Biking In The Great Outdoors
BY JONATHAN KANE
Penny Hope, a senior at Wood River High School and an accomplished singer and musician, has a passion for the great outdoors. A member of the high school’s mountain biking club, Penny has now turned her attention to road bike racing.
“I love the outdoors,” she said. “In the future I would like to be a ranger in a national park. I especially love the summers because I get to spend a lot of time with my dad outdoors and it’s a nice bonding time with him.”
Last summer the two covered 700 miles together, mountain biking mainly up north near Galena Summit and some in Park City, Utah. Penny started mountain biking in eighth grade and just recently started road biking.
“I prefer mountain biking because, obviously, you are in the mountains. Road biking can sometimes be dull,” she said with a laugh.
For Penny, the benefits of riding are many.
“I feel that you are able to do something so great in one ride,” she said. “For one thing, you are working out and you’re accomplishing something a lot of the world hasn’t done.”
Her favorite trail is Fisher Creek, south of Redfish Lake, in the White Clouds.
“It’s longer than most because it took about three hours to do the loop,” she said. “I love it because you’re in the middle of the mountains and you’re totally immersed in nature. There is also a great downhill stretch that runs for three miles.”
Penny also started road biking earlier this year.
“I saw the movie ‘Breaking Away’ with my dad and it really inspired me and became my favorite movie. It was my birthday the next month and I asked for a road bike. My dad bikes to work. Early on, I made it to the top of Galena and I fell in love with it. In a car, the same drive can be pretty boring, but it gets personal when you are on a bike. You see things you wouldn’t otherwise see. It gives you a different perspective.”
Her favorite places to ride are around the Valley and in national parks. And this year she joined the school’s mountain bike race team.
Last weekend she competed in the El Tour de Tucson race with her dad.
“It was 106 miles and I documented the training and the event for my personal project at school,” she said. “To train, I rode every day and built up from one hour to four hours a day. Last weekend we did 70 miles in one day.”
When not racing, Penny can be found playing her guitar, writing songs and singing with her older sister.
“I love to perform,” she said. “The positive feedback really helps with my self-esteem. I also love the ability to express emotions in such a beautiful way. Whatever you are feeling at the moment, you can create something special from that.”