Disclaimer here. Slovenia-born Alenka Vrecek is a friend. That in no way diminishes the fact that her book is an incredible and ultimately joyful account of overcoming physical and emotional adversity through a long, solo bike ride she took from her home in Lake Tahoe to Baja California. The book starts off with a bang:
Here’s the book description:
“At fifty-four, Alenka was running out of time to follow through on a dream she'd written down in her pocket-size Rumi book just after her first marriage crumbled. Years later, as she slowly rebuilt her life with her second husband, things started spiraling out of control. The only way she knew how to heal and connect all painful parts of her life was by riding her bike, and she didn't want to have regrets. But was she brave enough to embark on an unknown path and risk losing everything . . . perhaps even her own life?
Determined to awaken her dying spirit and heal her battered body, Alenka loaded her mountain bike with 50 pounds' worth of camping gear and set off on a 2,500-mile journey. Starting in Lake Tahoe California, she hoped to ride along the Sierra Nevada Mountain range to the tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, following remote mountain trails. Alone.
What followed was an irrevocably transformational journey of love, hope, courage, and resilience--and here, Alenka tells that story in a voice stripped of self-pity and infused with a good dose of humor. She Rides is a galvanizing wake-up call for anyone who wants to unearth and follow their own deeply buried dreams--and reclaim their life.”
Alenka says she always dreamed of big things, like scaling Everest or crossing the ocean on a wind-surfer or in a solo boat, but she knew those weren’t for her. Instead, she raised three kids and was twice married. “Someday, maybe someday,” she told herself that she’d “go and have her own adventure.”
She Rides is the story of that adventure. Of course, it wasn’t that easy to do but after her breast cancer, colon cancer, and her second husband Jim’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease, Alenka reached for her adventure like a dying woman for a life preserver.
Teri
Order your copy of She Rides here.