Before [COVID-19], I had never biked farther than 20 miles in my life. So, to train and complete a 100-mile ride was really something I had never thought I could do. I’ve done a marathon before … and that was hard. And after I finished it, I had no desire to do a full marathon again. I’m in my early 40s now, and biking is easier on the knees.
When you go out riding gravel, it’s never the same vista twice. It’s always changing, and you get to see a lot of this pretty country around here, so it was a surprise for me. [This year] was the first time I ever did 25 miles, the first time I ever did 50 miles and the first time I ever did 100 miles, and it was really neat.
It helps me reconnect to what our clients are doing, because a lot of our portfolio is [agriculture]. When you’re gravel riding, you are out in the country and in the rural area. Seeing field after field and all the hard work and dedication that our clients put into their operations is really nice.
Once you get out on a bike, you forget about all the other stuff. It’s hard to worry about work when you’re huffing and puffing up a hill. When you do it, you just feel great. When you accomplish something like that, you get an endorphin rush. It just makes you feel good.
Alyssa Story is an editorial assistant with Independent Banker.
