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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
MAY - 2021 - NATE ROJAS
Hello,
My name is Nate Rojas I'm 44 years old, born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. I've been married to my wife Selena for 16 years we have 2 daughters, 2 sons and 1 granddaughter. Currently I'm employed by Cigna Healthcare and I also own and operate Legendary Nutrition club.
Like everyone else I was looking for something to replace the gyms being closed due to covid-19, but I never thought it would become an obsession! I started riding the New River bike trail with an old mountain bike, but I started to notice I was getting passed up by an older group of gentlemen with some fancy bikes. It wasn't until early November that a high school friend asked me to do a group ride with him in Surprise, AZ. I gave him every excuse in the book on why I couldn't do the ride. From not having a good bike, to not having a helmet but his response was he had two of everything. After the first group ride my thoughts were that it was fun, so I went back the following weekend and I was hooked! I bought myself a nice used road bike and I never looked back!
My personal goals are to ride faster (18 to 20 mph), longer distance (60-100 miles per ride) ride in big events (represent Average Joe's) and through my bike riding efforts help raise money for charities.
Riding with The Average Joe's has been awesome because it's for EVERYONE. Young, old, beginner or expert their purpose is for people to get out, get some exercise but more importantly to meet other people. As a member my goal is to help this group grow, encourage others in the group to push themselves to hit their goals and hope to inspire others to come out and ride!
APRIL - 2021 - regan goldring
This month we are changing it up some. Each month the group leaders pick a member spotlight for someone that stands out.... This month the group riders came to me and asked if Regan Goldring can be the spotlight.... So lets talk about Regan Goldring.. The love that she gives out is unlimited as a special education teacher she was made to do her job.. Regan on a daily, 7 days per week loves all her kids and is always working sometimes up to 4am on paperwork to confirm that her kids get the best service level..... One more thing that most of you do not know about her... She has a love for sign language. ok ok so what else? She is always thinking about this group how she can make everyone help......
So what does the riders think of Regan????
Quotes from riders:
Ariel Arrington - I felt Regan’s warmth the first time I met her. I get the sense that she is a very giving person which is a great quality to have in a leader. She also seems straight forward like she will “tell it like it is” but, not in a harsh way. She should be in the spotlight because she doesn’t seem to have any trouble connecting with everyone and with that brings a sense of community. Love her personality!
Johnathan Smith - Regan love for teaching is what makes her a great group leader and spotlight member of the month…. As a special education teacher she has a heart of gold and always willing to help everyone from special need kids to our advanced bike riders. She cares about the riders and the safety on each ride this is what really makes her stand out I am proud to be a partner.
Tony Mas - I think she will be perfect.i like her because she follows the rules and has a great personality with us..
Dave Jones - Regan's enthusiasm is contagious! She makes our rides fun!
Nathan Ramsey - I feel that riding a bike is everything to Regan. The friendship and camaraderie that has happened with her, Johnathan, myself, and the group has flourished into something big, and it’s only going to get bigger. “To a cyclist, it was the be-all and end-all of your life” and I feel that this is the best quote to define Regan.
Meg - Regan’s enthusiasm and encouragement to others are qualities which make her a natural and great leader. Her motivational words have helped push me to my goals in multiple bike rides; I appreciate these wonderful characteristics!
MARCH - 2021 - TONY MAS
My name is Tony an am from Cuba am meriage and have 3 kids 9 grandkids..i used to live in california but I retired and is cheaper for me to live here in Arizona..love the weather here.
Also I love to go bike reading with you all because I see in the leaders the they really have a interesting in you to learn and get together with the club and have a great time...thank you so much Johnathan and your wife (Regan) for having pension with us...
