Weekly RiderKatie QuinnJune 20, 2016La Velocita, Do it in a dress, Amy Tan, SKCC, Womens Cycling, Ride, Melbourne, Road Cycling, Cycling, One GirlComment

The Weekly Rider - Amy Tan

Weekly RiderKatie QuinnJune 20, 2016La Velocita, Do it in a dress, Amy Tan, SKCC, Womens Cycling, Ride, Melbourne, Road Cycling, Cycling, One GirlComment

Amy Tan is the Weekly Rider! She loves riding, racing and has done some great fundraising for the One Girl charity through her #doitinadress campaign. She's a talker, and manages to find her way into most event photos and is a faithful member of SKCC. We talk to Amy about why she loves to ride.

Name: Amy Tan

Where do you live: Collingwood, Victoria

Dream Bike and why: The next bike surely has to be a CX! I've been eyeing off CX bikes for a while now, their versatility in all weather conditions and trails and offroad means it's a practical investment. It could pay for itself by being my winter commuter! I see all the adventures my friends have on the trails and I want in!

What is your favourite local ride? I've been trying out as many local bunch rides as I can lately, with a few more I've earmarked but yet to try. While I could never go past the fun of our SKCC weekly training rides, I do enjoy exploring some of the Hills of the North - ACDC.cc on Fridays which has some sharp punchy climbs through Heidelberg is a great way to end the working week and the North City Cycles ride which takes in the popular Rosehill Rd and Pony Club serves up some Saturday hills for breakfast. No ride is complete without good crews and good brews!

What is your current cycling goal? If I put it out there, I have to commit to it! In terms of road, I aim to make it all the way up and down Mt Hotham this summer and actually train for it so it isn't so painful.

2014 I made it to the top with the help of my friend Jamie physically pushing me up the CRB and last year, my friend Jo went up and then came back down for me, mentally pushing me the rest of the way up to the summit. I'd like to be able to crest the summit feeling strong!

For track, I'm working to be confident on the bike and competitive in our weekly Tuesday night racing. I've just promoted myself to D grade but am still terrified of rolling off the fence! More training and more racing and I'll get there soon enough.

When I am on the bike I.... am constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it's exhilarating. But at the end of the ride you smile, wipe off the sweat, push down the pain and know you'll want to do it all over again.

How did your love of bikes come about? I loved the spin classes at the gym and my favourite instructor, Andrew, was a road cyclist and inspired me to follow the Tour and get into road cycling. It wasn't until I retired from netball and was working full time that a friend pushed me to stop talking about bikes and just go out and buy one already! So I did. I joined St Kilda Cycling Club shortly afterwards and the SKCC women taught me how to ride my bike and won me over with their passion and camaraderie!

Share a cycling memory: I love having a laugh on the bike and made a flyaway comment that for an upcoming race, instead of an aero skinsuit, "I'll do it in a dress". That just snowballed and my Melburn Hurt track friends and I decided to race in school dresses and raise money for One Girl, an organisation providing education opportunities for girls in Sierra Leone. I committed to riding, training and racing in a school dress until we could reach our sponsorship target of $3,000 - enough to provide an opportunity for 10 girls to receive an education.

I was blown away by the support from our cycling community. It wasn't long before I reached my revised sponsorship target and in just under 2 weeks, we exceeded our team sponsorship target. The generosity of cyclists whether helping a stranger with a mechanical, offering some kind words of encouragement while struggling up a hill, or racing with you in a dress to raise awareness and funds for girls' education has been truly heartwarming.

I love to ride because.... it's a chance to catch up with friends, make new friends, have some laughs, have some snacks and explore the world around you. Riding allows you to see life from a different perspective and meet people you'd not normally have the opportunity to interact with in your daily life. And I love to eat.

You can sponsor a girl in Africa! ;) You can find more info about Amy's #doitinadress campaign and One Girl by looking up www.onegirl.org.au and searching the hashtags on social media, or make a donation athttp://www.doitinadress.com/team/melburn-hurt.