How 50 Became Their New 15

By Beth Black

They’re hot. And not just in flashes. Longtime friends Connie Garcia, Lupe Stall and Kris Robison would call it more of a developing situation than reflection on their ages. After 25 years of helping other people have fun, the three middle-age friends and Disney cast members, all from Orange County, recently began to take more time for themselves. This has meant more than just stealing a few hours here and there. These three women have embarked upon an epic quest to recapture some of what dissipated over decades of raising families and working. And they’re doing it on wheels. As beach babes.

Stall and her friends have always focused on the needs of their spouses, families, friends and Disneyland guests. But just as she faced the big Five-oh, the health she had taken for granted was threatened. “That will put some perspective on lifestyle, and the things you do,” she says. When she recovered, Stall began to seek activities that would help her regain her fitness while enjoying some outdoor scenery. “I’m trying to be active, have fun and keep fit,” she explains. Blessed with a trailblazer’s personality that helped her succeed as a Disney cast member, she quickly made self-improvement and personal time a goal for her friends too. The activity had to be enjoyable, which led the women to consider bike riding.

Then Stall had the idea to challenge the group with something bigger than a mere bike tour around town. At her urging, they all signed up for the Beach Babe Cycling Classic taking place July 14 — a ride from Long Beach to Huntington and back again. Stall had done it once before and wanted her friends to join the party. She convinced them to join her, and they all signed up. The only question Garcia and Robison asked was, “Are we insane?”

Reliving childhood pleasures of coasting down a quiet street — that’s one thing. Participating in an organized ride with hundreds of trained bicyclists was another. Garcia and Robison weren’t sure of their ability to complete a potential 40-mile ride, so when Janae Noble, the founder and chief of Beach Babes Cycling, suggested Pedego electric bikes, all three women jumped on the idea … and the bikes. Before making their final decision to use electric bikes for the Beach Babe event on July 14, they asked to try e-biking. Noble arranged a test ride for the women at Pedego Greater Long Beach, located on Pacific Coast Highway in Seal Beach – a midpoint for the upcoming ride.

When Stall, Garcia and Robison first stepped into Seal Beach’s Pedego e-bike shop a few weeks ago, all three were hesitant. After all, two of them hadn’t ridden a bike since their 20s, and time had changed a lot of things – in bikes and their bodies. A lifetime of raising families, sustaining their marriages and working behind desks had left each woman a little older, rounder and tired. Robison quietly surveyed the store’s helmet selection while Garcia studied one bike and then another. Stall took command and hustled the others outside toward their waiting e-bikes. “They’ll tell you I made them do it,” she quipped. “But we’re just good friends.”

In reality, it didn’t take much to put Garcia on wheels. “I tried going to the gym and can do four to five miles on an elliptical machine,” Her daughter told her to mix up her activity routine for health advantages. Adding bike rides seemed the logical choice.

Garcia recalls her first bike fondly.  Her mother bought a small bike at Goodwill and painted it purple. She rode it for a couple of years until her brother inherited it. Garcia’s early years on bicycles didn’t end there, however. As a teen, she enjoyed time spent on rented cruisers at the beach. She would pedal the four to six miles from Venice to the Santa Monica Pier. As with her friends, though, Garcia’s bike days faded into the past when family and career commanded more time.

When Robison was a child, her dad promised he’d buy her a bike if she learned how to ride. So she borrowed a friend’s bike and climbed to top of the other girl’s driveway. She coasted down it a few times until she had her balance. After a couple of practice rides along the street, she rode home to show her dad. He bought her a bike with a leopard print banana seat. Now, the Pedego test ride was Robison’s first bike ride with the other women. As she had done as a child, she spent a little practice time on her own before teaming up with the others at the Pedego store. “I’ve just been hopping on and tooling around,’ she says. “Not too much. Just enough to ease back into it.”

Robison is happy that she agreed to join her friends even though it makes her laugh. “Lupe says 40 miles is a short ride. Well, maybe for her!” She chuckles and adds, “She [Stall] is just like a little Wonder Woman. Very competitive. When you’re paired with Wonder Woman, you’ve got to step up.” Though Robison has been sensing a general call to join more events in the community. “I like the idea of being more active while getting together. I live in Long Beach, such a bike-friendly community. There are a lot of cool things to participate in.”

With coaxing from the Pedego staff and some riding instruction from Noble, the three eventually rolled down the road. Learning how to operate a Pedego electric bike wasn’t difficult, and the motor helped with maneuvering. Though managing any bike in traffic on a busy weekend in Seal Beach proved challenging, especially for Garcia. “I’m afraid of riding on the street around cars,” she said somberly. “I’m paranoid one will hit me.”

Within 15 minutes, however, all three peddled along competently. Their destination: The San Gabriel River Trail. Garcia smiled at the prospect. “We’ll be fine on the bike path.” A few more minutes passed and they were on the path, laughing in chorus the way old friends do. Clearly, the fun had arrived.

Janae Noble, founder of the Beach Babes Cycling Classic, is heartened to see these women participate. When she designed this event, she wanted to make it inclusive, so that women with all body types, ages, personalities and fitness levels can take part in the fun. The ride includes a costume contest and prizes are awarded, adding to the festivities. Refreshments are available for the riders at stations along the route, and the general atmosphere at the Beach Babe event is one of camaraderie punctuated with laughter.

Stall, Garcia and Robison went online after the test ride and reserved their Pedego Comfort Cruisers for the Beach Babe Cycling Classic. All three are excited at the prospect, especially their instigator. Stall is quick to point out what she likes most about bike riding: The freedom of it all. “It’s very relaxing,” she says. “Having that wind in your face and your hair is refreshing to me. It cleanses the face and the soul.”

An epic reward indeed.  

Beth Black is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in Orange Coast magazine and the Toastmaster magazine. She has made the transition from writer to rider and currently owns Pedego Greater Long Beach, an electric bicycle shop in Seal Beach, California.