As active, athletic women, we know ourselves better than anyone. We know our pace, our power, and our mindset for training and competing. Perimenopause can make all of that change out of the blue. It can rob us of our confidence and knock us off our game, just when we feel like we’re really hitting our stride. Elite cyclist and coach Jill Patterson, 42, lived that reality for months, wondering if she had just “aged out” of her sport before discovering that the muscle and power loss, low motivation, mood swings, fatigue, and sudden aches and pains were in fact perimenopause. This week, we talk about her experience going into the menopause transition and how she got her power, mojo, and competitive edge back.

After graduating college, Jill Patterson moved to Japan to teach English. She ended up staying 10 years, picked up road cycling, and was recruited to race on a Japanese women’s road racing team. After returning to the US 8 years ago, she continued to explore cycling in all forms, including Gran Fondo, criteriums, gravel, mountain bike, and cyclocross. Today she is a full time cycling coach for athletes from all over the world. Jill continues to race and has achieved many notable wins including the 2018 GFNY World Championship, the 2021 Wedu Segment Challenge, and the 2022 and 2023 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship titles. You can learn more about her at @jillpattersoncycling on Instagram and at jillpattersoncycling.com.

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