SHE RIDES

Vrecek’s memoir recounts a solo bike ride from Lake Tahoe to Baja California.

The author, a Slovenian immigrant and skiing coach–turned–business owner, celebrates pushing oneself beyond what one thought possible in this debut. After surviving a bad marriage, multiple cancers, and her second husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, Vrecek embarked on a solo “bikepacking” journey in 2018from one home in Lake Tahoe to her other home in Baja California, carrying camping equipment (including a tent) with her on a mountain bike that she dubbed The Beast. Most of the book chronicles this ride, characterized by punishing heat, rugged terrain, long stretches of isolation, tough physical challenges, and the kindness of strangers, which continued to amaze Vrecek throughout her trip, especially after crossing the Mexican border. The book includes multiple accounts of setbacks (including digestive issues) that threaten to derail her trip but ultimately don’t. This kind of personal journey narrative can be clichéd, but Vrecek avoids this with earthy, ironic humor: “ ‘You goddamn idiot,’ I murmur. ‘You went on this trip to live, not to die!’ I wiggle my toes. I wiggle my fingers. I squeeze my butt cheeks. Strange energy surges through me.” The book is full of aphorisms that might be grating were they not so thoroughly justified in the context of the story, as when Vrecek describes her midtrip communications with her children, whom she was desperate not to let down: “Face adversity head-on, accept it, and keep moving forward.” Vrecek is refreshingly unsparing when recounting things that went wrong—including the consequences of eating an unripe pitaya dulce fruit. After a somewhat slow start in which Vrecek details her immigration and first marriage, her story gains momentum and remains engaging to the end.

A gripping account of small-scale adventure and self-discovery.