Ali's Rocky Ride

by Molly Hurford

  “DRUMROLL!” yells Lindsay, and Steven complies, banging on his bike.

  “One-fifty-eight,” Leo says, beaming.

  “YES!” Jen yells, pumping her fist in the air, then high-fiving all of us. “Second place!”

  “Ali,” Leo says, and my heart rate kicks up again, “I don’t know if you’re going to want to hear this.”

  “I’m ready,” I say, but I’m freaking out. Was I really that slow that Leo is worried that I’ll be embarrassed or upset?

  “Well, it’s going to be tough to hear since…you could have won!” he says. “Your time was one-fifty-four!”

  Instantly I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, but that’s only because Steven and Leo have both grabbed me in a huge bear hug.

  “I knew you would win!” Steven is yelling.

  “I knew it first,” Leo says, shoving him but grinning.

  “Umm, gentlemen, I believe the Shred Girls knew it first, and they don’t really need your approval,” Phoebe says gently.

  “But I’ll take it,” I say gratefully before disentangling myself so I can grab Jen and Lindsay in a big hug instead. It dawns on me that a win for one of us has shifted into a win for all of us. Jen dances around like it’s a result that we’re all sharing, instead of thinking about our times as separate. Lindsay too, I realize. We could think that our results all stand alone, but we’re a team, and one of us having a great race means we all had a great race.

  “Awesome job, all of you,” Phoebe says. “You deserved those trophies—but I’m more proud of you for how you all stuck together this week. That’s why you make such a great team.”

  “Darn right,” says Jen, linking her arms through mine and Lindsay’s. “And now this team has a date to go get ice cream,” she adds.

  Let’s be honest. A chocolate milkshake beats a trophy any day.

  TRAINING LOG

  TODAY’S WORKOUT: Hit the waterslide at least ten times. (Not for fitness, for fun!) Awesome job at the race and afterward. Let’s celebrate your success! We’ll get back to hard training soon, but enjoy a day off with your friends. XO, Phoebe

  YOUR NOTES: We’ve definitely earned this day of fun! Even if there weren’t any medals or prizes or podiums to stand on, it still feels like we’ve had a big win. Jen and I are closer than ever, Lindsay is going to heal superhero-fast, and thanks to Steven deciding to leave cycling for engineering, suddenly Leo is seeing me as his other cycling sibling, not his annoying younger sister. Last night he even asked what I thought about his new design for his team’s jersey. (Okay, I lied a little and said it looked cool. But it was a white lie!) Anyway, I’m glad that we’re all being honest and talking to each other. It feels good.

  CHAPTER 27

  It’s not only a party, though. It’s the last day that Jen, Lindsay, and Phoebe will be staying with us, so they’re all packed up and ready to leave tomorrow morning. My room looks a lot emptier than it did before they came. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but they made the house feel a lot more like home.

  This morning, Lindsay gave me a stack of comic books that she says she wants to leave behind because she’s read them a million times and so I can “catch up.” She also gave me a poster of the Flash to put up on the wall next to the picture of us at the park in all of our gear, which Phoebe had framed for me. “Because we’re superfast like the Flash,” Lindsay tells me, very seriously.

  I’m going to miss that nerd.

  Jen is also leaving behind some stuff—mostly hair supplies and makeup. (“This makeup is too subtle for me,” she says.) Plus she’s leaving a few of her dark purple tops and socks. It’s her olive branch, in some ways. We’ve come to the truce of not trying to change each other but to make each other better, and I told her that I was okay if she wanted to help me choose outfits occasionally.

  Today isn’t one of those days, though. I’m happy in my T-shirt and jean shorts with a blue one-piece bathing suit underneath. For our last day together, we’re going to the downhill park’s end-of-season party, where they’ve opened up all the hotel swimming pools and waterslides at the park for all the people who competed this summer. It’s going to be a blast!

