Why I Ride: Sofia Tejada

For a long time, my story was something that carried a heavy weight.

I am a survivor of sexual abuse. And for years, that felt like something that tried to define me, something heavy, something that took more than it ever should have. But even in that, I always knew I didn’t want my story to end there.

I’ve always had this dream of using what I went through to love people better. To advocate. To stand in the gap for someone who feels alone. To remind others that what happened to them does not get to decide who they become.

I want to live a life marked by hope.

Because the truth is, you are not defined by what happened to you. Healing is real. You can learn to love again. You can learn to trust again. And your story, no matter how painful, can become something that builds strength instead of taking it away.

Six years ago, my mom told me something I’ve never forgotten:

“Someday you will help a little girl or boy who went through the same thing you went through.”

And when I heard about Pedal the Pacific, something in me knew. That moment she talked about… this is part of it.

But what I didn’t expect was how much this journey would change me too.

Being on this team has been one of the most empowering experiences of my life. With every mile I ride, I feel myself getting stronger, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. There’s something about being on the bike, pushing forward, that reminds me I’m capable of more than I ever thought.

A lot of times while I ride, I picture a younger version of myself.

I think about her.. what she carried, what she didn’t have words for yet, what she needed. And I think about all the survivors out there who are still in that place right now.

And that pushes me.

It reminds me why I’m here. Why this matters. Why I keep going even when it’s hard.

I dream about the finish line every single day. But not just because it’s the end of a ride, because of what it represents.

That moment will be more than a finish line.

It will be proof.
That I did it.
That I made it through.
That my story didn’t end in what happened to me.

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I ride for the survivors who feel unseen.

I ride for those still finding their voice.

I ride because our stories deserve more than silence.

And to every survivor out there:

I hear you.

I see you.

And what happened to you does not get the last word.

We do.