"the Last 2 spots" Contest

Finalist #2 - Fernanda Mejia & Alonso Sanchez

History is What Defines Us

"I've been thinking of some fancy essay to write and try to convince you that we deserve to win this contest. Instead, just tell you who we are.

My name is Fernanda, I'm 25 and I got out of college last year. I did a B.S. in International Business. Alonso is this amazing 19-year-old guy (I can't call him a kid anymore). He is a little mature man who's probably going to study physics at the University of Texas at Dallas next year; but for now he is just training for this race.

I'm sure you are wondering, how come a 25 year old woman and a 19 year old became so profoundly bounded that decided to race together for seven days? Well, this is one of many things the bicycle has brought into my life, and something I'll try to show with this essay - biking has not only given me great and unforgettable moments; it has also given me a little brother, and to both of us a physical and spiritual integrity (which we never thought we'd achieve).

We've been riding together for more than six years (so when I met Alonso he was no more than 13 years old), and I could tell you so many memories about landscapes, jokes in the middle of the woods, some accidents we've had, and even how does Alon stink after a few hours of training. But I prefer to tell you about the transcendental process that we have lived together. The same process I think is the one that makes us one.

To picture us as a team, you have also to picture the landscape that has made us what we are now. We live in a small city in the Mexican State of Guanajuato, which is placed in a geographical depression. There are mountains all around the city. To the north there is a system of mountains of woods. To the south is more like a desertic landscape. In order to go biking in any direction, we have to climb steep uphill for at least one hour, and always the way back has very fast downhill trails that take us back to Guanajuato.

For six years, this dry and steady uphillings have shaped our bodies and spirits. We have developed that mythological ability of working with body and soul to face whatever it comes in the path. We've learned that the sun heat, thirst, hunger and fatigue are just part of the things we have to ride with, along with our great company of our biking teammates, their support and that very special feeling of being part of nature.

Training with Alon has become a true-life school. Every time we go out there with our bikes, we go to a different world, in which our minds, our bodies and our team support become the most important thing. It is in this world, in which we feel free, capable of everything. It is in this world in which I've found a friend, my teammate, and most importantly, a little brother.

This mental development we've had together as a consequence of biking, has had a direct impact in our lives. Has made us better sons, friends and students, and has helped us to think big and make it real. Probably the decision of going to the BC bike race is a consequence of this. However we still have one last obstacle, or as we'd say, one more hill to climb - getting enough money to go to the race.

Since the beginning we thought that money should not be a barrier for two friends who have done so much together. So we decided to use our savings and to look for sponsorships from government and private business. By now, our savings are gone. Alonso even spent all the savings for his three-year scholarship from high school. I have also spent all my savings. Although we've had all the support our families can give us, we haven't raised all the money we need to compete because we haven't found either a government institution or a firm that would sponsor us.

We've sadly realized that practically nobody is interested in young bikers (they prefer to sponsor soccer players, or some people that would actually have a positive market impact from a political and economical perspective); so we have also realized that the path doesn't end here. We still have this last hill in front of us, and this writing contest is just another way to climb it.

We know we are capable of everything - we've become warriors. That's why something as vane as money won't stop this proud Mexican team from racing in British Columbia. Winning this contest would signify a great push to the top this of last hill. However, as we've learned, the path is what matters, and we are ready to face any challenge.

Just for final words I'd like to say that we have a lot of hope in this essay because it is our history; it is what defines us as a team. That's why believing in these lines is believing in ourselves; in that we are capable rise enough money to get us to the British Columbia this summer."

Fernanda Mejia