Before Gang there was Family

Before I started riding with Gang (remember, we don’t use the M word anymore), I either rode solo or I rode with family. Family being Bethany and Ryan. 

I first met Bethany while riding on Skyline in Oakland. I had been riding behind her for quite a bit, and having spent a lifetime training with badass girls and women, I know better than to discount them when training in the wild. From the look of her pedal stroke, efficient and fast, combined with how comfortable and in control she looked on the bike, I knew she was a legit rider. Unfortunately the guy in between us didn’t have my discerning eye or maybe he never trained with badass women, and I entertained myself watching him try to reel in Bethany and drop her. To his credit, he successfully reeled her in, but once she picked up the tempo, he was immediately dropped like a bad habit. I chuckled to myself watching it all go down. I, on the other hand, respectfully rode up on her and said you look like you know how to ride or something like that. I took a look at her and I noticed she looked a lot like another friend, Beth; and it turned out that we both knew the same Beth. Small world! Bethany asked if I wanted company for the ride, I replied yes, and that day, I learned why Bethany’s nickname is Talk Radio. We’ve been family ever since.

I met Ryan through Bethany. The three of us had this ritual of meeting at Timeless Coffee for ride starts, and the both of them always drinking black coffee, and me trying to but always going back to my oatmilk cap. I hated riding with Ryan and I loved riding with Ryan. Who knows what I’m talking about? Right? If the body was on, I loved riding with Ryan because I knew there was going to be a lot of trophies to collect post-ride. And if the body was off, there still may be some trophies to collect, but there will be suffering, lots of it. Ryan called it “poking the bear”.

Well, both Bethany and Ryan moved from the Bay Area in 2019 and family had not been together until this trip. This was also our first family trip. And we definitely  plan on taking more family trips in the future. Family added one more member, Isaac, Bethany’s SO. Isaac fit into family seamlessly. We all quickly realized that we like to eat the same types of food, vegetarian/vegan centric and alcohol is very low on our needs. And yes to coffee…all the time. And we are all about the day life and not the night life, and bikes. It really was like traveling with three other Me’s. And we all got crushes on the staff at a local cafe that we would go to almost every morning. Like I said, four Kiets traveling together. Actually, I take that back, I was the only Kiet taking pictures/videos which they all eventually came around to appreciating when they saw how freaking good I made them look. 

And I should tell you about the local Viking, Ole, who was so generous by offering us to stay at his place for FREE for 10 days! I met Ole on a Rapha ride back in 2019 when I was visiting Denmark. We followed each other on STRAVA and we would occasionally chat about how I could find a job in Denmark. It was Ole who told me about the TdF starting in Denmark. And it was Ole who planted the seed to come and watch the tour and do some gravel riding. Not only did Ole put us up, he dialed me in perfectly on one of his bikes. He asked for my measurements and I arrived to a perfectly fitted bike, I did not have to make ANY adjustments to the bike! I was glad that I could return the favor, and provide him with the SOLE balcony on the first turn of the TdF prologue, from which this Viking could watch on his home soil. That was a magical day. Only one balcony on the entire block to watch the TdF, and we had access to it because my boss had reserved it, never knowing the TdF was happening nor what a gem this place would end up being. SERENDIPITY!