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Rider story · Berkeley Bicycle Club

From 5:30 AM at Domingo Peet’s to the Pro Peloton: My Berkeley Hills Story

Words by Bethany Allen. Introduction by the Berkeley Omnium.

Bethany Allen in an orange and blue ZOCA Halo Sports kit, arms raised on the top step of the 2015 Berkeley Hills Road Race women's podium, with the other four podium finishers waving beside her
Celebrating victory at the 2015 Berkeley Hills Road Race.

From Berkeley Bicycle Club to professional racing

Club
Berkeley Bicycle Club
Berkeley Hills Road Race
Won the women’s Pro/1/2 in 2015, racing for ZOCA p/b Halo Sports
Turned pro
2016, with Inpa Bianchi in Italy
Coach
Nate English, 2008 Berkeley Hills Road Race winner and former pro

Bethany Allen found the Berkeley cycling community the way a lot of racers do: 5:30 AM rides from Domingo Peet’s, 100-mile Saturday rides out to Morgan Territory and Livermore, and getting dropped on plenty of them.

In 2015 she won the women’s Pro/1/2 at the Berkeley Hills Road Race, racing for ZOCA p/b Halo Sports. The next year she turned pro with Inpa Bianchi in Italy.

She wrote the story below herself, about the people and rides that got her there. We’ve published it as she sent it.

In Bethany’s own words

I have such great memories of the Berkeley Hills Road Race. I raced it a few times, but 2015 obviously stands out because I won! I loved that it was a true road race -- hard, hilly, tactical, and on some of my favorite roads in the Bay Area. Winning on roads I knew and loved made it that much more special.

But the story really starts well before that.

I'd already done some triathlons and bike racing, but cycling and going to events was still largely a social thing for me. That started to change when I moved to NorCal and found the Berkeley cycling community. It began with showing up at Domingo Peet's at 5:30 in the morning, bright eyed, overly caffeinated, and just hoping I could hang on. Spoiler alert: I couldn't 😂

Then there were Todd's legendary 100 mile Saturday rides. I'd show up enthusiastically, apparently having forgotten what happened the previous Saturday, and proceed to have another character building experience somewhere on Morgan Territory or battling the ridiculous winds out in Livermore. I got absolutely shelled and destroyed on more occasions than I'd like to admit. Nothing quite like being humbled by a headwind and watching the group disappear up the road to make you question your weekend hobbies!

But I kept coming back.

And that's really where the magic happened. The BBC and the people I rode with were such a huge part of my development, not just as a racer but in how I viewed cycling altogether. They pushed me, encouraged me, challenged me, and helped me realize that this sport could be so much bigger than I'd ever imagined.

Bethany Allen in an orange helmet and ZOCA kit climbing beside a rider in a Trek kit, with a small group of racers behind them and green hills in the background
Racing on the roads that helped shape her cycling journey.

I started to appreciate the incredible history, traditions, and culture of bike racing. The tactics, the teamwork, the suffering, the friendships, and the almost ridiculous satisfaction of doing something really, really hard on a bicycle. There's something special about this sport and the people of all ages and backgrounds it brings together.

I started working with coach Nate and somewhere along the way, those early mornings and epic weekend rides turned into bigger racing ambitions. In 2015/2016 I had the opportunity to race professionally in Italy, which was an incredible experience and a completely different world of cycling. I never would have imagined that those mornings just trying to survive a group ride would eventually lead me to racing in Europe!

Looking back, what stands out most isn't necessarily the wins or results, but the people and experiences that helped get me there. I was lucky to be surrounded by a community that made me want to work harder, aim higher, and take opportunities I might otherwise never have considered.

And while my professional racing days are behind me, cycling certainly isn't. Based in SoCal now, I still train semi seriously, love a fast group ride, and occasionally jump into a race or event. Apparently, after all these years, I still haven't figured out how to ride a bike casually 😂

If there's anything I'd want the next generation of racers to take away from my story, it's this: Just keep showing up. Show up for the group ride glory, the hard races, the days you get dropped, and the opportunities that scare you a little. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, and don't underestimate how far that community can take you.

You never know where a 5:30 am ride and a few questionable decisions about how to spend your Saturdays might lead!

The community behind the racing

Most Northern California racers learn on group rides. The Berkeley Bicycle Club rides nearly every day, and those rides are where people learn to hold a wheel, take a pull and hang on over the top of a climb. Riders who have been at it longer pass on what they know, the same way someone did for them.

Racing comes after that. Local races like the Berkeley Hills Road Race, which the club has organized since 1979, give riders a start line on roads they already train on. Clubs, coaches and junior programs fill in the rest.

Junior fields race at the Berkeley Omnium, and the proceeds after race costs go to East Bay high school NICA teams. If you're just getting started, find where you are on the cycling journey.