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.

Meet Jessica Alexander

Image: Shereef Moustafa

A bit about myself...I've lived and been an avid cyclist in Long Beach for 11 years now and have really enjoyed seeing how the City’s bike infrastructure has developed over the years (and hope it will continue). I started biking all over Long Beach because where I lived for over 10 years has horrible parking and would bike to places so I wouldn't lose my parking spot or have to deal with parking wherever I was going. Those trips became so frequent it became an automatic thing to ride my bike everywhere. Especially on the ride home, I found that it would take the same amount of time to ride my bike instead of driving - because once I got home I'd have to search and search and search for a parking space that was usually a 10 min. walk from my place. It was much more enjoyable to bike.

Over the years I was biking more and driving less. Plus my car was becoming more unreliable and I hated spending any more money to maintain it. I was so happy and grateful when New Belgium Brewing's Tour de Fat picked me to be their "Car For Bike Trader" for Los Angeles last October and took my car away. It's been a great experience and opportunity. I’m already 6 months (and over 1,700 miles) into this car-free adventure (which you can check out here... http://ofbikesandbeers.tumblr.com/ ) and I definitely don't miss my car.

I’m definitely interested in getting more people, especially women, to ride their bikes and show them it can be done for everyday errands, commuting to work, etc. instead of driving. I always try to encourage others to ride their bikes and am trying to inspire people even more since I've become car-free. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to give back to my community by showing others how practical it is to get around by bicycle. Sure, not everyone can give up their car (and I don’t expect them to) but just to have them really think about biking more and driving less is a start.

Through my association with the Long Beach Cyclists I found out about and took the League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills 101 course. It really helped me become more comfortable riding around the city, teaching me the rules of the road and how to deal with certain situations in traffic. I think it is a great stepping stone to get more women out on bikes so they are more confident in their riding abilities. My hope is that they will take what they learn in the class and pass on the knowledge to their families and others in their community. Not only is it important to get more women riding their bikes but also to get them to ride correctly and follow the rules of the road. I think the course will have a good impact on how they drive as well. Hopefully they will begin to see cyclists as other slow-moving vehicles on the road. I look forward to being a part of teaching and showing them that getting around on their bikes is easier than they think. Plus, they don’t have to be a super-duper road cyclist and wear spandex. Ride safe and ride on!

Meet Machiko Yasuda - South Bay

My modus operandi is action – action that speaks louder than the constant cries that “Southern California is not livable.” As a lifelong Angeleno, I’ve been told and told again that L.A. is a la-la-land of drivers and smog. No walkers. No serendipity or intimacy of community. Certainly, there’s no nature. And no one knows your name.

Growing up in the suburbs of the South Bay, I confused everyone when I refused to get a driver’s license at age 16. And then in college at UCLA, I discovered the Purple and Gold lines, the Los Angeles river bicycle trail and Angels Flight. Exploring L.A. without a car gave me, the un-athletic sister of basketball players, a reason to pick up a bike and raise my heart rate a little. I’ll show everyone that it’s possible. And unbelievably fun.

Now after graduating and working, challenging myself on the bicycle led me to places I’d never imagine before. I overcame my fear of intimidating roads, gyms and wilderness hikes (without cell phone reception). Now, I climb rocks, hike and swim in rivers. Biking helped me learn the names of streets and my neighbors’ too. And now they’re teaching me how to care for a vegetable garden and fruit trees, at a local community garden. Who knows where I’ll find myself next? Thanks to my bike, neighborhood and newfound confidence, there’s so much left to explore. And not a single parking spot or backed-up freeway to worry about.

You could say it’s hard to classify me. I thrive between cars and pedestrians in bike lanes, but feel at home between library shelves too. Behind a computer, I make maps, videos and online communities come to life. The gym, beach and parks are my work out spots. And my neighbors know me by my blue bicycle, and perhaps my poor parallel parking. Geek, sports girl, bookworm, “bad Asian lady driver,” I’ve heard it all. With my mix of bicycling, public transit experience and varied web and communication skills, I’m certain I can serve as an instructor that empowers in women on bicycles.

Bicycling in Los Angeles can be an uphill battle for women. As a college student, I just wanted to find a way to bike to my internship in Beverly Hills. Instead, I found potholes and honking cars. I know from experience that, often times, it’s not the physical act of cycling, but rather the fear of traffic or sweat that discourage bike rides. Even before that first ride, the intimidating bike shop owner, the never-ending Craigslist search and the endless choices in frames (and lack of affordable, attractive non-Lycra gear) – all contribute steep uphill before the joy of biking.

I’ve been lucky, though.

Bus drivers showed me how to secure my frame on a bus. A passing pedestrian showed me how to fix my flat. Police returned my stolen bicycle. And I didn’t let stereotypes of bicyclists get to me. I rode with boys on fixies, carbon fiber and clipless-pedal-riding ladies twice my age (and twice as fast), I rode with CicLAvia and CICLE tours. I was lucky to have mentors around me to adjust my helmet, teach me signals and show me the best routes. And I’m ready to give back.

Driver’s education is required. Yet bicycling education isn’t. I met countless classmates – all girls – who’d never ridden a two-wheeler. And most have never ridden off the sidewalk. It’s easy to see the gaping need for instructors. Not just to teach the laws, but also to support, inspire and empower.

I’m not certified, but I’ve been practicing: I help friends fit and choose frames and helmets. I lead, signal and nudge them into left-hand turn lanes. For me, taking friends along with their bikes on the subway for the first time is better than Disneyland.

I’ve ridden on beach, backcountry and farm roads. Yet my favorite rides are with my neighbors I encouraged taking out their dusty hybrids, and bike, instead of drive, to Lowe’s. They were so worried. But what were they doing on the ride back? Smiling and cycling with pride and joy. I knew I had to share this with more people.

On my first bike commute, a car’s surprising honk brought me to tears. But along the miles I rode since, I found my smile and confidence. With a scholarship, I want to bring this lifelong joy to more women, their children and families.