Better Together

Arkansas Outside doesn’t usually cover social events, but this weekend we attended what could be considered the social event of the season.

The nuptials were planned for Saturday night. The couple of the hour, Stacy Tierney and Steven Long, lined up as they had on so many other Saturday mornings since they met, surrounded by several hundred cyclists. Instead of spending the entire day mired in wedding preparations, Stacy and Steven donned wedding kits and climbed aboard their trusty steed-a bicycle built for two-and rode the CARTI Tour de Rock with a group of “Ridesmaids” in tow. Everyone clamored to get a photo with the bride and groom, including the AO team. At the starting line, the wedding march played as bubbles tumbled out of a machine and we all cheered our best wishes for the happy couple.

Cylcofemme brought Stacy into my life in 2013 when she pledged, along with her friend Alexis, to bring their moms to the Mother’s Day ride. Little did she know then what that gesture would bring to her mom, what she herself would bring to the sport or what it would mean for her future. That day brought a love for cycling to her mom,  renewed a love of cycling for Stacy and led her to the love of a lifetime.

Stacy and Steven met through cycling, seeing each other at rides and advocacy events around town. Their bike paths intersected and as the saying goes, they rode off into the sunset together. It was no surprise that they chose to ride on the morning of their wedding; two wheels, two lives, two hearts, it was meant to be. I happily rode behind, sometimes beside and in the end, in front of the glowing couple as they pedaled away their last day of singleness. Later that evening, the girls who rode with them in the morning, bike shop owners, co-workers, friends and family gathered at Bernice Garden to watch Stacy and Steven make their commitment official. The bride arrived from her hideaway at the Capital Hotel in a pedicab pedaled by her friend Cole. The groom stood waiting, with Judge Buddy Villines at his side. Who better to officiate the ceremony than a man who helped build the trail they fell in love on. Following the recessional, they climbed back aboard the tandem steed they used that morning and rode laps around the block as guests lined the street to ring the customized wedding cowbells in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Long. We got to be a part of their very special day, we will remember it fondly and we wish them many years of love on two wheels.