MexicoTed
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Pedaling for fun and friendship in Mexico
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rogna-715346-riders-one.html
BAJA, MEXICO � A monster hill covered in green chaparral and nearly as tall as the highest skyscraper in California looms above Marti Rogna as she
climbs off her bicycle to fuel up.
Some might advise the 64-year-old Mission Viejo woman to give up. A bookkeeper, she hasn�t had much time to train. Plus, a couple thousand cyclists in
the annual 50-mile Rosarito to Ensenada ride are ahead of her, and most of them are considerably younger.
But nearly 2,000 cyclists are behind Rogna, and she has a secret that will help her attack the hill: She never gives up � at least not until there�s
nothing left to give.
Rogna, who grew up in East Los Angeles without heat or hot water, eats a banana for fuel and climbs back on her bicycle.
Other riders, mostly Mexican, assume that Rogna�s a local and shout words of encouragement in Spanish. But Rogna�s Spanish is rusty. She waves and
says �gracias.�
Then Rogna does exactly what she used to tell her children. She keeps putting one foot � er, pedal � in front of the other.
With American media focusing on illegal immigration and violent drug cartels, it�s easy to forget that the vast majority of people in Mexico have
nothing to do with these issues.
In this place on this day, Saturday, everything is about friends, family and fun.
OK, admittedly this day also is about testing yourself, about conquering big hills and swooping down those hills at 35 mph on tiny tires.
The ride was born in 1979 when a small group of friends decided to cycle the toll-free highway from Rosarito to Ensenada.
PERFECT WEATHER
This year�s race starts with more than 3,600 riders.
The morning begins cloudy and cool, perfect exercise weather. Riders sandwich bicycles between two lines of fences that extend through town. It takes
people at the back nearly a half-hour to make it to the start line.
With half the lanes closed to cars, cyclists flow through the streets of Rosarito. The farther they go, the more the pack breaks up. Many cyclists are
route veterans and wear jerseys from past Rosarito to Ensenada rides. Others sport shirts that honor their riding club.
Team International is just that: a club with racers from all over the world. Most carry small flags representing their countries.
Toward the front of the pack is Team Genesis in orange, a group of local plastic surgeons and assistants. Team Don Maximo wears black, white and
orange and represents a soap company. Team Ossur, an orthopedics equipment company with offices in Orange County, wears blue and white.
But drift toward the rear and most riders wear just about anything. One cyclist pedals with yellow chicken feathers sprouting from his helmet. A young
woman is dressed as Batman�s sidekick, Robin. One man is dressed as an Aztec king, a rainbow spray of feathers behind his head, small ankle bells
jangling as he goes.
By mile 15, the chatter slows and huffing and puffing begin.
NEVER GIVING UP
Halfway up the 800-foot hill, riders start to dismount and walk their bicycles. Rogna presses on, churning her pedals steadily. Soon, she starts to
pass one walker, then another.
She looks down at farms far below and remembers her childhood.
Back then, most schools didn�t have sports teams for girls. But one teacher gathered a dozen girls and taught them track. Rogna wasn�t fast, but she
endured. Soon, she started doing well at 400 meters and 800 meters.
Over time, Rogna became a bookkeeper and raised a family. Her husband, Doug, is a program manager at Parker Aerospace in Irvine.
She always stayed active. At 45, she ran her first marathon. At 55, she ran her second.
When Rogna was in her late 50s, her husband took up mountain biking and she decided to give cycling a shot too. She never looked back.
Told the big hill would be the ride�s last, Rogna crests the coastal mountain and pauses for a moment. She is grateful her body has held up, and she
is satisfied. But in the distance, there�s another hill and another. Oh well. Before she starts her final descent, Rogna has pedaled up nearly 3,400
feet.
Finally, Rogna spots the red arch that marks the Ensenada finish line. She blasts over the line and sees a friend. The pair hug, congratulating each
other.
Almost immediately, Rogna says she�ll tackle the 50 miles again. This woman who grew up in East Los Angeles says facing fears and overcoming
challenges helps build esteem, assurance and confidence.
�It doesn�t matter if you fail,� she says, �so long as you try.�
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Maron
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Registered: 4-14-2014
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Nice story, CONGRATS to Marti
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