Perez: Your support today impacts a rider for life
Valley Voices
My name is Naydelin Perez, and I’m 20 years old. I was born in Vail but was raised in a small town in Zacatecas, Mexico. I moved to Eagle County when I was 7. This was a hard change at a young age; everything and everyone I knew was no longer part of my daily life, and it was difficult to make friends because of language barriers and cultural differences.
Until middle school, it felt like a constant battle between being who I truly was or fitting in with my peers. Coming to a new country where everyone looks and acts differently made me feel like I was supposed to change to be like the people around me. I no longer felt comfortable speaking Spanish. I didn’t want to wear clothes that made me look “too Mexican.” I was ashamed to embrace where I came from.
In seventh grade, a cousin introduced me to The Cycle Effect, a local mountain biking nonprofit team for girls. I decided to join because I enjoyed riding my bike around the neighborhood (let’s just say it was a rough realization that mountain biking was not the same thing!).
Although it was physically challenging, there was not a day I left practice not feeling fulfilled. I proved to myself through this program that I can do hard things and that it’s possible to get back up after falling over and over. I especially learned the importance of finding your people.
I finally had a place where I felt I belonged and had mentors who coached me on the trails and in all aspects of my life. They continuously helped guide me in the right direction and always made me feel like I mattered. They did this by helping me find solutions to my problems outside of the program, and by caring enough to continuously ask about my life. The coaches continuously pushed us to our limits to show us that they understood our fears, but that they also saw the potential we had.
Support Local Journalism
The Cycle Effect coaches taught me the importance of being unapologetically myself. I had other strong Latina women to look up to in the program, who showed me that it was OK to celebrate myself, my culture and that I don’t have to force myself to be somebody that I am not to fit in.
Having this support system going into high school made the transition a lot easier. Having my teammates there to guide me through the new obstacles that came with high school gave me a sense of security. Most of the young women that I met through this program are still a big part of my life, and I have a connection with every single one of them to some extent.
In 2022, I moved to Grand Junction on a full-ride college scholarship, and now get to participate in The Cycle Effect from a completely new perspective — as a coach. As I finish my college career, I will continue to mentor younger riders, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue to grow with The Cycle Effect.
Knowing that I have a place where I will always belong is a true comfort as I navigate so many life changes and big decisions. I want to thank you for supporting The Cycle Effect and building this community for young women like me. I know that no matter where life takes me, I will always come back to this family. Please consider a gift today by visiting TheCycleEffect.org.
Naydelin Perez grew up in the Vail Valley and is a coach for The Cycle Effect.
