In 2023, Judge Kelly Babineau experienced Heart of Gold Gravel from the sidelines. This year, she’ll experience it from the saddle.
Judge Babineau and her husband first became involved with Heart of Gold as volunteers. Neither owned a gravel bike at the time, but they wanted to support the event and its mission. They spent race day helping riders and giving directions along the course.
What they saw left an impression.
“It’s such a great cause, and everyone was having somuch fun,” Judge Babineau shared. “It encouraged us to want to be part of it.”
Judge Babineau was no stranger to cycling. In the past,she had ridden road bikes throughout the Sacramento area and completed centuryrides. Eventually, a gravel bike from You Bet! Bicycle Sales & Service opened the door to a different kind of riding—and to Heart of Gold.
With encouragement from the local cycling community, including You Bet! and Chief Goldman, Judge Babineau began getting more involved. She and her husband joined the Friday Bike Bus, where community members ride together and cheer on local kids as they make their way to school. It was another reminder of what she loves about cycling: the connection itcreates.
“Everything is better on a bike,” Judge Babineau said.“It’s such a great way to get the feel of the community.”
And once she had her gravel bike, the decision became easy.“As soon as I got my gravel bike, I was like, ‘Let’s sign up for this.'”
This year will be Judge Babineau’s first time riding Heart of Gold. She has signed up for the short course, with hopes of building up to the full ride in the future.
But for Judge Babineau, Heart of Gold is about much morethan riding a bike.
As a judge who hears juvenile justice and juvenile dependency cases, protecting and supporting children is part of her work everyday. She sees firsthand how important mental health is in the lives of young people and families.
“Children’s mental health is such a prevalent issue,” she said.
“We want them to be healthy and thrive,” she said.“There shouldn’t be a stigma around mental health services. They need to beable to say, ‘Hey, I’m struggling,’ and get the help they need.”
She also hopes conversations about mental health can help normalize something that is simply part of being human.
“Life comes in waves, and there are moments when we need more help and there are times when we don’t.”
That message is at the heart of Heart of Gold Gravel: bringing people together through an incredible day of riding while raising awareness and critical funding to support the mental health and wellbeing of local youth.
For anyone considering joining Judge Kelly Babineau on the course this year, she has a simple answer:
“Absolutely do it! Not only is the cause well worth itand something we should all be behind, the ride is going to be really fun. There’s no reason not to!”
From volunteering at an aid station to lining up as a rider, Judge Babineau’s Heart of Gold journey reflects what this event is all about—community showing up for kids, and having a pretty great time along the way.
Judge Babineau is in. Are you? Register today!