they complete as a part of the program.  She believes she is showing all girls, Hispanic girls specifically, that they can do much more than they think and to take advantage of opportunities that could help them reach goals they never knew existed. 

The Cycle Effect is transforming an entire culture of what is possible.  The program is also helping to bridge two communities together.  “The Cycle Effect helps bring different groups together and that forms a unique family. If we weren’t in the program together, there’s a chance we wouldn’t be friends. We all have a different backstory, but we’re one team.”  -Ana Maria, Program Participant