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Well, I have been asked for a while to start documenting the process leading up to the Land Speed Record event. Here it is … finally! 🙂 Of course there is so much to catch up on that it may take a few posts to bring everyone up to speed, so I will start writing and covering topics, one word and one post at a time. Similar to my favorite saying of “How do you eat and elephant? One bite at a time!” I have never blogged, so there are many firsts that I am tackling!
It would be fitting to answer one big question that comes up a lot … How did you decide to go after a Women’s Bicycle Land Speed Record? Well, it really wasn’t my idea (of course I kick myself for not thinking of it myself). It was my Coach, John Howard’s idea back in late 2012. John and I went out to lunch and he proceeded to “bait” me with some obvious statements about myself after he said he had a great idea he wanted to throw my way. Of course I was interested in his idea, but he prefaced telling me that idea until after he had me nodding my head like a bobble-head doll in agreement to all the lead up comments: “You like to go fast (nod nod smile), you like to draft (heck yes), you like to race cars (of course), you love to ride your bicycle (that’s a no brainer), you are an adrenaline junkie (well of course!) …” finally he had me begging to hear his idea! At this point I can look back and say that when he told me his idea, it was like I was a puddle of gasoline and he threw a lit match. When he uttered the fateful words “You know, there is no Women’s Land Speed Record.” BAM!!! It was all over from there! I was almost jumping out of my seat with the thought of being the FIRST woman to set a bicycle land speed record! And, to have the legend himself, John Howard, who broke the record to be my mentor and coach, well that was icing on the cake.
From that fateful moment until today, has been a journey of preparation. I can still remember the presentation of the idea like it was yesterday. I still can’t believe I didn’t think of the idea myself, but then again, sometimes the best ideas come from those who see something you hadn’t seen in yourself. It’s an honor to have a coach that believes in me and my abilities to honor his cycling heritage by following in his footsteps! Thank you John!