Welcome to the Club

To kick off the holiday weekend, a group of girlfriends and I planned a 60-mile ride through the Colorado foothills. Just as we were about to roll out from our meeting place, a lone cyclist pedaled eagerly up to join our pack. It was none other than our good friend two-time Ironman World Champion triathlete Craig “Crowie” Alexander. We were excited to see Crowie, but also a bit confused as to why he was hopping onto the girls’ ride. It turns out he had gotten wind of our plans and, wanting a relatively easy day in the saddle, decided to join the fun. I don’t mean to imply that Crowie would be faster than the females due to his gender, but rather due to his unparalleled athletic talent – he’d normally dust any of the boys out training as well. So while we were thrilled to have him along, I’m sure each of us had a moment of private panic, wondering how this would impact the pace and intensity of the ride and whether we’d be able to keep up. But Crowie knew his place as a late-joining member of the group, and assimilated perfectly into our fold. He was engaging, entertaining, considerate and just plain fun. He had gained a glimpse of the intricate behind-the-scenes secret world of women – and survived! By the final miles, he had easily earned the title of “honorary chick”, along with an open invitation to any future rides.