whose son and daughter-in-law own the shop

Now she's training for a 575-mile bike trip that will both raise awareness of affordable housing and give her opportunities to work on several home-building projects en route. She will not only be cycling but also learning her way around a tool chest.

On the way, she and her fellow cyclists plan to stop to help build affordable houses in three locations. The trip is for young people, ages 18 to 25. Minniear, a recent college graduate with a degree in meteorology, moved to Frederick to work as a quality assurance engineer at Bechtel.

Before the trip, she will have put in 300 cycling miles and spent 10 hours working on local affordable housing projects.

Minniear has spent nearly every weekend this winter putting some miles on her bike, no matter how much she needed to bundle up. She rides in rain, but draws the line at riding in sleet and snow.

She and fellow trip participants are set to do a 65-mile training trip later this spring on the mountains west of Frederick. They have planned a route that will involve 8,000 feet of climbing.

"If you asked my friends two years ago if I would be cycling 70 miles in one day, they would have not believed you," she said. It was about two years ago that she began running to stay in shape. She planned a half-marathon, but two days before registration opened, she broke her foot.

Minniear hasn't been a cyclist or a runner for long, but she has played softball, basketball and volleyball for many years. She also enjoys hiking and running with her "crazy hyper" dog. She grew up in Indiana, and most recently lived in Fort Collins, Colo., and Minneapolis before moving to Frederick.

She plans on helping with some local Habitat for Humanity projects before going on the trip. Bike & Build is not affiliated with Habitat for Humanity, but some of the sites Bike & Build participants work in are Habitat projects.

Minniear said she likes to paint, and has joined other Bechtel employees on a home-building project putting in wall frames and doors. One day, she'd like to build her own house or buy an old place and fix it up. She has also volunteered by filling sandbags as a buffer against flooding.

Minniear has been learning about cycling and bike maintenance with the help of The Bicycle Escape, a Frederick bike shop which is sponsoring her. "We reach out to the community to encourage people to cycle," said manager Roger Rinker, whose son and daughter-in-law own the shop. "JoBeth presented us with an opportunity to help in a broader way."

She bought her bike through Bike & Build, and had it shipped to Bicycle Escape. Rinker helped her put her bike together. Then it was time for Minniear to learn to ride with clipless pedals. Clipless pedals allow the cyclist to attach his or her feet to the pedals in order to get more power out of each stroke. Minniear said she fell the first couple of times she rode with the pedals, but with practice has gotten much better at using them.

"She's helping to build houses and to encourage people to cycle," Rinker said. "She's such a fun, happy person." Minnear does the store's organized fun rides, including a Groundhog Day ride and a Valentine's Day Cupid's Revenge ride. On St. Patrick's Day, there will be another ride.

Minniear supports the store through her Facebook page and encourages friends and co-workers to come on the rides. She also plans to come to the store's repair clinics offered the first three Wednesday evenings in March.

Minniear would like to be able to do a cross-country bike ride, if she's ever in a position to take two months off work. She is eager about combining cycling and volunteerism. "I love to volunteer," she said. "The more I read about this, the more I'm looking forward to it."