Jul
The Soon To Be “Newlywed” Game, Team JustLane-Style!
By Scotty Mac
Alright, so maybe the “Team JustLane” thing isn’t gonna take off like I hoped it
might. A kid can dream, can’t he? Team JustLane (had to do it one more time,
couldn’t resist) is actually Ascent Cycling riders Justine Gehrett and Lane
Sherman, a dynamic duo and a recently engaged duo at that! I got to chat with both of them about their passion for cycling, and absolutely lucked into getting to talk with both of
them separately. Let’s see how compatible they really are, shall we?
Scotty Mac- How long have you been riding
and what got you into the sport?
Justine
Gehrett- I started riding when I turned 37.
I was out to dinner with a friend for her 40th birthday, and
her husband and son were talking about mountain biking. It sounded like fun. I bought my first bike shortly afterward and
haven’t looked back.
Lane
Sherman- I started road riding in 2007.
I initially got into it because some injuries I had sustained while I
was in the Navy (you can sail the Seven
Seas!! Go Air Force. –Mac) made
running really painful. I was rehabbing
an ankle and a knee, and cycling seemed to fit.
SM- Which type of riding do you like the
most?
JG-
Though I’m not very good at it, I prefer technical trails. I grew up with horses, and did a lot of trail
riding and barrel racing- crazy stuff!
Riding tough terrain reminds me of that feeling I got when I rode my
horse.
LS- I
love endurance-style riding, going hard, though every once in a while it’s nice
to goof off.
SM- If cost and distance was no object,
where would you like to go for that perfect bike trip?
JG- My
ultimate trip would actually be a road bike destination. I’d love to ride across Europe. For a mountain bike vacation it would have to
be a trip to the Pacific Northwest because I’ve never been there.
LS- I
can’t just choose one, it would have to be three: Road ride all over
continental Europe, go to Whistler, British Columbia for an entire summer, and
go somewhere exotic like Costa Rica or New Zealand.
SM- Describe what defines you as a rider?
JG-
It’s about having fun, pure and simple.
LS- I
think overall it’s about being on the bike; this is what we do, this is who we
are. Some people are gamers, some are
sports fans, and Justine and I are cyclists.
I identify with the culture and community- it’s what I want to be a part
of. We go ride bikes and we go drink
beer. We ride more bikes, and we
socialize, and watch our friends drink way more Scotch than they should (Wham-O!
Lane Sherman burn! Jeez, one time
and they never…–Mac). We love the
life. There’s a sense of accomplishment
that you get when you ride to the point of breaking and then continue on.
SM- In my humble opinion, you guys make a
fantastic couple. Do you think being
close like that translates into being a fantastic duo team? (Lane and Justine
are gearing up to race the Coed Duo class at this year’s 24 Hours of the Sage
mountain bike race in Gunnison, CO.)
JG- I
think that… like when we race, we don’t really… we’ve never raced as a
team. We’re still very individual when
we’re racing, which translates from our relationship; we both do our own thing,
but we both know what the other’s going through. Our understanding of each other as a couple allows
us to have a better sense of each other as racers.
LS-
Yeah, I think J and I are a good team because we know what we have to do and
we’re both willing to suffer when we need to suffer. But at the end of that suffering there’s that
result and a huge sense of accomplishment.
We’re gonna do well because we understand what each other is going to be
going through, and we know each other’s strengths and areas we need to improve
on.
SM- Fill in the blank: My friends think I’m
a __________ rider.
JG- My
friends think I’m a better rider than I really am!
LS- My
friends think I’m a pink skirt rider. (I
complain ‘cause it hurts!)
Mac Out