  Lindsay is ready to go too, with a waterproof cast on her wrist, having been cleared for some waterslide fun as long as she’s careful. She’s wearing black athletic shorts and a dark purple one-piece with a cropped Joyride T-shirt that she stole from Phoebe. She looks ultra-stylish, especially since Jen braided her hair into a fishtail that’s hanging to one side.

  And of course, Jen pulled out all the stops in a bright orange tankini with blue jean cutoffs, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail. She looks fabulous.

  You know, we all look pretty cool—and very much like ourselves, honestly.

  The ride over with everyone piled in is loud. Steven dominates the conversation in the back row, arguing with Phoebe about the best local restaurant for lunch. Now that we know his secret, he’s come back out of his shell and he’s louder than ever. Leo is turned around in the passenger seat up front, talking to the three of us about which waterslides are the best, and I catch Dad smiling in the rearview mirror as he looks at his crazy expanded family all getting along.

  We spill out of the car and agree on a time and place to meet up with Lindsay’s parents for lunch in a couple of hours. We Shred Girls are allowed to venture around on our own as long as we don’t leave the “village” that makes up the hotels and shops at the bottom of the mountain.

  We don’t get far, though, before we hear someone shouting my name. I turn around and do a double take. It’s Scott, our downhilling friend. I didn’t expect to see him again, especially since we didn’t actually end up finishing the competition.

  He runs over to us and says hi, and Jen elbows me in the ribs, so I say hello back. Truce with her or not, I know she’s still rooting for this to happen.

  “What happened, Lindsay?” he says, pointing to her wrist. I’m impressed he knows all of our names and that he thought to ask about her cast.

  She fills him in on what happened, and then of course Jen interjects.

  “So we didn’t get to finish the competition, but when we went back and timed the run the next day, Ali and I both would have been on the podium,” Jen tells Scott.

  “Nice!” he says. “So, are you done racing for the summer?”

  We all nod.

  “But you’ll still keep riding?” he says, directing the question more toward me.

  “Of course,” I say, as Jen says at the same time, “Lindsay, come with me to get some water. I’m dying of thirst.” And she drags Lindsay away before Lindsay can remind Jen that she is literally holding a water bottle.

  That leaves just Scott and me.

  Ugh. Awkward.

  “So, I know this is a little random, but do you want to go to the movies sometime?” Scott asks, blushing a little. I almost want to say yes, because he seems to be a nice guy and I do like him. I don’t think I’m interested in him that way.

  “Maybe,” I say instead. “As friends.”

  I think he looks disappointed, but a little relieved too. “I think you’re cool,” I say carefully. “But I’m not really ready to date yet—and when I am, I’m not really sure what I’m looking for. I hope that’s okay.”

  “I get that,” he says. “I’d still like to hang out. I don’t meet many girls who can crush downhill runs, and I think you’re cool.”

  And that’s absolutely fine with me. But first—I’ve got to get back to Lindsay and Jen, who are now frantically waving at me from the base of the waterslide ladder. Hey, we don’t always need to be riding bikes to have fun. This looks just as good!

  “Well, see you around,” I say, and run off to join them. He has my number if he really does want to be only friends.

  I catch up, and Jen cocks her head at me and asks, “So, you really, really don
’t like him?”

  “I like him,” I reply. “Just not like that. Now, are we going to go down this waterslide, or not? I’ll race you to the top!”

  And, of course, she’s off like a shot.

  “So, between you and me,” Lindsay says as she and I casually saunter toward the stairs, decidedly not racing Jen, “how are you feeling about Scott?”

  “I’m great,” I tell her honestly. “If he wants to hang out, maybe I will when you’re gone and I need a riding buddy, but that’s about it. It’s not like how you feel about Dave.” Ugh, even saying his name makes her smile. Adorable.

  “I understand,” she says. But then she looks even more serious. “And you’re good with everything with Steven?”

  “Absolutely!” I say, smiling wide. “I’m so glad that the mystery is over and that my brother is finally happy.”

  “I’m happy for him too,” Lindsay says. “Even if he’s not racing, you know he’s always going to be there for you and cheering you on—and maybe he can help us with some tips for making the Shred Girls team even better, now that he won’t be as focused on his own racing. And you can borrow his old stuff without him caring!”

