Dear Community Riders,
Thank you for showing up. The Sacred Cycle Community Rides are important to us and our healing as Sacred Cycle participants. These rides are there for us when we are ready to expand our sense of safety; to start to open our eyes to how many good people exist in the world. We want you to know that you have offered an important lifeline in the journey of healing for survivors of sexual trauma. By showing up, you have helped. When you ride with the Sacred Cycle community, you are visibly showing up to support survivors that live in our communities. You are waving a flag for a small group of women that have chosen to experience healing. They are bravely showing up for themselves and each other to create a cycle of healing and you are showing up for them.
“Hope needs help. Just like seeds need water and sunlight to grow. Hope alone is not enough to heal. Hope is what inspired us to reach out for help from Sacred Cycle. Help is what carried us forward and the ground we safely landed on.”
Sexual trauma casts a shadow over our perspectives of people. It felt safer for us to assume that everyone was dangerous. We became isolated as a way to protect ourselves, as a way to feel safe. But being alone with our pain became worse than the pain itself. After trauma, we disconnected from our bodies, from other people, and from a sense of safety in our future. During Sacred Cycle our breath and our bikes helped us reconnect to our bodies. Our weekly check-ins helped us cultivate a sense of direction and compassion for ourselves. Our coaches helped us gain skills to cultivate a safe space within ourselves while on our bikes. Group therapy gave us a chance to cultivate a safe space with other women who carried wounds similar to our own. The community rides helped cultivate a safe place for us to not only exist, but a safe place for survivors to play and to feel connected. Experiencing a supportive community as a survivor gives us firm ground to stand on.
Our hope is that you are also showing up for yourself as well. The mental health benefits from mountain biking are meant to help and inspire you as well. Sacred Cycle taught us that one way to reach each other is through ourselves. Showing up for yourself inspires others to show up for themselves, that is the power of community. We believe in the healing that happens when we ride, but especially when we ride together.
If you have not had the opportunity to join our community rides yet, we ride until October. Invite your friends, bring people you care about, and make time for a short adventure every week. Visit the website for our weekly schedule. Our rides are led by our amazing volunteer community that we love and rely on. You can support our rides and our mission through riding and/or donating.
