Blog
Gratitude: 2022 Sacred Cycle Retreat Recap
As the seasons begin to change and the Aspens show off their golden leaves, the 2022 Sacred Cycle season came to a close. On the last weekend of September, the 2022 Sacred Cycle participants came together in Avon, Colorado for a retreat filled with intentional movement, creativity, conversation, laughter, tears, and gratitude.
Read MoreThe Power of Community for Survivors When We Ride Together
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.
Read MoreA Letter from A Fellow Survivor and a Future Friend
Dear Survivor “You are a seed that has just been stuck into the dirt, alone and scared because you have no idea what is really inside of you; with sun, water, and consistent love you are about to find out.” I wrote this to myself when I was in your place only 371 days ago.…
Read MoreSacred Cycle Community Rides
As mountain biking season nears, we are getting excited to get back on the trails together. As we prepare for the 2022 season, we wanted to reflect back on our amazing 2021 season of community rides in the Eagle River Valley, Roaring Fork Valley and Denver Metro! Stay tuned for updates on our 2022 Community…
Read More2021 Retreat Recap
As the seasons were changing, the Aspen leaves were showing off their bright yellow colors, there was a delicious crispness to the air, and the Sacred Cycle participants were celebrating an end to the 2021 season with a retreat in beautiful Beaver Creek. The participants underwent a summer full of mountain bike riding, group therapy,…
Read MoreHealing on a Hard Boil
I was told early on that I was not going to get over my trauma, but rather get through it. At the time I was told this, I had little concept of what that actually meant. Through a summer with Sacred Cycle, I learned to embrace this concept and the long and often arduous process…
Read MoreEmpowering More Women Riders
em·pow·er /əmˈpou(ə)r/ verb – To make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights. Sacred Cycle is all about empowering women. Empowering them to reclaim their rights after sexual abuse, empowering them to feel comfortable in their body again by teaching them the skills to ride a bike and…
Read MoreGet your stoke on for a good cause!
We are SUPER STOKED to announce that Sacred Cycle is hosting the Denver premiere of the new film A Biker’s Ballad by Matchstick Productions! Not only that, the awesome guys from Matchstick have generously donated the proceeds from all ticket sales to Sacred Cycle!! WHAT: Screening of “A Biker’s Ballad” produced by Matchstick Productions with…
Read MorePutting “YOU” in Community Rides
Author: Alan Luu, RFV Community Ride Coordinator and MTB Coach. Editor: Lori Welch. Our Sacred Cycle Community Rides are all about “community” – in every sense of the word. As the ride coordinator for the Roaring Fork Valley, I look forward to each Monday evening ride. I typically get to the trailhead a few…
Read MoreA Firsthand Experience – Summer Healing
There is room for everyone who wants to experience healing and growth through our sliver of the world in Sacred Cycle. As we gear up for summer, we’ve got a lot of extra wattage going for us this year. This year’s program holds the largest number of participants we’ve ever had, and we are ready to get to work! Today we shine a light on the participant experience so you can know how to support them.
Read MoreThe Healing Walk – A Labyrinth
Gleaning From Afar Karie and I met on my first day that I learned of Sacred Cycle. Attending the 2018 Barnbuster Fundraising event, Karie was sharing her story on stage. One after another, before my eyes, the shocking statistics (1 in 4 women in her lifetime) were replaced with faces – survivors in my community.…
Read MoreRemembering Dave Krimstock
Dave Krimstock was a loved member of Sacred Cycle. A friend to everyone, but like all of us, not without his personal struggles. Unfortunately, on February 20th, 2020, those struggles led to his early and tragic death. There are no words to describe losses like these. They affect all of us deeply and uniquely. February…
Read MoreBike Therapy Works
When I initially became involved as a volunteer with Sacred Cycle I knew mountain biking was more than a fun way to release stress. To me, it had been the cause of significant improvements in my mental health. I was not familiar with the theory or science behind why spending time on a bike is…
Read MoreEmpowering Survivors and Community Through The 2020 Defining Success Event
There is a 1-in-4 chance, amongst women, that you are a survivor of sexual assault or abuse. This is a staggering statistic. Fortunately, Sacred Cycle builds and strengthens a community dedicated to healing these unnerving and traumatic experiences through women’s mountain bike clinics, community multi-level rides open to all genders, and events like “Defining Success”…
Read MorePedal Report: July 2020
Pedal Report: July 2020 Pause the pedal to read our newsletter and learn about Sacred Cycle’s Summer Programming and Events including Eagle Valley Behavioral Health Partners with Sacred Cycle – 2020 Community Rides Return – New Branded Merchandise: Pre-Orders Available Soon – TikTok Challenge Allows Girls to Speak Their Truth About Sexual Assault. Read the…
Read MoreServing People of Color and LGBTQ+ Folks Through Mental Health Resources
