My bikes: Specialized Stumpjumper Expert FSR, Van Dessel Country Road Bob, Trek Madone, and my collectors' item: a steel Bontrager from the Santa Cruz daze, restored with help from Bontrager himself.

Notable bike racing experience:
Any given Sunday when I can race in the Root 66 Race Series.

Why you ride: I ride because it is instrumental to my existence. Some days I ride for inspiration; some days I ride just to cope, and other days I ride well, because it's something that I just like to do. I ride with other people because everyone has a story to tell and when I ride alone, it is usually because there's a problem to solve or because I couldn't get anyone else to go. Mostly I ride because I am lucky enough to exist in a time and place (and tax bracket) that allows me the freedom to simply ride.

How did you get into cycling? I grew up next to Acadia National Park in Maine, where there is nearly 60 miles of car-free carriage trails. I bought my first bike - a $200 Cyclepro - on a $50/week installment plan when I was 15 and that was the first time I had ever experienced the untethered thrill of escapism.

Since then, cycling has influenced many facets of my life - at times bad but mostly good. As a bike messenger in San Francisco, I met my husband, Hicham, and together we have been able to escape to some of the most fabled cycling destinations in the world.

Interesting fact about Wendy - At 23, she rode across the United States to complete research for part of her undergrad thesis on alternative methods of transportation.