I was nervous to participate because I’m a slow cyclist and I hate hills! Training for the ride gave me discipline and endurance, and yes, I got faster and stronger, which is great. But on the weekend of the ride, I realized that was not very important. Absolutely no one cared who was slow or fast. Quite the opposite: everyone was so supportive and excited to celebrate each other’s achievements, whatever those achievements were. I knew participating in the Climate Ride would be good for my health, but I didn’t expect to finish the weekend feeling so much joy and connection with so many strangers. I’m still riding the high of achieving my own goal within the supportive community of like-minded cyclists.