i really enjoy the way you talk to us and explain everything about bike reading..thank you again for al your efforts
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FEB - 2021 - DAVID JONES
Dave Jones, married for 54 years to my high school sweetheart, who lived across the street since we were eight, three children, two live in California, the youngest lives here; California native, Napa High Graduate, Navy Submarine veteran of 11 years, 18 years Sales and Marketing with Hewlett-Packard. Retired at 55, back to school at UNLV, graduate 2004 BS, Elementary Education. Taught 4th Grade at King Kamehameha III Elementary in Lahaina, Hawaii, 5th Grade at Maui Preparatory Academy, Algebra 7th and 8th grade at Iao, Kahalui, Maui. Retired again at 63 and moved to SC to ride my motorcycle, quit at 70 years with 300,000 miles without an accident. Moved to AZ in 2019, to follow my granddaughter who turns 2 this month. I have been riding bicycles off and on all my life. I quit in 2012 because SC has no road shoulders or bike lanes and was run off the road enough times. I started up again here in September and enjoy riding in the group. I started in group D, moved to D+ after a couple of months, and working to move to C, maybe in the spring if things go well. I love riding because of the quiet, the motion, the constant changing of the environment, the complete focus of attention. I’m looking forward to riding in warmer weather and going on longer rides.
JAN - 2021 - SOMMER LARSON
Hi there! My name is Sommer Larson and I am 38 years old and have been happily married to my husband Greg! We live here in Surprise with our 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 tortoises.
Currently, I am working for USAA as a Senior Insurance Professional working in the Sales and Service department. I assist our members in securing their financial future by making sure they have the proper policies to protect their assets. Growing up I always enjoyed riding bikes, but as I got older it became less of a priority as work and school took over my life.
It wasn’t until I met Greg that I started to get back into riding and soon found myself buying a road and mountain bike. I never took it very seriously until Greg came across the Average Joe’s and we started to ride on Sundays. Now I find myself planning rides on my days off from work and pushing myself to ride harder and further!
The past few months I have been so excited to see how far I have progressed and look forward to seeing what the future of riding holds for me and my fitness.
DEC - 2020 - CHUCK MUIRHEAD
Hello, Chuck here. I am 51 year’s old, happily married to my wonderful wife Lela for the past 30 years, with 2 boys 28 & 25, and finally 2 grandsons and 3 dogs.
I am the CEO of a school-based consulting firm. After moving to Arizona in the chilly month of July 2020, I was looking for a group to ride with. I had not been consistently riding during COVID-19 and was anxious about joining some of the local groups, as the pace was slightly faster than I was prepared to do, and I did not want to get dropped in a place I was not familiar with. Growing up back in the 80’s, I spent 9 years racing BMX and I gravitated to mountain bikes as an adult. When I was 39, I had a hip replacement and slowly transitioned to road bikes. Not as exciting as flying down a mountain, but it made my surgeon happy. Before moving to Arizona, I was a member and ride leader for our local cycling group in Santa Clarita California. After moving here, I found this brand new group on Facebook, showed up for their inaugural ride and now I am proud to call North West Valley Average Joe’s Cycling Nation my home group. I am enjoying the rides and meeting new people.
NOV - 2020 - RIC GUERRERO
I'm a busy 32 yr old father of three, married to my kindergarten sweetheart. I manage the Discount Tire store in Anthem by day, and rarely have time to think about my health and wellness. This year with all the craziness in the world my health definitely fell behind and I started to get comfortable being out of shape. So I started riding my bike back in August after some colleagues recommended it to me. I used to be an avid runner, but after a few car accidents and athletic injuries my knees couldn't handle the impact of running. So I took their advice and bought a bike, a 2020 Trek Emonda. I got lucky, my sister is a chiropractor who specializes in athletes and her in-laws are life long triathletes, so I had a full team to help me stay in shape in the sport. With all their advice I was able to find the gear I needed to ride as well as find cool tech for my bike and bike rides. After a few short rides I was hooked. I was told about a few other groups to ride with but they were too fast and rode too far for my fitness. I decided to do the Great Cycle Challenge with a few friends, and one day on the GCC facebook group I scrolled past a post about a beginner group ride starting in Surprise, AZ; not too far from me in Goodyear and I was attracted to the pace they advertised. Naturally I looked over the Facebook page and what they were all about. Finding the North West Valley Average Joe Cycle Nation was just what I needed. So I decided to go one Sunday morning and never turned back. I enjoy the camaraderie and helping grow the sport while I simultaneously fall deeper in love with it.