Cindy Berard (left in picture) is
a home grown member of the Licking County Bicycle Club. Born and raised in Ohio,
she went to grade school and high school in Heath. She thought the teachers were old when she
was a student. Now she meets with many
of those same teachers as the mother of daughter.
Immediately after high school Cinday
started working with the Federal Government at the Air Force Station in
Heath. For the last 13 years she has
worked with DFAS in Columbus. She had the good sense to marry her husband
Rod 18 years ago and has one step-daughter.
Always a tomboy, Cindy played all the sports that the kids
in the neighborhood played, and always enjoyed the outdoors and athletics. She never lost her enthusiasm for sports and
the outdoors. Cindy played competitive
softball for 10 years until she noticed she was getting older and the new
players were getting younger. She
started bicycling to fill the void when there were no more weekend road trips
to play softball. Seventeen years ago
Cindy and Rod joined the Licking County Bicycle Club where she learned how to
ride on roads and the rules that go with that (like never carry chocolate in
your pocket in the summer).
Since joining the club, bicycling has become a passion. Every year Cindy clocks about 4,000 miles or
more on her bike. In 2005 she did 5,000
miles and in 2006 over 7,000 miles!
Enough already! She plans to cut
back on her miles in 2007.
“I enjoy the freedom and independence that cycling offers
and I really treasure the many people I’ve met while cycling. When you share such a passion, it really does
bond you.” While she enjoys riding in
groups, Cindy also likes to ride alone just to get in touch with herself and
the world as it passes by. “As a kid I
used to look at mountains while riding in the car back to visit relatives in PA
and wonder what was up the mountain and look at roads and wonder where they
went.” Now on a bike she doesn’t have to
wonder any more. If you’ve ever ridden
with Cindy you know that she’s never found a hill that she didn’t want to
ride. You’re going to need good legs to
stay with her.
Some of Cindy’s most memorable rides include GOBA (6 or 7
times), XOBA (2 times) and the TRI-RI in Indiana. “I think most cyclists are addicted to the
‘high’ that comes with a good ride. It’s
hard to find that feeling from anything else in our lives. I know I can’t imagine life without it.”
We can’t imagine the Licking County Bicycle Club without you
either Cindy Berard.
