'United We Ride' ready for another Tour de Scottsdale, it's a family affair
The family that loves together, cycles together.
At least that’s the case with the Bailey family … and as it pertains to the Tour de Scottsdale and other rides.
You see, the Baileys love the ride, and because Tour de Scottsdale is back after a handful of years, so are the Bailey's. They will have eight – yes, eight – cyclists at this year’s event on April 13. They are team: United We Ride.
Team Bailey "United We Ride"
“We are super excited for the Tour de Scottsdale and happy that we have this amazing opportunity to ride in it again,” said Jamie Bailey, the mom.
The Bailey family has been riding together since 2007, thanks to husband, Eric’s parent’s (Rose and Gary), who are “big cyclists.”
At the time, it was all new to Jamie, given five knee surgeries. The rides started in 2010 for a ride that went from Seattle to Portland (STP).
Slowly but surely the family – the youngsters, too – started to join the rides, as did Jamie.
“When our oldest son turned 10, he joined our family team and completed the ride on his own bicycle in 2019,” she said. “Our two younger children also wanted to do the ride when they turned 10but then Covid happened, and our family took a break from participating in the STP.”
Now, they are back on the bike and “excited to be riding together again!” she said. “Our kids are now 11 (Jasmine), 12 (Kai) and 15 (Jarem) years old. Our kids are on their own bicycles participating, but they've spent countless hours in bike trailers with us from the time they were born.”
Jasmine (l) Jarem (m) and Kai
Cycling is in their blood, as is the love for cycling in the Valley. They’ve done a few of them, including El Tour de Mesa and, of course, Tour de Scottsdale.
They are ramping up for the April 13 ride quite nicely.
“Our rides have been going well so far and we've been slowly building up the miles of training for our daughter since she's the newest member to join our team,” Jamie said. “We love the exercise that cycling provides but more importantly, we love spending the time together outdoors.”
A bonus – to the family dynamic – Eric’s parents are flying in from Washington to ride along with his aunt Linda, who will be renting a bicycle to join in. It’s also the two youngest first ride.
“We are so lucky to have three generations of cyclists spending this time together!” she said. “My in-laws are specifically to thank for bringing cycling into our lives. They've taken many cycling tours to other countries and have had the opportunity to see the world from the comfort of their bicycles. Rose and Gary have been tremendous mentors and coaches for all of us.”
Some members will ride the 62-miler and others the 32-miler but will be together – in spirit, too - on the ride.
“We love the Tour de Scottsdale and can't wait to ride together,” Jamie said.
See everyone there!
