So far this spring, we’ve reconnected with friends and loved ones outside, rediscovered places we love, and thrived off the optimism in the air. The one thing we've missed? The big spring getaway.
Fortunately, you don’t need to crowd the family into the car or navigate a busy airport to find that escape. Your getaway can be as easy as two wheels and a few miles of bike path. This May, Rad Power Bikes will show our riders that there’s a big, bike-friendly world out there just waiting to be discovered.
And since it’s National Bike Month, we’re also celebrating you, ebike riders— the forward-thinking, free-spirited individuals who've made the powerful choice to be on the forefront of something great.
By Annie Fast
Kimmy Fasani isn’t just a Rad rider, she’s also one of the top female professional snowboarders in the world.
Since becoming the first woman pro to ever land a double backflip in both the park and the powder, she’s gone on to make her mark filming award-winning videos riding big backcountry lines and sending huge jumps.
Her achievements haven’t just earned her recognition from her peers and the snowboard industry. They’ve also established her as a powerful mentor to the next generation of female athletes — both on and off the slopes.
When Kimmy decided she was ready to have a family with her husband, professional skier Chris Benchetler, she knew she wasn’t going to bow out of her snowboarding career. So she bucked the status quo and ended up being both a mom and a sports icon, a bold move that laid the foundation for more equality for women and families in action sports.
When she’s not shaking up the snowboarding scene, Kimmy and her husband, along with their two sons—3-year-old Koa and 4-month-old Zeppelin — split their time in California between Mammoth Lakes and North County, San Diego. Needless to say, it’s a living situation that adds up to a lot of time on the family’s RadRovers.
To celebrate all the Rad moms in our lives, we reached out to Kimmy to hear how she lives her bike life — and to get a few tips for the perfect Mother’s Day on two-wheels!
What has your relationship been like with bikes throughout your life?
Biking has been something I have loved as a mode of transportation my whole life. I rode my bike to school when I was little. When I got into snowboarding, biking became a great way for me to be active and fit in the offseason. When I recover from injuries, biking has been the most reliable tool for non-impact training. And as I have adapted to motherhood, biking is something I love to do with my kids, whether it’s bringing my 3-year-old in a child seat, or watching him learn to push his own bike.
Most recently, I’ve loved the freedom that my RadRover has given my family. We can cover so much ground! Having two kiddos now, I see this bike taking us all on awesome adventures without having to get in the car. This bike has also made it possible for me to get in a workout while also getting the kids outside.
Chris also has an awesome set up on his bike for Koa and they roll through some of the flowing mountain bike trails around Mammoth Mountain. I'm excited to see how they utilize the bike trails this summer with the RadRover.
(Photo credit: Peter Morning. Courtesy of Kimmy Fasani)
How have your RadRovers changed the way your family moves?
Having these bikes has made it more efficient to get us and the kids where we need to go. We can pack bags for either a beach day or a mountain adventure, throw them in the sturdy baskets on the front of the bike and pedal to our activities. In Mammoth, these bikes make the hilly terrain effortless to pedal up. Koa refers to them as the “Fast bikes!”
Overall, it's easier for us to get out together as a family because the pedaling is easier, faster, and more convenient. When I was pregnant, I loved riding my RadRover as a low-impact way of getting around. I also feel like having an ebike has made it more fun to share biking adventures with the kiddos without being completely out of breath and struggling to get around.
Tell us about a few of your favorite routes?
If we’re down at the coast, we love pedaling on the bike paths near Pacific Coast Highway, and stopping along the way to play at parks, feed ducks, throw rocks in the ocean, build a sandcastle. In the mountains, we’re looking forward to taking our bikes up to the Mammoth Lakes Basin this summer. I know this will be a weekly family favorite.
Being in nature is such a wholesome way to reconnect our minds and bodies to the peaceful state of flow. Biking is fun and makes it so easy to get outside and cover some ground quickly. Having an ebike makes it easy to run errands, grab food, and get around town without having to use a car.
What’s your idea of the perfect Mother’s Day on two wheels?
The perfect day would be to hop on our bikes in Mammoth, ride to the park with the kids, and let them run around while we sip our morning coffee. Then we'd all head out on a dirt road on our RadRovers in search of wild animals and insects. After, we'd stop for a picnic and maybe build a few forts on our way back to the house. Sharing Mother’s Day with the kids and Chris outdoors is a day well spent in my books!
Find the perfect ebike for the mother in your life with our ebike quiz. Need to get her something for Mother's Day? Send a gift card directly to her inbox.
(Cover photo credit: Tyler Hamlet. Courtesy of Kimmy Fasani.)
