DEEKA Community 2025 Reflections: Part 4

As we reach the final instalment of our 2025 Reflections series, we wanted to finish with a question that celebrates the moments that stay with us long after the season ends. Not every defining experience in cycling comes from a race number or a training peak, sometimes it’s a ride that shifts your perspective, deepens your confidence, or reminds you why you started in the first place.

For this last reflection, we asked the Deeka community:

“What ride from 2025 will you remember for a long time?”

The answers capture everything from personal breakthroughs and unforgettable scenery to shared rides, comeback moments, and hard-earned pride. These are the rides that become part of an athlete’s story; the ones that shape the year and linger in memory, not because they were perfect, but because they meant something.

Aimee: This is hard. It's been a tough year. I moved from a rider's paradise (during the summer) to a traffic light-riddled metropolis, and it's been hard to find a place to do workouts, scenery notwithstanding, and I haven't really ridden with anyone, save family outings to the nearby duck pond. This said, there are some mountain biking trails within striking distance that I can hit on the weekends. There are no dirt roads, so this is the only dirt/gravel I get. My gravel bike isn't super well-suited for it, but heck, ride what you have. I recall that one day, two young guys in downhill MTB gear saw me clearing a tricky uphill rock garden on an MTB trail. They said so geniunely, "way to kick ass on a gravel bike," and at 47 years old, when you are hacking it on a subpar bike for the job, on subpar terrain, this meant the world to me. I try to cheer for all the folks on bikes around me; there aren't that many!

Sarah: The white rim. Two days in mostly by myself, riding into the night with absolute silence in one of the most beautiful places on earth. It had been on my list for years and i got a chance to do it in February with a small group of other riders. I ended up being ahead of them nearly the whole time, but still camped together. It gave me the space and time to experience it however I wanted at the pace I wanted. Pure magic.

Kristina: I’ll never forget completing SBT GRVL in Steamboat. I went in unsure if I was actually ready—just trusting the people who told me I was. Around mile 40, I looked down, checked in with myself, and realized I still felt great. That was the moment it clicked: I really was ready, and I had this.

James: The Gralloch, 2 hours in with amazing sensations, and my legs doing whatever I asked of them!

Bill: After three years in a row of being forced to race on gravel roads due to rain, the Fool’s Gold race in the North Georgia Mountains was on fast dry singletrack. I was prepared and had my first win of the season.

Andie: It was the most low key, grassroots local crit and the most chill category, but I did pin on a number! It was memorable for me because it was my return to a peloton and hanging onto a group. And I hung on! My son was there watching which made it extra special. I hope he becomes the next generation of bike racer, while I find a way to continue racing as well.

Kirsten: ⁠I think my most memorable ride this year was Grassroots Gravel in Pueblo, CO on 10/11. I’ve never done such a late race. I thought I’d be tired and kind of unmotivated. But there was no stop! When I asked myself to push even on climbs my legs said yes! I was dropped by a group at one point, but was able to catch back up to them without blowing up and proceed to work with them for several miles! That definitely helped me stay ahead of my competition and place 1st in my age group and 7th overall. It all came together that day and I knew the hard work of my entire year of workouts and focusing on nutrition had really paid off..

Mark: Riding up and down Monchique in 45 degrees!

Sophie: Any long Z2 ride where I get in total flow, and time stands still will always feel incredibly special. The rides where you see no-one, are fully immersed in nature and out all day, the best part of training!

Caroline: The Grean Cymru in Wales - the worlds qualifier, will stay in my memory for a long time - popping up the first hill and staying in the lead for my age category for the whole ride - was exciting but also scary!!

Geoff: No crazy fun ride like summiting Alpe du Huez from 2024, but my normal neighborhood loop where I worked on threshold improvement. Set 20’ lifetime power PR. That was pretty awesome.

Richard: The Gralloch UCI Gravel race.

These reflections remind us that cycling is never just about performance, it’s also about experiences: the days we surprise ourselves, the rides that connect us to others, the moments we dig deep, and the ones that simply make us feel alive. Each story shared here reflects something unique, yet together they capture the heart of what makes this community so special.

To every athlete who contributed across this series; thank you. Thank you for sharing your time, your honesty, and your year with us. Your reflections have made this project what it is, and we’re proud to coach and be part of a community where growth, resilience, and meaning are valued just as much as results.

Here’s to the rides we’ll carry with us, and to everything we’ll build toward in 2026.