Meet Nayely Limon

"I'm bored!"are words you will never hear me utter. I don't own the latest video game console, drive a shiny new car or even own a television. My kitchen has no microwave, I don't listen to the radio and I sweep my carpet with a broom. You could say my style of living is a bit Amish, but I embrace hard work and do things the old fashion way. I know manual labor is about more than just pushing a button.

When I take up a hobby, I make myself knowledgable of every bit of information pertaining to it. I want to do it wholeheartedly or I will very quickly loose interest. Being extremely curious enables me to engage in a wide range of activities. Though, I don't do most of them recreationally, I still benefit from them on a daily basis. I live with the ideal that if you quit wondering and stop asking questions, you have denied yourself of the opportunity to learn.

I'm a part-time runner but most importantly, a full-time cyclist. I stride, torque and write for fitness, expression and release. I'm also very creative and interest myself in personal art projects like painting, logo designing, and drawing. Cooking is one of my favorite self-acquired skills. It's about more than just following a recipe. It's a process of identifying the nutritional benefits of ingredients, food preparation and plate presentation.

If I was being asked how I feel about cycling, I would need more than 500 words to describe my genuine devotion. I fell in love with the sport in 2008 and shortly there after, I traded in my car for it. Bikes, bikes, bikes! My life became physically and even emotionally reliable on my bike. When I had a desperate need to escape anxiety and stress, I decided I would take up cycling. I was looking for a way out of my brain and I wanted nothing more than to travel in every direction away from myself. So I did, I rode for thought.

While I have found happiness in cycling, I lost time to continue my other passion, writing. Being highly energetic and communicative, I found it extremely difficult to choose which activity deserved the most time spent on. I managed not let go of either and I correlated both of these passions into what I call "Cyclepathic Writer," my fitness blog. Here I discuss my training for events such as the Los Angeles Gran Fondo (72mi), Tour de Perris (100mi), L'Etape du California (100mi) and upcoming Tour of Long Beach (100mi). In my entries I review products, share routes, articles, recipes, music, videos, pictures, tips and facts.

This week I logged my 8,000th mile, 4,000 in the last year alone. I have over 440 routes and 700 hours of activity. My involvement in the cycling community is dramatically increasing year by year, boosting my progress and pushing me closer to my goals. I've never felt happier, healthier, clear headed and accomplished as I do now.

 "The most important shift I ever made on a bike was not mechanical and had nothing to do with equipment. It was about how to win an uphill battle without even fighting."
- Mark Levine (Bicycling Magazine)

That quote spoke directly to me the first time I read it. It explained how even through something unrelated there can be a relationship unlike any other. It is through relationships that doors and opportunities open. I advocate for a healthy and fit lifestyle, encouraging others to go out there and do something as well. I want to be proof that life changes are found at the fingertips of those willing to grasp it and not at the bottom of a wishing well. Cycling did not take over my life, it changed it. It has altered every state of my being in the most positive way and this feeling is worth sharing.

Stubborness has never represented itself as one of my negative traits.  When I was told I couldn't loose weight or complete a certain mileage, I still believed in myself. It was my determination and my relentless attitude that made me prove everyone wrong. I am the fitting contribution to this program because I hold all the qualifications along with communication skills to teach, be taught and reach out to others. Through cycling, I have found my road to living.