Welcome to Aline Goes Cycling

This is my new Blog!

My name is Aline and I’m originally from a relatively small town in Bavaria, Germany. I studied Film and European Literature in Berlin, and in 2016, I moved to Los Angeles for two years. Now that I’m back in good old Deutschland, I’m making a living as a Freelance writer, translator and social media editor. In my spare time, I like to cycle along Lake Constance, read psychology books and take my lazy french bulldog on a walk.

So here’s the funny thing: I’ve never been athletic in any sense. In fact, I used to be ridiculously bad at all kinds of sports. People who went to high school with me will know exactly what I’m talking about. If you had told me I’d be writing a blog about cycling one day, I probably would’ve laughed pretty hard. Short stories? Yes. Novels? One more can’t hurt. Academic papers? Only if you pay me.

I’ve always been passionate about writing, though. I started journaling when I was 13 years old, and I still do. I wrote a novel about two friends going on a road trip to Amsterdam. I drafted countless short stories about my life as a university student. Yet, I never quite found myself in any of these tales. They only scratched the surface of what I wanted to tell the world.

But then... I found love and purpose in riding my bike!

One road bike changed everything

I started riding my commuter bike along the beach, mostly to hang out on a bench, overlooking the ocean at Will Rogers State Beach. I quickly became addicted to being on the bike, and it didn’t even take a month until I realized: I wanted to go far, and I wanted to go fast. I had to get a road bike, no question! Luckily, a friend told me to order a used Serotta CTi frame on eBay, and he then built my bike, mostly with unused parts that he had laying around at home. Believe me, I’ll be forever grateful!!

In retrospect, I believe that everything - good and bad - that happened in the last few years was meant to bring me to where I am today. I’ve been through tough times and know how it feels to be a little lost. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s like a jungle out there! That’s one reason why I want to share with you how this sport changed my perspective on life. For some reason, riding my bike inspired me to come out of my shell so that I’m free to open up to the world around me. I notice how I’m starting to break through old patterns that kept me from living up to my full potential. Plus, suddenly there’s all those wonderful people from all over the world that I get to talk to about cycling!

You probably found my page because you’re somehow interested in cycling. Maybe you are thinking about what kind of bike to get, or you have just started to ride a road bike and you’re not quite sure how to go from there. Maybe you’re a pro and you’d like to hear about someone else’s journey. Whatever it is that you connect with cycling, I hope you’ll find it on my page! I started blogging not only to share my personal story but to answer questions about all kinds of cycling-related issues!

Here’s what to look forward to

My blog will give you an idea of how I got into cycling and what I did to create a life in which I’m free to become the best version of myself. I’m going to talk about my struggle to find purpose, writer’s block, mental health, and the passion and excitement that road cycling sparked in me.
I’ll also share my story about how I moved to LA for two years, got married, got divorced, and how I got crazy about road bikes.

Of course, I won’t forget to tell you everything about cool cycling destinations, tips and tricks for commuting and traveling by bike, product reviews, and so much more! Also, another important topic will be the struggles of being a female cyclist in a male-dominated sport.

I’ll be posting once a week in one of the categories “Journal”, “Destinations” and “Tips & Tricks”. My next post is already in the making -  I will be talking about our favorite cycling route in Los Angeles! I’m also going to this year’s ISPO (International sporting goods trade fair) in Munich and I’ll come back with tons of pictures and reports about great cycling products!

Last but not least…

I can’t wait to share my experiences with you, and will be super happy about your comments, suggestions and questions! Every kind of feedback is appreciated, even disagreements. Feel free to reach out to me over my contact form or on Instagram.

Thank you so much for reading this far, I truly appreciate it! Looking forward to hearing from all of you :-)