ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
From: http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/general-discussion/43331-inspirational-lady.html
Too impressive not to share.
Her book from memoirs: ebay
A few weeks back DUKE777 posted a few words about a local racer that were truly inspiring...
Up until last Thursday, all I knew about Doris Matyasovich was: 1) She liked to race 2) She is 60+ years old 3) She rides The Fully Loop (Fullerton, CA) every Thursday 4) We share many mutual friends 5) She will -at some point- zoom past us on her baby blue bike
What was sooo special about last Thursday?
For starters, not a single member of HER crew showed-up. The second (and most important) reason was the fact she rode with us... Not for a few minutes- For the entire ride!
As we pedaled around The Loop, I learned more and more about this white-haired Grandma. I knew she was kind! I knew she was soft-spoken! What I did not know was the fact she possessed an ENDLESS amount of inner strength!
When she first started racing, bikes did not have suspension. When she first started racing, women were less than welcome. When she first started racing, she would oftentimes race in men's classes- and win! The more she spoke, the more I listened.
Another thing I found quite "interesting" about this lady is her willingness to "give-back" to the community! She was an instructor at a (Women's Only) bike clinic for 13 years... She has volunteered at local schools for many years... I don't even know how many groups and organizations she is involved with... What I do know is: She LITERALLY squeezes 25 hours into a 24 hour day.
After our ride, I decided to do a little bit of detective work. What I discovered was eye opening! She started racing in 1989. At 45, she began racing DH, Hillclimb and XC. At 50 she tried her luck at Slalom. At 55, she turned her attention to BMX. By 60, she had channeled her energies into Adventure Racing. At 65, she moved on to 12 Hour Endurance Races as a SOLO competitor.....
I can only imagine what her trophy room looks like...
13 National Championships (DH/XC)... 1 Masters World Championship (DH)... Many State Championships (DH/XC)... Who knows what else....
The short time I spent with Doris taught me THREE things:
1) Don't judge a book by it's cover
2) You only live once- Make the most of it
3) You can do ANYTHING you set your mind to
Until we ride again....
Doris Matyasovich
Too impressive not to share.
Her book from memoirs: ebay
A few weeks back DUKE777 posted a few words about a local racer that were truly inspiring...
Up until last Thursday, all I knew about Doris Matyasovich was: 1) She liked to race 2) She is 60+ years old 3) She rides The Fully Loop (Fullerton, CA) every Thursday 4) We share many mutual friends 5) She will -at some point- zoom past us on her baby blue bike
What was sooo special about last Thursday?
For starters, not a single member of HER crew showed-up. The second (and most important) reason was the fact she rode with us... Not for a few minutes- For the entire ride!
As we pedaled around The Loop, I learned more and more about this white-haired Grandma. I knew she was kind! I knew she was soft-spoken! What I did not know was the fact she possessed an ENDLESS amount of inner strength!
When she first started racing, bikes did not have suspension. When she first started racing, women were less than welcome. When she first started racing, she would oftentimes race in men's classes- and win! The more she spoke, the more I listened.
Another thing I found quite "interesting" about this lady is her willingness to "give-back" to the community! She was an instructor at a (Women's Only) bike clinic for 13 years... She has volunteered at local schools for many years... I don't even know how many groups and organizations she is involved with... What I do know is: She LITERALLY squeezes 25 hours into a 24 hour day.
After our ride, I decided to do a little bit of detective work. What I discovered was eye opening! She started racing in 1989. At 45, she began racing DH, Hillclimb and XC. At 50 she tried her luck at Slalom. At 55, she turned her attention to BMX. By 60, she had channeled her energies into Adventure Racing. At 65, she moved on to 12 Hour Endurance Races as a SOLO competitor.....
I can only imagine what her trophy room looks like...
13 National Championships (DH/XC)... 1 Masters World Championship (DH)... Many State Championships (DH/XC)... Who knows what else....
The short time I spent with Doris taught me THREE things:
1) Don't judge a book by it's cover
2) You only live once- Make the most of it
3) You can do ANYTHING you set your mind to
Until we ride again....
Doris Matyasovich
