09/06/2026
We have something very special to share. Betsy H. and Diane qualified for UCI GF Worlds this past May at the Cheaha Challenge. Here is Betsy’s account of the incredible trip she and Diane had. 🌟
“Riding in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Niseko, Japan 🇯🇵🚴♀️
(aka: Spending my kids’ inheritance on a trip of a lifetime!)
This year, for the first time, the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships were held in Asia—in Niseko, a beautiful ski resort in northern Japan.
Diane and I both qualified to race the Time Trial and Road Race in the 65–69 age group. Honestly, I almost didn’t make it. I was coming off a horrible year and having one of those “life gets in the way” seasons. But racing in Japan is a great motivator!
Diane, meanwhile, started the year incredibly strong, qualifying for Japan and winning the National Championship in the criterium. Then, while racing for the Time Trial National Championship, brutal winds knocked her down, leaving her with a concussion, broken ribs and other injuries.
I got my act together and started seriously training and improving my nutrition, while Diane, true to form, used every ounce of grit she had to keep training indoors while she healed.
We arrived in Niseko with our husbands on August 21 and joined friends from Tennessee, California, Italy and Canada. Niseko was beautiful—lush mountains, natural hot springs, gorgeous roads and incredibly kind and welcoming people. And our hotel had its own onsen. I became a fan VERY quickly!
After a week of pre-riding, exploring and eating way too much ramen, it was time to race.
Thursday’s Time Trial was 9.3 miles of false flats, nine scary turns and a brutal headwind for the final 4½ miles. I had my best TT ever and won the Silver Medal—just SIX SECONDS behind the World Champion! 🥈
Naturally, I now have second-place remorse: Where could I have found six seconds?!
Diane had an incredibly strong ride and finished 5th in the world—amazing after everything she had been through.
Sunday was the Road Race: 47 miles with 5,200 feet of climbing. About 100 women started together in a huge peloton before the climbs began breaking things apart. The biggest was seven miles long, and the final major climb hit grades up to 11%. Ouch.
For most of the race, I thought—or hoped—I was chasing third place. When I finished and an official immediately stopped me to X-ray my bike, I figured I must have placed. I was stunned to learn I had finished SECOND in the world—another Silver Medal! 🥈🥈
Diane had another terrific race, again finishing 5th in the world.
Standing on a World Championship podium at any age is an incredible feeling. Doing it twice in one week was something I never imagined.
And, fittingly, the Road Race fell on our 41st wedding anniversary. My husband rides and races too, so it was an amazing way to celebrate 41 years together. ❤️
Cycling has opened so many doors for me. It has given me friends locally, nationally and around the world—including my Sorella sisters. It has taken me places I never dreamed I’d visit, keeps me outdoors and active, and constantly challenges me.
And racing keeps life interesting—and keeps my kids shaking their heads.
Two World Championship Silver Medals, an unforgettable trip to Japan, and one heck of a 41st anniversary. 🇺🇸🥈🥈🇯🇵”
