Cycling has allowed Abigail Elizalde to grow in confidence and become more passionate about life.

THREE short years Abigail Elizalde learned first hand how cycling changes lives. At the beginning of her freshman year she lost her sister in a tragic accident. Abi’s entire life was turned upside at the age of 15; she pulled away from all that mattered to her: friends, sports, and school. By March of that year she knew that something needed to change because she was also losing herself. She was hoping to find an outlet that would make her feel alive again. I interviewed Abi to find out how cycling changed her life.

It took a great deal of courage to recognise the downward spiral you were in and then act upon it what were your first steps towards a life change?

My best friend belonged to a newly formed cycling team called The Cycle Effect. It’s an all-female team made up mostly of Hispanic girls new to the sport of cycling. I met with the founder and coach Brett Donelson to discuss joining the team. He was open to the idea but wanted to understand my motivation. It was simple I told him I just was tired of being sad and was looking for something that would make me happy. Cycling seemed to make my best friend happy so I wanted some of that.

Abigail’s best friend’s love of cycling was one of the key reasons why she started in the sport.

Growing up you played basketball and soccer why not go back to something familiar and sports that you were successful in. Why choose cycling?

Mainly because those other sports were familiar. I wanted to do something that would challenge me to the core. I needed something to keep my mind occupied and focused. I knew cycling wouldn’t be easy. Of course, I had no idea how hard it would be but I was willing to put in the work to develop my bike handling skills to reach my initial goal of descending safely because I love speed.

Abigail is an advocate of cycling and how it can help young Hispanic girls become more motivated about life.

Since you thought cycling might help you find a happier you and perhaps a sense of purpose can you describe what cycling means to you after the three years?

Yes, for sure it’s given me self-esteem and confidence that I’m not sure where I would be without it. It brings me great joy to ride and share what I know about riding with my teammates and especially my younger sister who races in the town series but is not old enough for the High School team yet. I’ve become a role model for other Hispanic girls to ‘dream big’ and to not accept the labels that are placed on us. My parents have supported me in pursing my passion because they want me and my sisters to break the mold of the typical Hispanic girl, they want more for us, therefore we want more for ourselves. It’s important for everyone but especially young Hispanic girls to know they can be athletes and in particular cyclists.

Abigail is a member of The Cycle Effect team which you can find out more about at www.thecycleeffect.org.

Tell me a little bit about your last year. You became the leader of the team. What did that mean to you and did you have any different goals from prior years?

I worked closely with my coaches to establish some goals and then training plans to achieve those goals. The first goal was to work on qualifying for USA MTB Nationals in California. That meant dedicating my winter to training on the Computrainer two times a week at 6.30am followed by a full day of classes. I also did strength training two times a week in the afternoon. I wanted to see how much I could push myself and be the best I could be. My family and coaches believed in me I needed to believe in myself.

Fast forward I qualified for Nationals. Although my result was nothing to write home about my effort and experience there made all of the early morning trainer rides worth it. That was my biggest accomplishment to date. I was totally stoked about sharing what I learned with my teammates.

Next goal was to be in the top ten in the NICA Colorado High School League during the fall race series. I trained and raced along side my Cycle Effect teammates all summer. We grew tighter and stronger as a team. Our race results began turning a few heads of some naysayers about our programme. During the first race of the season I got on the podium proving to others and myself that through hard work and dedication anything is possible, so believe in you and never give up.

The remainder of the season had its challenges but I rode hard to the bitter end and finished the year in the top 15.

Through cycling Abigail has also found work at Elephant Juicer.

What are your plans now that the race season has ended and you’re graduating in the spring?

The Cycle Effect program continues through the offseason so I am still working with all of the other girls and will continue to race with the team until I go to college in the fall.

I also work at Elephant Juicer, a job my coaches helped me secure. The Cycle Effect team is my extended family. I’m truly grateful for how they helped me become who I am today.

No question these coaches and cycling has changed my life and most likely saved my life. Empowering young women through mountain biking to achieve brighter futures and build stronger communities is The Cycle Effect’s mission. The programme has grown from a handful of young Hispanic girls learning how riding bikes to 50 young Hispanic girls racing their bikes in the three years they’ve been in existence.

If you’d like more info about this program please check out www.thecycleeffect.org.

Linda Guerrette is freelance photographer and writer from Vail, Colorado, who passionately tells stories about people and constantly looks for ways to help those stories create real impact. She freelances for magazines, daily and weekly newspapers and websites with images and stories about adventure, sports, nature and lifestyles.