It’s still early in the season but Rita Szeto has already completed more than a dozen races. This will be Rita’s sixth season of racing and her 3^rd year riding for Norcal Velo Women’s Cycling Team. She is excited and hopeful for another good road season. Rita’s big smile after a difficult sprint reminds us that she’s always having fun out there.

Rita caught the cycling bug through her work as an IT Analyst with Backroads bike touring company. Being surrounded by other cycling enthusiasts made it difficult not to pick up the sport! She sees cycling as a great way to experience her surroundings. “You can see and feel things around you in a much more intimate way. The world doesn’t just whiz by like when you’re behind the wheel of a car, and you can cover so much more distance than walking or hiking.” Cycling also gives her the satisfaction of knowing she’s staying fit.

Rita has also enjoyed meeting other women in Sonoma County’s cycling community. Rita met the NorCal Velo squad at the end of the 2005 season while racing the Tuesday Night Twilights in Santa Rosa. She was recruited, and has been racing for Norcal Velo ever since. One of Rita’s most unforgettable adventures with the team was the “Big Girls Don’t Cry” ride. The girls rode 300 miles in three days! For Rita, this was a true team-bonding experience.

Despite some set-backs during pre-season training due to winter weather, Rita is determined to continue progressing as an athlete. “I’d like to work on my assertiveness and confidence level. I’d like to improve the mental aspect of my racing; I’m ready to start working on more aggressive team tactics.” Rita has six Category 3 teammates this season, and the squad has been working together on developing their tactical skills.

Though Rita plans to race as much as possible, she will focus on a few of her favorite races, including the Giro di San Francisco and the Wente Vineyards Road Race & Criterium. The Giro di San Francisco was one of Rita’s first races back in 2003, and it has become somewhat of a tradition. “It’s just cool to race in San Francisco,” she says. “It’s one of those local races that always brings out large crowds.”

As Rita stashes her favorite Clif Bars in her pocket and gets ready to head out on a team training ride, she gives me a little tip: “The most important thing is to have fun out there; the day bike racing stops being fun is the day you should move on to something else”.

By June Nguyen