A year ago, Rebeckah Sapp wasn’t even cycling. Now, the Owensboro is about to compete in the Highway 61 Challenge — biking 500 miles from Memphis to New Orleans.
The challenge is over the course of four days from March 25-28. After intense training, Sapp is proud of how far she has come.
“This time last year I wasn’t even cycling,” she said. “I started at the local Hotworx doing the spin classes. One class turned into two classes and then three classes. I knew I needed to push myself a bit further.”
After falling in love with cycling during her Hotworx classes, Sapp decided to get herself a bike and begin searching for a competitive race.
“I kept asking myself what was next,” she said. “I wanted to challenge myself and give myself a goal. When I found this race, I believed I could do it. I signed up and I don’t think I realized how much training it would be. I am spending five hours a day on a bike.”
Stage one starts in Memphis and takes riders 115 miles south to Cleveland, Mississippi.
Stage two will take cyclists 109 miles, passing through several historic cities. Stage three stretches 156 miles and includes more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain, advancing participants to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Stage four takes riders 120 miles along the Mississippi river and into New Orleans for the finish at Audubon Park. With less elevation gain and drop, this stage will be fast and scenic.
“The more I told people about my race, the more I got excited and knew I had to hold myself accountable since everyone knew about it. It has been a lot, I am not going to lie, but I have been training,” Sapp said.
Although it has been a long road leading up to this race, Sapp says she is learning a new level of discipline, and decided if she put in the training now, she could enjoy more of her journey during her race.
“I really tested myself,” she said. “You can let yourself off as an adult because no one is telling you what to do. I have turned down trips that came up because this race means a lot to me.”
As her training grew in intensity and time required, Sapp learned to improvise when faced with obstacles such as winter weather.
“When it started snowing, we went straight to Academy and bought me a trainer,” she said. “It’s nice to know I can commit to something and stick to it. I don’t want to enter the race just to do it and struggle through it. I want to enjoy every moment and take it all in. This is one thing that has kept me going on the tough days.”
With the support of her community, Sapp is hoping to raise the $1,500 it costs to complete the race — and to double that amount so she can make a contribution to charity.
“I want to raise money to donate to the New Orleans Children’s Hospital when I arrive,” she said. “The Highway 61 Challenge donated 10 percent of entry fees to this cause and I want to bump up what they have raised already,” Sapp said.
Their hashtag, “Choose to Challenge,” resonated with the cyclist as she prepares for the race.
“The only person you can truly trust and rely on is yourself,” she said. “I purposely told a lot of people about this race to hold myself accountable. I said I would do it, so I am following through. I am all in with it.”
To donate to the Highway 61 Challenge on behalf of Sapp, visit https://gofund.me/2eb850b2 .
