Earlier this year, Lael and Cait Rodriguez, her friend and co-conspirator, initiated a mentorship program called Anchorage GRIT – Girls Riding Into Tomorrow. They outfitted 11 middle-school girls in Anchorage with bikes, taught them safe riding and fundamental repairs and exposed them to Anchorage’s myriad trails. They also introduced the girls to remarkable role models like Holly Brooks, the Olympic nordic skier and Mount Marathon champion who’s now a counselor and coach.

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