10/06/2025
Linda Valadez - A Force of Nature!
It’s been a week since the Big Dam Bridge (BDB) Ride in Little Rock AR, and we want to celebrate a special performance on the 105-mile ride by Linda Valadez, who was riding the BDB for the first time! She said she started out with fast riders but was only able to stay with their 20 mph pace for 20 miles! She mostly rode solo the rest of the way, except when she was joined by a group of “burly” riders from Texas near the end.
Strava claims that Linda rode her fastest 100-mile ride, but I’m sure she’s ridden faster before the inventor of Strava was born. Linda finished FIRST in the 70 to 79 Age Group! She averaged 16.8 mph for the entire 105 miles including stops, averaging an incredible 18.2 mph on the bike! More amazingly, she finished in top-35% of all riders (men and women) and top-20% of all women! She was 6th fastest of all women up the steep climb on Wye Mountain!