Ed.–Stephanie has been a member for almost twenty years. She’s done hundreds of club rides and led many herself. She was also the Ride Coordinator in the mid-Aughts, which is a thankless task. (Ask me how I know!) In her own words, here’s her take on Different Spokes and why she is still a member.
The reason I love being a member of Different Spokes is that it is an LGBTQ+ social club for bike riders. It is that shared passion that originally made me show up on a Different Spokes ride and it is that shared passion that keeps me coming back. I could go on to mention all of the great people I’ve met over the years and all of the fun times we’ve had together. But a story I’ve told many times before bears repeating: my first DSSF get-away weekend was to the Palm Springs Century. There were at least ten of us as we rolled out together in the morning. But the group was varied in experience and ability, and by the first rest stop we had spread out a bit. As everyone got into the first rest stop and started gulping Gatorade and salty snacks (it would reach over 90 degrees that February day!), the faster riders looked at each other and said, “let’s just slow down so we can all ride together.” From then on we were sometimes a pace line, sometimes a loose group, but we all rolled into the finish together. It was right then that I vowed to buy the club rainbow jersey and to keep coming back. While I enjoy all of the local rides, my favorite times have been our club weekends to Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake, Monterey, Palm Springs, and Amador County. It’s just hard to beat a dozen people crammed into a tiny two-bedroom cabin, totally spent and blissed-out on endorphins from riding sixty miles in the Gold Country hills and heat, stepping over each other to find a seat on the floor, eating pasta and left-over BBQ, talking and watching the World Series on the TV and Cal Bears football on Will’s computer. More recently we’ve upgraded to AirBnB’s on the outskirts of Monterey that actually have a dining room table, but the comradery and good times have been the same. I am very thankful to all of the people that have contributed so much time and energy to keep DSSF running through the years. And I’m even more appreciative of all the guys that have gone out of their way to make DSSF a welcoming place for women and people new to the club. Community doesn’t just happen, it happens because we reach out to each other. Different Spokes has provided a place for all of us cyclists to do that. Ride on.
The Chain Letter 