Liv Events pb Cycle Works

Thanks to all the ladies that came bike packing this weekend! You made the Liv Autumn Harvest one to remember. I'm proud of each of you for stepping outside your comfort zone and trying something new! Already looking forward to our next adventure!

Announcing this week’s featured rider…Doreen Bowles!!!

My first impression of Doreen was that her personality lights up the room or the side of the road, which is where I first met her. I came upon Doreen & her friend Robin trying to fix a flat on the side of highway 33. I was riding to meet my mom and she had actually stopped to help them first. I arrived as they were finishing up and only helped them inflate the tire, but Doreen claims I saved them! She was new to riding and frustrated with the flat ordeal but had such a jovial attitude that we were all laughing on the side of the road! Doreen offered to buy me a new CO2 cartridge and I invited her and Robin to join me on a weekly group ride. Despite some trepidation about being slow, they both showed up the following week and kept coming the rest of the summer! Often times our group was small, giving me the opportunity to get to know each rider and Doreen’s enthusiasm and charisma definitely made those group rides something to remember!!

As I moved into riding more gravel I didn’t see Doreen as much but I’d run into her at the bike shop and she’d mention riding Tour de Nebraska (TDN), which she’s done five times now, or riding up Vail pass in Colorado, or setting out on a multi-day bike tour across Iowa. I kept thinking how awesome it was that she stepped outside her comfort zone and continued to challenge herself by trying new distances and events. Her husband Steve nominated her for that very reason.

“Doreen started out saying she would only ride the bike path, never clip in and had no need for a bike other than a comfort bike. She now has a road, gravel and fat bike! Now she rides more than me, is taking up gravel riding and wants to try bike camping! Prior to TDN she had never tent camped before. So proud of my wife!”

Doreen is now retired from a career as a Cardiac Device Specialist at Bryan Heart. She has chosen to spend her retirement living life to the fullest. This means continually seeking out newer, deeper, life-changing experiences and using those experiences as a means for personal growth, even if it means pushing beyond her boundaries both mentally and physically.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Each time Doreen sets out on a bike ride she is seeking out those richer experiences that can only be found by pushing fear out of the way. Doreen’s passion for biking is truly a reflection of how she lives her life to the fullest.

Doreen is also rescue dog rehabilitator, a Great Plains Bicycle Club board member, loves to travel and spent her 60th birthday riding her bike in Australia! You can read more about Doreen’s pursuit of richer experiences here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_FNfk0t2SiNpyM5bUKIa-cp-PUbvXNCs

Hey Ladies!! Our next event is next Thursday!! Come join us for margaritas as we learn about basic bike maintenance. May 10th, 7pm at Cycle Works. Sign up with the link below so we know how many people to expect.

Maintenance & Margaritas Learn how to do basic bike maintenance, fix a flat and replace your bar tape. Pedal our blender bike to mix your own drink or enjoy a pre-made drink on us! This is a free event for ladies only! Bring your friends! Lots of info, fun and yes swag!