What’s the proper send-off for a woman who’s about to compete in one of the most grueling bicycle races in the world?

Chocolate ice cream.

Sarah Cooper confessed a long-standing tradition, which might now border on superstition. She eats chocolate ice cream before every ultramarathon cycling event.

Every race.

Every time.

Kim and I needed to find some of the best ice cream we could get our hands on before she left town. We wanted it to be local.  We wanted it to be awesome.

We didn’t have to look any farther than Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines.

After hearing Sarah’s story, Bauder’s Pharmacy and Soda Fountain donated 3 pints of homemade ice cream. (Understandably, we planned to steer clear of ‘Rocky Road.’ She’ll have 3,000 miles of road to tackle and we’re not looking to make it any MORE difficult.) Bauder’s donated Buddha’s Best, Bavarian Mint and good old fashioned Chocolate.

After nearly a year of grueling preparations, Sarah is headed for the western desert to finish one last week of training before the race of her life.

She’ll roll her front wheel to the starting line in Oceanside, CA for the epic Race Across America (RAAM) that begins on June 13. The 3,000-mile race will take 10 days to complete and finishes in Annapolis, Maryland.

It seems Sarah’s fueled by several things; a fierce competitive drive mixed with an unshakeable courage to shatter expectations for what a woman can do on a bicycle.

And chocolate ice cream.

Velorosa Cycling was founded in 2015 by business partners and cycling friends Kim Hopkins and Lisa Carponelli, both of Des Moines. Hopkins began designing jerseys for her race team in 2008. The partners sell the race-inspired apparel online and at pop-up locations to meet the needs of women looking for unique, great-fitting, high-performance cycling clothing.