  “Good point,” I say. “I think the change will be great for him, but I can’t imagine life without bikes!” I glance up at Jen as she careens down the waterslide, pointing accusingly at us as we stop at the edge of the pool where she splashes out.

  “So, where to next?” I ask Lindsay.

  “Funny you ask that,” Jen says, swimming over and pulling herself out of the water. “I have an idea.”

  “Do tell,” says Lindsay. “You always have an idea.”

  “Well, have you girls heard of cyclocross?”

  We shake our heads.

  “It’s kind of more like road racing, but it’s on dirt, so it’s also a little like mountain biking, and where I live in Colorado, it’s huge,” she says. “So I was thinking, maybe over Labor Day weekend and then over fall break, we could meet there and do some racing, if Phoebe will help us out.”

  “Did I hear someone say ‘cyclocross’?” Phoebe says, walking over, with Penguin trailing her like a shadow. How does she hear everything?!

  “Jen was just telling us about it,” Lindsay volunteers. “Is it fun?”

  “It’s a blast,” says Phoebe, “and all the training we did in the gym will really help you out.”

  “So will the mountain biking,” Leo says from where he’s been eavesdropping. “You’ll all be double threats!”

  “But I might have a better idea,” Phoebe says, and my dad and Lindsay’s parents walk over to us when she waves to them.

  What is happening?!

  “How would you girls feel about a different kind of adventure?” Phoebe asks. “One without a finish line?”

  Jen scowls. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, your parents actually gave me the idea,” Phoebe says. “I was emailing with them, and they mentioned that a new bikepacking route has opened across Colorado. They wanted to take a week and ride a chunk of it. And I started thinking, what better way to increase fitness—and have some serious fun?”

  “Wait, what’s bikepacking?” I ask.

  “Picture combining backpacking and biking—all your camping gear attached to you and your bike,” Phoebe explains. “It’s a ton of fun, and a great way to see the world.”

  “But no racing?” Jen asks, still looking grumpy.

  “No racing,” Phoebe confirms. “But campfires, s’mores, camping under the stars, swimming in lakes, and watching the sun rise in the mountains.”

  “That sounds amazing!” Lindsay says, but looks worried. “Can I bring comic books?”

  “We might need to cut down your collection a little,” Phoebe says, and laughs. “We travel light.”

  “And my mom and dad are going to come with us?” Jen asks.

  “Yes—they’re really excited about it,” Phoebe says. “And if you girls are up for it, we’re going to be heading there in only a few months, over your spring break. It sounds like a long time from now, but it’ll come up quick, and I’m going to be counting on you girls to be prepared to ride big miles every day. Do you think you can manage?”

  “A camping trip with a bike and my best friends?” I say, grinning. “I’m so in.”

  “Me too!” says Lindsay.

  We look at Jen.

  “Yeah, it sounds pretty fun,” she admits. “Even if I should be in base training for road season by then.” But as she says that, she looks excited.

  “Then it’s settled,” Phoebe says. “Next adventure—over the mountains and into the desert!”

  We all cheer. “I have tons of reading up on bikepacking to do,” Lindsay says. “There’s so much planning!”

  I’m sure that’s true, but right now, I’d rather hit the waterslide. “Umm, race you to the top again?” I say to distract Jen from her plans for world (bike racer) domination. She’s so easy to distract, and of course, she takes off, climbing the biggest waterslide. Lindsay and I start the trek up, a few steps behind Jen. (I’m not going to say that we let her win…but we kind of let her win. Because it’s easier that way.)

  When we get to the top, the guy handing out tubes gives us a three-person one. “You girls look like you need this,” he says, smiling.

  We take it and hop in, all jammed together. As we push off and start shooting down the slide, I don’t know what comes over us, but we all seem to know what to do: put our hands in the air and shout “Shred Girls!”

