I'd just finished a very long drive in our van and trailer back from our bicycle tour in Maine. I'd gotten caught in traffic a few times, making the drive even longer, so I was exhausted when I finally arrived home. As usual, I immediately checked my phone for texts and emails. I dare say that there are few if any other bicycle tour companies that receive love notes like some of the ones we get at WomanTours. This one made me tear up and revived me from my drive. Thank you, Elisabeth, for reminding me what is special about WT. Here it is:
We have arrived back in Spokane, after a truly epic journey on the Selkirk Loop. There were many long hills to climb, providing lots of time to think. One of the things I thought a lot about was what WomanTours means to me. Yes, WomanTours is a tour company providing cycling tours for women. But it is much more than that. WomanTours produces positive transformational changes in women’s lives. I would not be the person I am today had I not discovered WomanTours almost a decade ago. I now have cycling sisters all over the country, and every new tour I do renews relationships and forges new ones. We take care of each other on trips, (like today, when seven women stopped to help me change a flat tire) and keep in touch between them.
WomanTours does not condescend. It assumes that women are strong and brave and can conquer challenging obstacles - like riding across the country or making it to the top of a fourteen mile climb. I have come to know, through these experiences, that I can conquer my fears. As I approach the end of the seventh decade of my life, I am stronger, both mentally and physically, than I have ever been. I am more likely to try new things that are outside of my comfort zone. A couple of days ago I rode four and a half miles on a tricky gravel road. Slowly, with intense concentration. But I never once thought “I can’t do this.”
It is bittersweet end on the Selkirk Loop. It has possibly been the most beautiful bike ride of my life. But it is time to go home, and begin thinking about what tour I’ll do with WomanTours next year.
Thank you for being there, Jackie.
Best regards,
Elisabeth