Dr. Lisa J. Molin of Los Osos regularly rides her bicycle to and from work, occasionally for 100 miles. As a former — decidedly light-weight — cyclist myself, I was interested in this story.
Dr. Lisa J. Molin is a physician specializing in 0tolaryngology at Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists in San Luis Obispo County.
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On April 20, Lisa rode 100 miles by herself. In my experience, cyclists who do "centuries" usually do so in groups. I admired this achievement and wanted to know more about it. Lisa took time from her busy schedule to answer a few of my questions.
Kathryn: Tell me about your ride. Was it a personal challenge you set for yourself, a charity, something else?
Lisa: I rode from Los Osos to Gaviota to complete a 100 mile bike ride. I do 2-3 century rides per year. I was actually supposed to do one that weekend in San Diego, but my plans fell through. So instead, after talking with several colleagues who are avid cyclists, I decided to do my own century ride and planned a ride to "almost Santa Barbara." I would have to say that the hardest part was getting up in the morning and doing the ride by myself. My dear friend Teddy offered to pick me up and bring me home, so I knew I had to do it!
Kathryn: In your ride from Los Osos to Gaviota, what were the intermediate places of interest?
Lisa: I rode from Los Osos to Port San Luis. It was a gorgeous day. . . not too windy or warm. What little wind there was, was blowing at my back, so it was delightful. I then rode through Shell Beach and Pismo Beach to Hwy. 1 and stayed on Hwy 1 all the way to Hwy 101 at Gaviota. I rode through Guadalupe, where I have only visited once, and then out behind Santa Maria to Vandenberg Air Force Base and Lompoc, which I had not been to before this ride. The scenery was gorgeous; the hills were green with lots of wildflowers in bloom.
Kathryn: How long did the ride take? What was easy, what was hard?
Lisa: The ride took me about 6.5 hours. It was a relatively easy ride . . . not too many steep hills and no headwind. The hardest part was between Lompoc and the 101. It got toasty back there, probably in the high 80s that day. Cooled down once I got up and over the grade close to the 101.
Kathryn: How did you train for this and for how long?
Lisa: I didn't exactly "train" for the ride. I average about 110-140 miles per week. A lot of my riding is commuting to work. When I do these century rides, my only goal is to finish. I'm just so happy to be out there riding!
Kathryn: Did you have a special support group for this? Friends, family, fellow cyclists?
Lisa: I got a lot of good advice from friends who had done the same ride down to Santa Barbara. I have one good friend who texted me during my ride, cheering me on and giving me lots of support. I really appreciated that. I didn't feel like I was out riding by myself.
Kathryn: For how long have you been a serious cyclist? What do you find most appealing or rewarding about cycling?
Lisa: I don't know how serious I am about cycling. I just love doing it – road biking and mountain biking both. It gives me an opportunity to be outdoors, enjoy our beautiful central coast, visit with friends who cycle with me. My biking buddy and I say we're working too hard if we can't talk about recipes or laugh about things while we're riding.
Kathryn: You're a physician. In what ways does cycling improve both physical and mental health?
Lisa: Cycling is a great workout. I can't even begin to list the benefits of good exercise for every aspect of my life. It is a great stress reliever and gives me lots of time to think about things that are important to me.