  Bike riding is super fun, but it can be intimidating at first…not just because of the riding, but because of all the crazy new words you’re going to hear tossed around! Don’t worry—you’ll pick up on the lingo really quick once you get riding. But why wait? If you had a great time reading about Lindsay, Ali, and Jen, here’s a guide to all the cool things they do and see at Joyride:

  Berm: A banked curve on a track, used for maintaining speed and smooth cornering.

  Bike park: Outdoor or indoor space designed for different styles of biking, like downhill or BMX.

  Bunny hop: A trick in which the rider lifts both wheels off the ground at once.

  Cross-country (XC) mountain bike: A bike that cross-country mountain bikers race, meant for pedaling fast up and down hills. It has less suspension and slightly skinnier tires and is a bit lighter and faster than a downhill bike.

  Cross-country (XC) mountain biking: Racing or riding on singletrack, done on a cross-country mountain bike. It is similar to cross-country running. Courses might be flat, or there might be a lot of climbing—it depends on local terrain.

  Downhill bike: A bike with a lot of suspension so that when going over rocks and obstacles, the bike goes up and down with the rider, making the ride smoother.

  Downhill mountain biking: The discipline of mountain biking that involves getting shuttled (usually by a chairlift) to the top of a mountain, then taking different trails with obstacles to the bottom of the hill.

  Drop-in: The act of approaching a feature. One would “drop in” on a jump line or a steep obstacle on a trail.

  Feature: Any human-made obstacle in a park.

  Mountain biking (MTB): Riding off-road on a trail called singletrack. Mountain bikes have wide, knobby tires that easily grip the dirt and rocks on trails.

  Pump track: An oval-shaped track with bermed corners and rollers spaced throughout, which can be ridden by “pumping” instead of pedaling. Typically used as a warm-up loop in practice sessions.

  Roller: A small hill on a track; rollers are usually separated at regular intervals.

  Singletrack: The type of trail that mountain bikers ride. Picture a hiking trail, with plenty of twists, turns, rocks, and roots.

  Wheelie: A trick in which the rider lifts the front wheel into the air while pedaling an
d maintaining balance.

  All my life, I’ve been a bookworm who’s wanted to be a writer. And there’s no way that would have happened without my amazing parents. The older I get, the more I realize how the library trips, the typewriter for Christmas, the felt-board stories, all the books read aloud—and reread aloud—shaped my adult life.

  “People who as adults develop coherent life themes often recall that when they were very young, their parents told them stories and read from books,” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote in his book Flow (the one that Ali reads in this book). “When told by a loving adult whom one trusts, fairy tales, biblical stories, heroic historical deeds, and poignant family events are often the first intimations of meaningful order a person gleans from the experience of the past.”

  Until I read that, I hadn’t processed how important a role my parents played in my development as an author who can dive into writing a story, or as a reader who can get lost in a book. So, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, thank you for helping me find and understand my writing flow!

  As always, my husband, Peter, has been a saint through the book-writing process; my sister constantly helps me come up with goofy ideas; and my crew of amazing female friends (and superstrong moms) in and around Collingwood, Ontario, has helped give me a better understanding of what true friendship looks like at any age.

  Of course, it takes a village to write a book, and that means a HUGE thank-you to my amazing agent, Rhea Lyons, who’s been a part of Shred Girls since before becoming my agent, and who’s been the most fantastic reader an author could ask for. Ditto to my editor Dani Valladares, whose edits to this book and Lindsay’s Joyride made the plotlines so much stronger.

  Last but not least, this series wouldn’t exist without constant inspiration from the real-life Shred Girls interviewed on Shred-Girls.com. These young women are the reason I keep riding and keep writing.

  Molly Hurford is in love with all things cycling, running, nutrition, and movement-related. When not playing outside, she’s writing articles about being outside; coaching camps and clinics; or interviewing world-class athletes for her podcast on ConsummateAthlete.com, which she owns with her equally-active husband, endurance sports coach Peter Glassford. (She’s a little obsessed with getting more girls and women psyched on adventure and being outside.)