Growing up, Cassondra was naturally drawn to riding bikes for play and purpose. She bought her first mountain bike while living in Bellingham, Washington where she used it primarily for commuting. She finally figured out that there was a ton of fun to be had on the trails right around the time that she graduated. It was the Steamboat Springs, Colorado Town Challenge Race Series that provided the deeper hook: COMMUNITY.
Turns out that showing up to ride your heart out and cheer on others doing the same offers a uniquely wonderful sense of belonging. After relocating to Bend, Oregon Cassondra found a new community of riders, gave cyclocross a go, fell in love with the culture, and when Bend was selected to host the 2009 + 2010 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championship Races, Cassondra joined forces with other community catalysts to create a city-wide multimedia arts event as a companion to the event. And, when life got incredibly and unexpectedly difficult in 2017, it was cycling that helped her mend a broken heart as she trained for a 100-mile mountain bike race in Capital Forest.
The Café Ride is an Instagram Live conversation series dedicated to telling the stories of amazing women, building community, and educating and inspiring fellow cyclists. This conversation series features women from various aspects of the cycling community. You’ll meet and hear stories from women who are recreational athletes, product developers, nutrition experts, or professional cyclists. The goal is to inspire, educate, and connect women from all over the world.
Written by: Reese Ruland
Published on:
Posted in:Fun
