Member Spotlight – Cheryl Conrad

Submitted by Julia Surtshin, Club Member

Do you know which PBC member sews fleece post-surgery sweaters for cats and small dogs? If you guessed Cheryl Conrad, you likely know our featured member for this month. Cheryl has a profusion of hobbies, only one of which is cycling.

Twenty years ago Cheryl’s husband, Greg, started trying to get her into cycling. It was not love at first suggestion. Although she enjoyed being outdoors and riding with her husband, Cheryl, a long-time runner and marathoner, balked, claiming, “There’s just too much gear. Running is easy, you put on your shoes and go. With cycling you need special shorts, shoes, helmet, yada, yada, yada.” Cheryl was not convinced that this was the sport of her dreams.

Cheryl’s love/hate relationship with riding shifted in 2008 while on a Backroads tour in France. She had an epiphany: “You can eat as much as you want, visit beautiful villages, interact with friendly locals, and sleep in quaint pensiones.” Cheryl was addicted.

Soon thereafter Cheryl and Greg purchased coupler bikes from Co-Motion, a custom bike builder in Eugene. Cheryl, an energetic and ambitious woman, figured out that she and Greg could enjoy considerably more adventures if they toured independently. She learned to plan their routes, even nailing down the smallest details such as the location of the closest grocery stores and public laundries. Since then the two of them have visited Spain, the Netherlands, Scotland, Iceland, Costa Rica, and England. In September they’re headed for Nova Scotia!

In 2019, Cheryl’s career as an occupational therapist came to an abrupt end when it was discovered that she had a non-malignant brain tumor. No cycling for her for the time being. After the successful surgery, Cheryl faced a long recovery of extensive physical therapy. Not one to be “brought down,” Cheryl worked hard to regain the balance she lost due to severed neural connections on her right side. She trained the left side of her brain to take over, and although she still has vestibular deficits, they are managed to a significant degree.

By 2021 Cheryl was ready to get back on her bike. With Greg still working, she looked for new cycling opportunities. Enter PBC. Currently Cheryl’s favorite routes are the Milwaukie Four City Loop and the Oregon City/Lake Oswego/Sellwood Loop, which she and Greg (now that he’s finally retired) often lead. Cheryl remarked that she enjoys climbing hills. As someone who finds climbing very difficult, I asked her for a couple of tips, to which she replied, “Move back in the saddle and hold the top tube to give yourself space to breathe.” On the flats, Cheryl typically clips along at about 15 mph and prefers rides of 30-40 miles. Her ride fuel of choice is a bagel with cream cheese.

When she’s not riding (or sewing the aforementioned post-surgery sweaters), Cheryl can be found training for her next running or biking event, doing agility training with her dog, or crafting. Additionally, she recruited her daughter’s dog to train as a therapy dog and in any given week the two of them might visit the VA hospital, the local library, or a “Read to the Dogs” event for therapy dogs.

It was a pleasure meeting Cheryl. If you happen to meet her on the road, you could probably get some tips on planning your own international adventure.