She Rides | Alenka Vrecek | E23

At age 54, Alenka Vrecek decided it was never too late for an adventure by bike, rolling out her front door in Tahoe City, aiming 2,500 miles south to her other door at the tip of Baja Mexico. For nearly two months Alenka rode alone, giving her ample time to think about life, struggle, love, loss, family and the meaning of home through the eyes of a Slovenian immigrant. A cancer survivor dealing with her husband’s recent diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, Alenka made the tough decision to temporarily leave her family behind, achieving a lifelong desire to adventure before she couldn’t any more. Alenka’s book, She Rides – Chasing Dreams Across California and Mexico is an exceptionally well-written account of the adventure, channeling the great alpinist authors Reinhold Messner and Nejc Zaplotnik, her literary heroes. Our discussion with Alenka is more than just about the bike or the book; it’s about self-discovery, finding strength within yourself and mustering the courage to persevere against all odds.

2:00 – Trail Whisperer gets married, Pow Bot served as officiant.

9:00 – Introducing Alenka Vrecek, moving from Slovenia to Lake Tahoe.

13:30 – Was it challenging to get on her feet once she first arrived in Alpine Meadows?

15:45 – Ski racing, ski instruction and being a certified ski instructor, working at River Ranch.

18:00 – Skiing at Squaw Valley in the 1980s with Mike Slattery, Tommy Day and Scot Schmidt.

22:30 – Getting into alpinism and looking up to Nejc Zaplotnik, who was a writer and climber.

23:30 – Capturing the essence of Reinhold Messner, a huge inspiration in in writing She Rides.

26:00 – The importance of mountains, being outside and exercising regularly.

29:00 – Living with tragedy and personal struggle, and rebuilding your life and identity through being outside and completing a personal journey.

30:00 – What made Alenka want to ride her mountain bike 2,500 miles from Lake Tahoe to Baja?

35:30 – The love of being alone, the power of spending time in the outdoors by yourself.

39:00 – Riding alone in Mexico, feeling less safe around people than around animals.

42:00 – Appreciating simple luxuries of life like hot showers and good food.

44:15 – The difference between riding in California and Mexico through the Sierra Nevada.

47:30 – What is the meaning of home? Being content at home, finding adventure in the backyard and learning a life lesson from Alejandro.

53:30 – Pow Bot quotes “Truckin” from the Grateful Dead and its metaphor for life.

56:00 – The concept of living to work vs working to live and city culture vs mountain culture.

59:00 – Would you do the trip again alone or with someone?

1:02:20 – The process of writing the book, “She Rides”.

1:12:00 – Promoting and marketing the book.

1:15:00 – Pow Bot opens up about his wife and her journey with breast cancer.

1:17:00 – Did the bicycle heal Alenka mentally and physically?

1:20:30 – The flow state and being in the zone and its importance to life, moving meditation.

1:25:25 – Wing foiling, e-foiling and being on the water.

1:27:50 – Alenka rode an Ibis Mojo 3 mountain bike, aka The Beast, from Tahoe to Baja with help from Big Tall Wayne and Karl Rogne at Olympic Bike Shop.

1:31:00 – What “oh shit” moments did Alenka have on the ride?

1:37:30 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?