365 Days of Biking
Adele’s Journey: 365 Days of Biking
One Local Woman’s Journey of Perseverance & Strength
A shining example of perseverance and strength, we share one local woman’s journey to bicycling every day. Finding a way to boost mental health and take in the world around her, Adele Wellman, of Salamanca, NY, has challenged herself to what was initially a month of cycling and has now turned into something so much more.
In May of 2023, Adele and a friend agreed to a month straight of cycling. It would be the beginning of a lifelong adventure. Already an active person who loves to experience the outdoors, Adele looks to movement to keep a healthy mind and body. She explained to us how the initial challenge began. “May is mental health and fitness month,” she said. “I struggle with consistency, so I wondered if I could ride every day for a month. Could I do, for me, a hard thing? When the end of the month was close, a friend asked what I was going to do on June 1st. I told him I was going to keep going and take it one month at a time. I never intended to ride for a year when I started last May. It became a habit that I missed if I didn’t ride.”
And it looks like there are no plans on slowing down/ On June 3, 2024, she celebrated her 400th day of continuous cycling!
The ride continues on as Adele has promised herself at least 15 minutes a day on her bike in the rain, snow, sunshine, and everything in between. Her adventures usually go far beyond her minimum time frame, but knowing that it only takes 15 minutes for your endorphins to kick in is reason enough to stick to it… time she knew she could make happen between her busy schedules and feels anyone could start with. This includes for her, a full-time job Monday through Friday, with Saturdays in the winter as a snowsport instructor, as well as her personal travels across the country.
Having a bicycle handy or able to rent is a must for Adele. She owns multiple bikes that fit each need within her journey. Whether it’s for quick trips around town or rough paths in the woods, she’s ready to ride. There’s also the opportunity to borrow or rent a bicycle while out of town that she has been very mindful of to keep the streak going. A longtime goal of Adele’s that aligns with her love of cycling has been to ride in each of the 50 states. With only 11 to go, she keeps that goal in sight and hopes to cross off a few more this year. Her previous travels have taken her to differing trails beyond New York like Jakes Rocks in Pennsylvania, DuPont, North Carolina, Bentonville, Arkansas, Kingdom Trails in Vermont, and Moab, Utah. She also enjoys her local favorite trails through the forest and ferns of Allegany State Park and the rocks and rooted terrain in the hills of Ellicottville, NY. Wherever her travels take her, she continues to ride.
Adele hopes to connect people to the beauty of the outdoors and inspire an active lifestyle. The journey hasn’t always been a simple one, but it was one she was determined to take. She shared her message of the milestones she’s experienced this last year and just how worthwhile it has become. “It’s amazing what can be done if you decide to do it,” she said. “The first month was not easy. It snowed in May, I wore mittens. But so did a friend, she rode in May too. Having a buddy makes a difference. November was cold, dark and wet. Instead of giving up or using the weather as an excuse, I problem solved and bought rain pants and a head lamp. I was worried it would be hard to ride after a day of teaching skiing, but then I remembered I had half of the warm clothes on already. Those May mittens came in handy during ski and bike season.”
“Riding also gave my legs a nice little workout after skiing. How would I ride if I was traveling? I took my bike with me, rented one and rode a friend’s bike when I didn’t have mine. It was fun to discover new towns. Where there is a will, there is a way. Many of the things I worried about just worked themselves out. There were days I did not feel like riding, I was tired, sick or was leaving on a trip, but rode anyway. As soon as I took the first peddle stoke, stress flew away, and I felt freer. Ok, sometimes it took a few more than that one stroke on the dark and rainy days, but I was in a better mindset when I got home. I found I can work out problems on my bike rides. I learned to just sit and watch a sunset. I found a calmness on the bike. They are magical machines. Go ride one.”
It all begins with one decision, one choice to take on something unexpected. Adele hopes to share how you can start some great journeys, you just have to say yes and see where it takes you. We look forward to the adventures ahead and wish Adele Wellman all the luck as her treks along her path.