I went for a bike ride after work today to de-stress, reconnect with myself and nature, and tap into some joy. Feeling my tension drain as I pedaled up the trail, I thought about the healing cycle of riding my bike and all of the benefits it brings, especially on hard days. I thought about…
Read MoreHealing through volunteering
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many of us are feeling disconnected and disheartened. The usual ways that we have to connect with one another aren’t available or are drastically different from what we’re used to. We’ve had to adjust to how we show support and caring, how we express gratitude, and how we take care…
Read MorePedal Report – Winter 2019 Edition
Pedal Report | Winter 2019 Edition A Pull to the Future Just six weeks in as the new Executive Director of Sacred Cycle, I am blown away by the organization’s momentum. It takes a village and our village is in urban sprawl mode! With each conversation had, I learn more about the complexity to heal from…
Read MorePedal Report – Fall 2019 Edition
Pedal Report | Fall 2019 Edition Cycling & Healing: Shared Common Interest Dear Friends and Family, In a few short weeks, our 3rd season working with survivors of sexual trauma will conclude with our signature Fall retreat. As the days grow shorter and we wind down seasonal programs, we ramp up in other aspects. Sacred…
Read MoreMountain Biking Terms
Mountain biking can feel like a cult if you’re not familiar with the terminology. We hope this helps! Excerpt from Sacred Rides (We know it’s funny how close our names are. We love what they do AND we are two distinct organizations.) There are so many mountain bike terms and jargon out there that anyone…
Read MorePedal Report – Summer 2019 Edition
Pedal Report | Summer 2019 Edition Setting Intentions & Seeing Success Dear Supporters, My intention when starting Sacred Cycle was to try to rattle, cause discomfort, and wake people into wanting to fight to make changes. I’m pleased we are accomplishing that goal within our community. We are hopeful that 2019 will be a pivotal year for funding…
Read MorePedal Report – Spring 2019 Edition
View this email in your browser Pedal Report | Spring 2019 Edition 2019 Season is on the Horizon What an epic year for snow it’s been. I’m guessing few people are thinking about riding bikes just yet; however, at Sacred Cycle the cycling season never ends. We’ve been busy gearing up for another year of…
Read MoreProgram Spotlight: Staying in Touch
The opportunity for our clients to have daily check-ins, via email, with other survivors is one of the components of the Sacred Cycle program, long after the season has ended. The daily check-ins are a way to support and be supported throughout the year. Clients are asked to share things they are grateful for. They…
Read MorePedal Report – Winter 2018 Edition
View this email in your browser Pedal Report | Winter 2018 Edition Happy New Year from Sacred Cycle 2018 has certainly been a busy year. We are grateful for the ongoing support! In the past several months, Sacred Cycle has received very exciting film and television inquiries. Organizations from NBC Nightly News and Specialized Bikes to independent…
Read MorePedal Report – Fall 2018 Edition
Pedal Report | Fall 2018 Edition Second Season Wraps Up With an early fall fast approaching and the 2018 season winding down, thank you for the support you provided, financially, through volunteerism, becoming more educated in the issues affecting survivors, or by simply bearing witness to the suffering of others. This season we have four…
Read MoreRacing with Sacred Cycle!
The Sacred Cycle Race Team has had a strong season including many podium appearances in races such as the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde, Gunnison Growler, Go-Pro Games, Bailey Hundo, Breckenridge 100, Steamboat Stinger and the infamous Leadville 100. You can keep tabs on our racers through our Facebook and Instagram pages. Being a Sacred…
Read MoreFool’s Gold, Real Gold
In our world, we so often relate to people as objects. We even relate to ourselves as objects. It happens everyday. It’s so easy to see people as fixed and definite things to extract gain from; and to try to gain by presenting ourselves as fixed and definite. (This mindset has a long history in…
Read MoreWhy Go Outside? Benefits of Wilderness Experiences for People with PTSD
“…Using nature as a metaphor, it is possible very quickly to access deeply traumatic events and to work on the most difficult feelings, and the life cycle embodied in nature carries the promise of healing.” – Linden & Grut, 2002 Mountain biking through the Colorado wilderness – cycling through aspen and pine, wildflowers, and the…
Read MoreRide Bikes, Be Happy: How Mountain Biking Improves My Mental Health
I love to mountain bike. Even when I am not physically on a bike, a vast majority of my thoughts revolve around riding bikes–future rides, past rides, what bikes or components or gear I want to buy someday, skills I want to work on, how I can mountain bike even more than I already do… the…
Read MoreTrauma and the Journey of Recovery
Nearly one in four girls will be sexually assaulted before she turns 18 (a). One in five adult women will be raped in her lifetime (b). This means that if you aren’t a survivor of sexual assault yourself, chances are, you know at least several women who are. This article is an effort to give…
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