New Tours Specialist: Lydia Hess

September 16, 2013

At Adventure Cycling Association the winds of change just came howlin’ through the Tours Department. Longtime and much-beloved Tours Specialist Madeline McKiddy departed and is on to new adventures in the Windy City of Chicago. Joining the group are new tours specialists, Lydia Hess and Darrah Rogers. As a two-part series, we’d like to give you a glimpse of what these two ladies are passionate about and what brings them to the Adventure Cycling team.

Lydia Hess is an adventurer at heart. She loves to explore and take on new challenges. Lydia hails from Boulder, Colorado, but has spent the last 10 years on the western frontier of Alaska. Lydia attributes a lot of her quest for adventure and “stick-to-it-ness” to her father. He helped her establish a love for two wheels even if it came along a very bumpy road. When Lydia’s father wanted to initiate her to the great outdoors, he chose cycling. He bought her a bicycle when she was 9, a beautiful and magical purple Trek. Little did Lydia know that it came with some serious challenges attached! Her dad purposely bought the bike a little big so she could “grow” into it. Once she showed interest, her father proceeded to initiate her into mountain cycling by dragging her up and down the wild hills of Colorado. On one of her first “epic” rides as a young girl, Lydia was literally “bucked off” the bike, which made her wonder what was so great about biking in the mountains. But looking back today, Lydia truly appreciates her persistent father who instilled in her a true sense of adventure and the will to go on, even when things get tough. Core to this learning are the revitalizing rewards of fresh air and exercise. Lydia has been exploring wild places ever since those early days in Colorado. Today she’s mainly a runner and hiker, but still loves her bike. She’s an avid traveler who loves to be immersed in the outdoor world and its natural environment. We are excited to welcome Lydia to Adventure Cycling!

Post by Darrah Rogers

Photo courtesy of Lydia Hess

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ON THE ROAD is written by the tours team — Paul, Lydia, Darrah, and Arlen — tours specialists and intrepid bicyclists, covering all things related to Adventure Cycling's tours department. Check out our 2014 Early, Epic, and Educational Tours today!