Life changes happen by chance, and sometimes by choice.

For Fountain Hills cyclist Michele McGuinness change by choice is because of change by chance.

McGuinness is in the midst of training to ride her bicycle 3,100 miles across the United States. She determined when she was lying in a bed suffering from the effects of chemotherapy she would set some goals. She had been undergoing treatment for breast cancer and had an allergic reaction to the chemo.

First, she decided she would “bike a century,” a cycling event where riders ride 100 miles in one day. She also decided she would bike across the United States when she was 50.

She achieved the century five months after her last chemo treatment. She is now 55; she didn’t make it across the country when she was 50, but she explained, “Life happened.”

McGuinness got tired of the cold in Chicago, where she lived most of her life.

She moved to Arizona, first to Cave Creek, then to Fountain Hills, which she discovered during her training.

“I really love it here,” she said. “It is the perfect community with three grocery stores, it’s close to the airport, it has a Target, and it’s close to everything else.”

McGuinness has been training for the upcoming bike ride for a long time. She rides 65 to 70 miles each day of training.

The upcoming trip is set for March 7 through May 3, starting in San Diego, Calif., and finishing in St. Augustine, Fla., a total of 3,100 miles.

“We will ride at least 65 miles a day,” she said. “We’ll have eight rest days.”

The ride she is taking, led by Woman Tours, is a “supported” ride. Woman Tours will carry luggage and supplies for the riders, as well as make arrangements for accommodations, food stops and other necessities of the trip.

“Unsupported trips are basically done on your own,” McGuinness said. “Usually a few friends might do the trip, camping out and carrying supplies and gear. I don’t think I would like to do a trip like this unsupported.”

The trip the group of 25 women over 50 are taking is referred to as the southern tier.

“It is an easier ride than some others,” McGuinness said.

McGuiness describes herself as a “slow rider,” making about 14 miles per hour, depending on the uphill.

McGuinness purchased a custom bike from McDowell Mountain Bikes in Fountain Hills. At the time she bought her bike, the local retailer didn’t have a fit studio, so she went to Cycologic Fitters in Scottsdale. McDowell Mountain built her bike to the specs provided by Cycologic.

“McDowell Mountain is great,” McGuinness said. “I am so glad they are right here in town. They are very supportive.”

In addition to the support she has gotten from McDowell, McGuinness has her husband of three weeks, Marty Huffman, supporting her all the way.

“He is a huge supporter,” she said. “He brings me lunch on long rides, and he is always there for me when I have a bad day. He’s wonderful.”

Huffman and McGuinness had a commitment ceremony in Paris three and a half years ago, but since that ceremony is not recognized in the United States, they had a small wedding at CopperWynd in Fountain Hills.

Huffman bikes with his wife but is not planning a long-distance ride in the near future. He’s been riding mountain bikes for years, but not touring bikes. McGuinness said that street riding is a different experience.

One of the things she hopes to accomplish during her training and ultimate ride is to draw attention to “the rules of the road.”

Bicycles should be viewed just as cars are viewed. Cyclists ride with the traffic, and it is legal (and expected) for a cyclist to use left turn lanes and other traffic signals used by drivers.

“People think we aren’t allowed anywhere but on a bike path,” McGuinness said. “That isn’t true. We abide by the same rules as cars.”

She added, however, that most cyclists are especially careful on the road.

“You really can’t depend on people knowing the laws for bikes,” she said. “I just hope that as this kind of cycling grows, people become more accepting of sharing the road with us.”

Her training takes her in a wide area, so she is aware of traffic and having to be cautious of road conditions.

She occasionally rides to Matt’s Big Breakfast at Tempe Town Lake, a 50-mile round trip ride. She rides on the Beeline and at Fort McDowell. Recently she rode from Fountain Hills to Sunflower and back, a treacherous ride.

“It is really a hard ride,” she said. “There is a lot of climbing, but it is a good challenge.”

She said she eats about 5,000 calories a day, burning some 3,500 during a workout.

Her coach, Cheryl Miller, has her doing high intensity interval training in addition to her distance work. The interval training has her ride as hard as she can for five minutes, then slow down for five minutes, then another hard burst.

“Studies show that this kind of work is the key to keeping you young,” McGuinness said.

She also lifts weights for strengthening and does yoga, which she says, “makes everything feel better.”