Now that it’s Spring Break I can finally take a moment to get caught up on a few things — including sharing that I am a super ecstatic recipient of the 2019 Adventure Cycling Greg Siple Award for Outdoor Leadership!

In June, I will fly out to Colorado for a 3 day outdoor leadership training with Adventure Cycling pros and learn all about how to lead bike tours, including camping, cooking, group leading, and other logistics. The other perks of this award include some sweet gear and getting to sign up for an Adventure Cycling self contained trip of my choice – I haven’t picked one yet, but it will probably be one in 2020 because this summer will be packed!

As I described in my application video, I plan to use my outdoor leadership training skills with Momentum Bike Club youth in Greenville. Our high school youth Challenge Team members meet several times a month to ride road bikes, participate in career and college readiness skill activities, and learn about resiliency and overcoming obstacles from other members of the community who can speak to their varied life experiences.

Bike touring has given me confidence and perseverance that I didn’t know I had, and I am so excited to be able to share this experience with a new generation (wow that makes me feel old)! I will share what I learn here on the blog, but be sure to follow Adventure Cycling and Momentum Bike Clubs on social media as well to put some joy and inspiration in your newsfeed!