Motivational Monday, a Monday tradition at Bike Shop Girl, my goal to keep you motivated and to be striving on the bike even during a hard week or long hours at work. Are you a woman that bicycles? Fill out this easy form and be part of our motivational movement!

This month’s Motivational Monday posts are brought to you by one of my personal favorites, Light & Motion. Between now and the end of June, Light & Motion wants to know who or what in the cycling community motivates  you. All you have to do us leave a comment here or on Light & Motions’ Facebook page. At the end of the month we’ll be choosing one lucky winner to score a brand new VIS 360 commuter light!

What’s your name and location?

Tammy Sadle, Boulder, Colorado

What type of cycling do you enjoy?

You know, the ‘wind in the hair’ types…crusin’, road, and mountain

What is your first cycling memory?

Me and my little sister, Kim, riding bikes in our community growing up. We had just watched The Muppet Movie and were trying to recreate the scene where Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy were riding figure eights on bikes while singing. Let’s just say there was a minor collision and lots of laughter involved!

Who in the current cycling industry inspires you, and better yet WHY?

Organizations such as First Descents (who I’ll be fundraising and racing the Leadville 100 for) and other Colorado based health promoting non-profits/charities have provided me with the ‘WHY?‘ I needed to immerse myself back into competitive cycling. I had started to find bike racing to be a quite self-promoting sport and no longer knew how it fit into my broader life goals, until I signed up for LV100 with First Descents (they had 20 available spots for people willing to raise at least $3,000 before the start of the race). Suddenly I had purpose and desire beyond myself and was instantly enamored with the good vibes and happy faces of the entire mountain biking community. More specifically, my coach, Daniel Matheny (Carmichael Training Systems/Honey Stinger pro), is a big inspiration because he has been able to translate my ‘turbo’ and overachieving mentality (which often leads to burn out and disappointment) into goals, structure and lifestyle that are FUN, sustainable and low stress but not without challenge. Of course, the women of mountain biking (especially those with mad descending skills), and who represent and give back to their community, inspire me to be a positive example.

What was your best moment on a bike in 2010?

Racing with Jeanie Longo at Steamboat Stage Race and hearing her tell me to ‘Go! Go!’ in her cute French accent. She is amazing!

In the next year, what are your goals with cycling and pushing yourself forward in 2011?

To become more involved with local health promoting groups (especially with young girls/women) through volunteering (Valmont Bike Park, Colorado High School League, and others) and to continue to be true to myself…doing what feels good and makes me smile. Oh, I do have a list of skills I’d love to master which include learning to do a wheelie and some bike mechanics.

Wanna Know About my Bikes?

I purchased a 2010 Scott Spark Contessa which is totally tricked out with the best, hand picked parts. I take no credit for this, but am fully enjoying it and believe that to a large degree…it IS about the bike! You gotta find a bike that fits you well, is dependable and lightweight. Don’t wait to become a cyclist, the right bike and gear can help with this! I also have a Cannondale CAAD-9 road bike with a Powertap to do structured power-based training and a fixed-gear road bike for fun.