Kim Andera

At the age of 34 I stumbled on this thing called mountain biking by accident. My younger sister Steph, who had been trying to make me love this sport for years had basically lost all hope of taking me on a ride with her where I didn't cuss and pout like a total baby. Okay, well maybe that only happened once, but it surely left a lasting impression on both of us.

So, I believe, she did what any annoying little sister would do. She introduced mountain biking to my boys! At the time they were 4 and 5 and hell bent on breaking a body part. At least that's what I convinced myself biking single track was all about. Now, I'm a very fearless person, love trying new things, and always up for an adventure. I had convinced myself that I was too fat and old for this sport.

My boys participated in the Decorah Time Trials two years in a row. My boys knew more about it then I did, but, all I knew was that they LOVED it.

I would take them to the river trail where they would ride and I'd walk/jog/huff and puff just trying to keep up. At one point it just became dangerous for them to be so far ahead of me. 

I was becoming frustrated that I couldn't keep up, so I did what any normal person would do. I walked into the Decorah Bicycles and told Travis I wanted a 2017 full suspension Trek...to ride on the river trail with my boys.... because that bike was available in a girly color!

Luckily they were sold out and no longer available, but Travis and Josie were able to set me up with a beautiful girly bike that fit my needs perfectly! That week, I joined my very first FWD evening meeting, had some beers, ate some pizza,and the ladies help me properly name my bike Kathy The Wild Hog. The rest is basically history.

I was able, with the help from Steph and the FWD, to introduce my boys to more and more trails. In August I was able to attend Casey Shepard's skills class which was a game changer for me and by the end of the August 2017 I had ridden basically everything Decorah has to offer except for 2-3 trails. As a bonus, the boys and I packed up our bikes and took a trip to Des Moines to ride! 

Thanks to the FWD group rides I gained the confidence and knowledge to venture out on my own, without my sister, or the FWD girls. Also thanks to the FWD, I've been able to ride with other members on our own time, too!