Ale G

Back to regularly scheduled programming of me going outside: A couple weeks ago I outsided a lot in the heat ☀️🫠 and finished my first ever bike race!

A lil backstory: my friends told me they were doing the @focofondo, a 62mi gravel race that happens every year in Fort Collins. Before I knew it I’d signed up and had committed to the race that was happening in like 4 days ooooops. I’d done 0 training for this aside from starting to run a little and playing a lot of pickeball lately which is not at all equivalent to riding a bike lol 🫠 but here I was swapping my road tires for gravel ones a few days before the race. Spoiler alert: it was a bad idea (those of you who watched my stories the day of know exactly what I mean 😅)

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done mostly bc it was like 100 degrees out and there wasn’t enough water in the world to help me feel hydrated and also turns out that not training for a hard bike race is kinda dumb?? Only 20mi in I already wanted to quit and sincerely doubted I’d make it. Somehow though (with lots and lots of encouragement from awesome friends) I managed to get the remaining 40mi and make it to the finish line!

When I was done I told myself I’d never do anything like that again buuut now that it’s been a bit… I’m deefinitely gonna do it again 🤪

…but maybe I’ll learn my lesson next time and train a little. And wear a lot more sunscreen.

@laurenrowell.jpeg @sarahkos 118mi one in 2026? 👀

Check out some pics from the race taken by @em.sierra (I’m the one dying on the right 😬)