“When did doing something ‘like a girl’ become an insult?”
That is the question Always feminine products asked us this year during their Super Bowl commercial.
Anne Arundel Medical Center nurses Kristin Seibert and Andréa Williams started asking this question last summer when they decided to train for Race Across America, a 3,000-mile bicycle ride that starts in Oceanside, California, and finishes in Annapolis. And in June 2015, Kristin, Andréa and their team of six other women will become only the second eight-woman team ever to complete the race.
“It started as a joke,” says Kristin, a labor and delivery nurse and mom to a one-year-old girl. “Then it kind of spread and got bigger and bigger. Finally, we just knew we had to do it.”
And just like that, Bike Like a Girl was born. Initially inspired by that groundbreaking commercial, they have, in a short amount of time, created a brand that stands for strength, digging deep and pushing oneself to the limits.
“I see so many girls with negative self images,” says Andréa, a recovery room nurse with two daughters, ages 18 and 20, and a son who is 16. “I want to show them that when you set your mind to something, you can achieve it.”
Team training consists of cycling five days a week and strength training on days off . With most members being working moms, how do they fit it all in?
“It’s a struggle each day,” laughs Andréa. “Some days you have meltdowns. You may miss a workout and it’s okay. Everyone understands.”
Bike Like a Girl is raising money for three charities: World Bicycle Relief, Women’s Cycling Association and Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.
The team begins the race on June 20, 2015 in Oceanside, CA, with hopes of breaking the existing record and arriving at the finish in Annapolis on June 27.
“This was a dream at first,” says Kristin. “I never would have guessed I’d be this close to doing something I once believed was impossible. I want girls to know it’s okay to have a big goal.”
