September 1, 2020

Adventure athlete, World Champion, best-selling author, Garmin woman of adventure and so much more. Rebecca Rusch is usually on the move, and there’s a good chance it’s on two wheels. But what has she been up to while the world has come to a halt? Spoiler alert: turns out she hasn’t stopped, just altered her plans a bit. We caught up with her to see what she’s been up to.

Garmin: We’re all looking for hope and ways to cope these days. Are there any new discoveries or habits you’ve picked up to rejuvenate during these weird times?

Rebecca Rusch: During this fragile and stressful time, now more than ever, I need to support my parasympathetic nervous system…this means prioritizing sleep, turning off digital devices, gardening, playing music, playing with my dogs.  All of our senses are on overload, so taking time to turn the dial down on a regular basis is helping me manage stress and be productive and strong.  I just got the new fēnix 6S Pro solar and for the first time I am using features like sleep and stress tracking and I’m loving being able to see in real time the effect of my habits.  Habits like journaling, meditation, stretching are not new to me, but I’m prioritizing them more because I feel the need for it.  I’m also training with a coach and a regular training program because I respond to the structure and the accountability and know that when I take care of my physical health, then emotional health follows.

G: For someone who normally has a packed travel and event schedule, was there a silver lining for you being grounded for a bit? What makes Idaho such a special place for you?

RR: I am loving being home with my husband, dogs and in the mountains of home. Idaho is special to me because of the vast amount of open space and public land. I’ve spent the time at home riding, exploring my backyard and really focusing on cherishing home, health and family.  I guess I could say that being grounded physically has allowed me to become more grounded emotionally and really spend time reflecting and prioritizing what is important to me.  When we are all able to travel again, I know I’ll be far more selective and careful about not being away from home so much.

G: One of the themes you live by is “give equals get.” Can you tell us how this tenet led to reimagined virtual events like Giddyup for Good?

RR: I launched the Giddy Up Challenge over Memorial Day because I needed motivation to get back to prioritizing my fitness and training. I also had a strong desire to feel like I was doing something proactive to help our world recover from the pandemic.  I knew if I felt this way, so did other people.  Give = Get is one of the equations I use to guide me and my choices.  Almost all of my rides and projects now have a giving back aspect.  The bike and the outdoors are gifts that have changed my life and I feel a deep responsibility to share those gifts with other people.  After I rode the Ho Chi Minh Trail, I realized I could use my bike for more and launched the Be Good Foundation in my father’s honor.  The foundation’s mission is to use the bike as a catalyst for healing, empowerment and evolution, so now all of my rides and projects have a Be Good aspect to them and the theme of Give = Get always delivers.  I get so much joy and inspiration from sharing the gifts of the bike with people around the world.

G: How many riders participated and what was the total raised for COVID relief?

RR: The Giddy Up challenge was a huge success with over 900 riders from 11 countries.  Collectively, we raised over $135,000 for COVID-19 relief through the Be Good Foundation. 

G: Were there any other surprising outcomes from that challenge?

RR: Surprising outcomes were the number of riders worldwide who participated, how connected I felt to the cycling and running communities and how the event rejuvenated my hope for what good we can do collectively.  You wouldn’t think that a bunch of people riding uphill on the same weekend would be that impactful, but it really was one of the things I’m most proud of…the amount of positive energy that was generated and the amount of money raised to heal our world was mind blowing.

G: You love welcoming riders to your backyard for Rebecca’s Private Idaho, so it had to have been hard to pivot to virtual this year. Can you tell us how riders can still gain a sense of community and connection with the RPI Challenge?

RR: Here’s one thing:  I’m not calling RPI 2020 a virtual event, because it is a REAL event and you can feel that.  It’s just happening in a reimagined way!  I wasn’t willing to cancel RPI for 2020 because I was not willing to let go of my goals to connect people via the bicycle and ride with purpose for the Be Good Foundation. Instead I took what I learned from the Giddy Up Challenge and created a version of RPI that still connects community, presents a lofty goal to motivate riders and will…