That’s My Cow

Shona and her family from Boulder had been planning a trip to Italy for a long time. They are huge cyclists and even scheduled the trip to be in Rome for the finish of the Giro D’Italia. All trip they had rented touring bikes to navigate the cities they visited, but they were waiting for the highlight event; carbon frame road bikes to take on the mountains around Lake Como. I was lucky enough to guide them on the Lugano Border Crossing Route.

Shona has three kids, two girls and a boy. On our first climb into Val’Intelvi the girls shared with me that they recalled week long bike vacations in middle school before they could actually appreciate the bicycles… when everyday just seemed like the longest day to be on the bicycles. They told this story as they climbed 600m of elevation to our first stopping point. They also explained to me that their little brother had developed into quite a talented cyclist, and also a passionate bicycle engineer. In fact, his love for cycling extended to his partner choice.

Ashley competes in cyclo-cross and paced with the boys the whole trip. She oozed joy from being on the bike, shouting out °I love it here° as the riders in the other direction °Allez°ed us or said hello. As we passed Ferraris she reminded her boyfriend °I want a Ferrari°, but then she did the same with the Fiat 500. As we came upon great vistas she vocalized her ooos and ahhs with great enthusiasm. AND I could just feel her smile behind me on every descent. To feel someones pleasure and joy in cycling so vividly was a gift. Ashley’s generosity in sharing her wonder in the world made me appreciate it more. I passed a huge black horse on the descent down to Lugano and I knew seconds later that she would °ahhhhhhhhh - my horse° behind me. It was such fun.

Ashley has found something that brings her joy… in fact we share that. AND, she shares that positive energy with everyone around her. Her generosity was a gift to her family and a gift to me and made the day so much fun. What a gift. THANK YOU!