My 9-year-old Moxie Gal

A few weeks ago, my 9-year-old daughter, Sasha, and I completed our first tandem century together. It was a big goal. I’ve done a bunch of solo century rides, but bringing a wee one along for 6 or 7 hours of riding, not to mention pulling her and a 40-pound tandem bike over 100 miles… well… I wasn’t sure we were up for the challenge!

But we are firm believers in the power of the possible. So on a cold and rainy Saturday morning, Sasha and I woke before dawn, donned our matching Young Miss Collection Moxie jerseys and jackets, piled on lots of layers, and hit the road!

What follows is Sasha’s retelling of our epic adventure.

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Riding for a Purpose

I love to ride. Up or down, all-in or cruise, solo or or group riding or going out for ice cream with my family – I love it all. But my very favorite thing about cycling is the opportunity I have to make a difference in another person’s life with every ride.

Three years ago, I joined Team Cycle4Cure. We’re a local group of like-minded local cyclists who are passionate about riding in general, but we especially love to ride for a purpose. We enjoy riding long distances in order to raise funds to fight debilitating and life-threatening diseases. We know many people who suffer with cancer, multiple

Journey into Triathlon

My journey into Triathlon has been one of both immense happiness and sadness. I more or less happened on the sport as a way to mix up my running and cross train more. I purchased my first road bike in April of 2015. After purchasing my bike, I started riding with some girls from the local YMCA. These girls were the real deal! They were serious riders, and most were training for various races: Ironman Arizona 140.6, Beach to Battleship 70.3, and Ironman Muncie 70.3. I was blown away at their strength, courage, and ability to simply endure and keep going. I wanted to be like that and find that type of strength within myself. Each time I conquered a distance as a “first,” these women cheered for me and genuinely felt happy for me. I was hooked on the bike and running. Naturally, according to my tribe of women, I needed to add swimming into the mix. I started dabbling in swimming off and on of that year. I wasn’t ever really serious about it nor did I commit to the pool.

January 2016, I decided to do something I never do. I

Riding in Tandem

Last season, my husband Steve and I embarked on a new adventure in cycling – riding in tandem.

When I divulge that we ride a tandem bike, inevitably I get one of two reactions:

1. (from people who have never ridden tandem) Oh! I’ve always wanted to try riding a tandem with my spouse/kid/significant other!
2. (from people who have ridden tandem or are close to those who have) Oh! A divorce machine!

Share the Love: Biking with your Kids

If you’re an avid cyclist with kids, I bet that you also want to get them involved in biking!  I started my son on a strider, and then his own little bike at age 4.  Transitioning him off of training wheels was easier than my parents had it with me — I didn’t do the “run alongside their bike and pray they can balance” route — instead, I followed the instructions here and it was a fast transition.  It wasn’t without a few wipeouts, but the kid learned to ride on his own much younger than I did.

“Mountain biking is all about getting dirty, having fun, falling down and getting hurt.  Actually no, not getting hurt.  Just falling down.” – My six year old’s mountain biking mantra

After a year or two of riding on the sidewalks, I decided to let him try some of the easiest singletrack trails around.  They were fairly wide, undulating trails with minimal hills and zero obstacles.  HE LOVED IT!!  I have a fond memory of him yelling “THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!” as he cruised down the hill … and then he crashed into the bushes.

Turn Your Workouts into a Family and Friends Event

Let’s face it. You love your workouts. You got into your sport thinking you were just running a 5K, just biking on the weekends or just training for your first triathlon. It didn’t take long, but now you’re hooked. Congratulations on your healthy and active lifestyle.

Whether you are following a training plan, taking a particular class or just mixing it up, workouts take up a good chunk of time. With any kind of commitment, you have to figure how to fit it all in. So what do you do when you are feeling that push and pull between training, family, and friends?

Recruiting an Event Crew

After breaking my ankle and having two ankle surgeries several years ago, I was able to learn the role as spectator for several of my hubby’s races that year.  It also allowed me to be able to watch him complete his first Ironman. I will never forget that day. The picture to the right is what I wore that day.  It is actually super fun being a spectator, too!

As an athlete, it is great to have spectators out on the course.  If you are having a tough day, it helps so much know that your spectator(s) will be up ahead to cheer you on.  If you are having a great day, you get to share that experience with them!

Location, location, location…

After you have signed up for an event, you will want to think about your event crew/spectators.  How close is this event to

5 Places for Destination Cycling

I can’t say this enough… I love to travel. Being a Midwesterner, traveling to warm tropical beaches is heaven.  I also love to bike.  When I heard recently there was a bicycle tour company that took you on a cruise to cycle at the different ports, I couldn’t sign up fast enough.  On a recent week in February I set sail on the Norwegian Star with Bike & Cruise Tours. http://www.bikeandcruisetours.com  Our group consisted of 25 men and women, some older, some younger, some more experienced than others.  The one thing we had in common was a love of cycling.

Our first stop – Roatan Island, Honduras.  When we were cleared to leave the ship,

Weekend Family Trips on a Budget

Adventures for the whole family in our National Parks.

Let’s be honest.  Cycling isn’t the cheapest sport out there.  Also, no matter how well planned attempts to combine family vacations around destination races often lead to a catastrophe in one respect or another – think 12 hours schlepping around Disney and then trying to have fresh legs to race the next day.  So finding the time and budget to fit in a family trip can be a

How to get your kids involved with cooking

Here are some of my tips and ideas on how to get your kids to help out in the kitchen. These are solely based on my experience and opinions, and obviously each parent and child is different.  Regardless, I hope this helps you and your kids!

1. Grow a garden! Grow food!

Number one for me because it’s one of the healthiest things you can do for your family, and it educates them about how things grow, and it can be done together. Kids love watching things grow, and