UPDATE: Pua Mata
Ride With Pua.
It may sound cliché and it also makes me feel a little old to be saying this, but time really does fly and I cannot believe that it was already one year ago that I wrote a blog which was almost an exact carbon copy to this one. Blogs that are repetitive can get boring fast, but the fact that I am able to write this one again is so exciting.
A couple of months ago, I was chatting with both ShoAir and Cannondale about the contest that I put on last year with the high school girls and moments later, we were discussing the possibility of putting it on again, but this time, using the infamous 24-Hours of Old Pueblo. They looked at me and asked if I would be up for it, and I could not have been more ecstatic to the idea and the fact that they wanted to get behind it and help make it happen for the second year in a row.
The ideas quickly began flowing and tossed back and forth and now I find myself sitting here making the official announcement.
So, here it is: I am calling all Arizona High School girls to come join me in a little over a month to their very own backyard of Tucson, Arizona where we will be riding circles on the sinuous single track in the Sonoran Desert at one of the largest 24-hour events in the world – the 24-hours in the Old Pueblo.
24 Hour races can be very intimidating. In fact, back in 2005 when I was getting ready for my very first 24-hour solo race, my scale of nervousness was off the charts and I remember having to focus on breathing, relaxing, and realizing that when I got to the line and finally heard the word go, I was going to be at home doing what I knew best for 24-hours…simply riding my bike. Yes, when I race, I race to win, but at the same time, this 24-hour journey was a personal feat that I wanted to prove to myself that I could conquer. Whether I came in last place or first place, the goal was to leave it all out on the course and get to that finish line, even if it meant that I had to crawl across with my bike on my back. There are times in life when we cannot let our fear conquer us, but we have to go out and conquer our fears, which is exactly what I did. This is why I chose the 24-hours in the Old Pueblo to be the race to bring our Ride with Pua contest to. I know you high school girls are fearless, talented and looking for not only an amazing experience and incredible memories, but a challenge, and this is exactly what this race will provide. The best part of it will be the company in which you will be sharing this experience with, learning with and laughing with – girls that are just like you.
So, if you are a girl, if you live in Arizona, if you are in high school, if you ride a mountain bike, if you love riding your mountain bike, if you want to challenge yourself and maybe experience a little suffering along the way, and have always wanted to race a 24 with the coolest girls team ever, go to: http://www.arizonamtb.org/ride-with-pua/ and read about how you can get a spot on the 2013 Sho-Air/Cannondale 24-hours in the Old Pueblo girls team. I wish that I could have every one of you on my team, but the rules are only 4 people to a team, sorry!
Happy New Year to all of you and I wish you the most amazing year! Hope to see you next month, but until then, stay warm and keep pedaling!
Pua
