My name is Gwyneth or you can call me Gwyneth on wheels, a 60 something enjoying life as it comes. Although I have always considered myself fit, It took me up until my 60’s until I found my tribe in the form of cyclists!
I walked 5km to work for years, did yoga for flexibility and I must have drunk my own volume in green juice by now. So when in the late 90s we came to Mallorca to check out holiday homes I realised that all year round sunshine and warm weather were just around the corner, bring it on I said.
It was during an early visit to the island that I saw my first group of cyclists. They were sitting enjoying a beer outside a Café in Santa Maria. I knew they were the real deal due to their dodgy shoes and fancy cycling gear. Guys dressed in Lycra have always had a certain appeal to me. There weren’t just guys, there were a couple of women in the group that inspired me and I knew then that I wanted to do what they were doing. Cycling, exploring, socialising and belonging to a community. I’d found my tribe, I just had to train myself to get there.
It would be another five years though before I learned to ride a bike, never mind a road bike. I decided pretty soon after owning my first hybrid bike that cycle paths and pavements weren’t for me. I wanted to ride with a group of cyclists, climb hills, see the island, make new friends and join a club, I wanted it all.
In 2018 I met Elspeth who encouraged and helped me move on to the next stage, getting a road bike and understanding the equipment. It was a bit milestone for me when I cycled my first 100km!!!
Joking apart with her help I cycled more often, cycled further and started to climb a few hills. I was happier and fitter than I’d ever been. I now wear those dodgy shoes and flick my ankle elegantly outside a café just like the real cyclists I would see do. But now this is me.
I’m still getting PB’s on the climbs and I’m racking up the QOM’s for my age category on the roads of Mallorca.
At Girls Get Strong Cycling we bring together women who are passionate about cycling. To talk to us about cycle coaching or joining one of our camps in Mallorca Book a Free Discovery Call.