Girls just wanna have fun, too!
BICYCLING
BY KIERSTIN KLOECKNER
How does a woman, who has a tween and teen, works part-time and supports her entire family at bike races, still find the time and the energy to train and race herself, all while having fun? I have always wondered how moms do it. When I wake up early and have to somehow get myself motivated to train, I realize I have no excuses other than laziness. I look at women like Sally Lester, and think, “If she weren’t bike racing, she’d most likely be excelling at anything she touched.” You see, Sally is one of those women I want to put up on a pedestal. She’s not only an amazingly fast woman on two wheels, but she’s also caring to her family and community as well as being extremely nice. To top it off, she has an awesome smile (seen at every bike event she attends).
I first met Sally a couple years ago at a criterium in Menasha, Wisconsin. The Diablos team had put the race on and I chose to volunteer most of the day as a corner marshall. Towards the end of the day, for the final two races, a little girl around age 10, broke away from her friends and hung out with me. She had been watching the races, while straddling her bike, for what seemed to be hours. When I asked her to join me, she did willingly. This led to me asking her if she ever wanted to try racing. We talked about what was involved and by the end of the night, she was sold. After asking other Diablo members if anyone in the area did junior development, I was told to chat with Sally Lester. Although I didn’t know her yet, I knew of her husband, who is an extremely competitive time trialist and endurance racer (you can find my article about him in an issue last year). To this day, I’m not sure if that little girl got into racing, but I do know I feel very lucky to have met Sally.
Since then, I have seen Sally at dozens of races – racing herself and then sticking around to cheer on her daughters, Macy (age 12) and Megan (age 15) and finally her husband, Jon. I almost always hear her yelling for her family and teammates before I see her … I love her for it! She’s a cheerleader for anyone she knows and can often be found taking pictures of her friends and family so they have memories of that event.
You’d never guess she got her first road bike in 2012. Watching her, I thought she had been competitively cycling for decades. She says she was inspired by her father-in-law (who also inspired her husband, by the way). During the summer of 2012, she connected with a high school friend who invited both Sally and Jon to a WORS mountain bike race. She immediately fell in love with the sport and the race atmosphere. That alone gave her the motivation to train hard so she could one day race with the other women.
“Learning to ride single track was a huge challenge for me,” said Lester when I asked her what her first big cycling challenge was. “At my first mountain bike race, I came in dead last, fell too many times to count and had many large bruises. I was determined to stick with the sport knowing how much my daughters loved it. With the help of some good friends, teammates and a women’s mountain bike clinic, it didn’t take long for me to become a more skilled and confident rider.”
As a personal trainer and coach, I come across moms who want to train and compete so badly but don’t think they have the time or energy for it without sacrificing family. I was shocked to hear Sally only trains five to six hours per week, but for her, it’s quality, not quantity.
“Fortunately, with the whole family racing, everyone understands how much training it takes,” Lester said. “It’s not uncommon for me to start riding with my daughters, drop them off at home and go back out for a few intervals or endurance miles. As the girls get older and faster, it is getting much easier to put the time in. Riding in a family pace line or sprinting at stop ahead signs make these training rides so much fun!”
I think “fun” might be an important missing puzzle piece for a lot of families. More and more, I see entire families riding/racing cross or mountain biking together. This way, each member can go at their own pace and yet do something active together. Sally’s best tip for families wanting to try this was simple.
“Keep it fun,” she said. “We race for ice cream! Every race is followed by an ice cream stop for Team Lester. Bicycling has taught our family what it takes to work together and support one another, from packing for a race to helping each other with mechanicals, water hand-ups during a race or motivating each other on training rides.”
I chose to write an article last year solely on junior development, so when I asked Sally why she’s involved with not only her kid’s racing but also the junior development team, her answer really pulled at my heartstrings.
“Not all juniors fit into the traditional school sports,” she added. “Cycling gives them independence, confidence and self-esteem, while still being part of a team. I have watched some of these athletes struggle with mechanicals or fatigue to finish a race knowing the team will get their points for finishing. I feel it is important to teach our youth to live an active, healthy lifestyle, finding a positive outlet to channel stress or nervous energy.”
No interview can go without a few accolades. I wanted Sally to tell me what she felt her biggest accomplishments are since they are often something different than what outsiders see. For their 40th birthdays, in 2015, she and her husband, along with two friends, rode 300 miles in two days. She also completed the Lutsen 99er in 2016 with friends and took part in the Ride Across Wisconsin (175 miles in one day) in 2018.
For me, when I see or talk to Sally, I don’t really see a mom, a wife or a bike racer. I just see a really nice woman who inspires others to do their best as well as one who takes on big personal challenges. The world could use a few more like her!