What inspired you to pursue the sport initially, and how did you stay motivated through challenges?

My dad raced cyclocross for most of my childhood, and I’d go to the races with him every weekend. I finally did my first race at the age of 10 and loved every second of it, despite getting last! I raced local races for fun until 2018, when I won the first UCI race I traveled to. That result showed me that I could succeed in cycling, so I kept building and saw progress each year. What has kept me motivated through all the years is simple: I want to be the absolute best I can be, and I’m always striving to better my results. I had some tough seasons as a U23, but even through the struggles, just one good result was all it took to keep me motivated. Having one good result proved to me what was possible and let me know that I had to do even more work to get those results consistently. 

What are your goals for 2025?

My big goals for the 2025-26 cyclocross season include European World Cup top 10s, defending my national title, and winning the Pan-American Continental Championships.

What’s your favorite race and why?

Superprestige Diegem: it’s a cyclocross race in the middle of a city, at night, with 25,000 screaming fans. It doesn’t get much better than that! Last year, I led the race on lap one and it was the coolest experience I have ever had on a bike. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. This race should be on everyone’s bucket list for both racing and spectating!

How has your training and nutrition evolved over your career?

My training has stayed consistent over the years, but my nutrition has completely changed. Two years ago, I finally started to pay attention to how I was fueling my body both in and outside of training. When I realized how much I needed to eat on and off the bike, I became a completely new rider. Dialing in my nutrition is the thing that has had the biggest impact on my career, and I am happy I learned about it early on.

How do you stay motivated during long, grueling training sessions or races?

When my mind starts to wander, I keep motivated by reminding myself why I’m doing this. Typically, I think about the upcoming races and remind myself that stopping the training might make that day easier, but it makes the next day harder. 

What has been your biggest setback, and how did you overcome it?

I’ve been hampered by sporadic back problems throughout my cyclocross career. The issues began during my first year as a U23 and took years to fully overcome. It seemed like as I fixed one problem, another would pop up; it is unfortunately the nature of cyclocross that if you have a weakness somewhere, you will find out about it. It took a lot of rehab and strength work to finally get past all my back problems, but I believe I am a stronger cyclist now because of it. I put a big emphasis on core stability and strength work and have been able to race mostly pain free for the past year.

What advice would you give to someone who’s just getting started?

Push yourself in every race and training you do. Always stay with the fastest group you can for as long as possible. Even if at first you blow up, keep with it, and you will make it a little longer with that group each time. One day it will stick! 

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from a loss or failure in your career?

The biggest lesson I have learned so far is to have fun and not focus too much on the results. When I’m overly focused on results before the race begins, I find that it leads me to be too stressed and unable to recover when things go sideways. I race at my best when I have fun, because when I am really enjoying a race, I stay loose and relaxed, which means I use less energy, make fewer mistakes, and can ride much harder. My best races have been the ones that I enjoyed the most and had very little stress beforehand. On those days I just go through the process and have fun racing my bike!

Do you listen to music or podcasts when you train? If so, what is your go-to playlist or podcast? Does it change on intervals vs. easy endurance? 

Yes! I have a playlist with 1000+ songs from every genre that I constantly add to; what I listen to each day depends on my mood and training on the day, but I always listen to something when I ride. 

What training, recovery, or nutrition strategies do you want to implement this year to take your performance to the next level?

This year I am really focusing on my nutrition after training sessions. I am drinking Ultragen immediately after I finish each ride and eating a full meal within 30 minutes of finishing each ride. Nutrition is the base of everything and getting that right is the first step in reaching your highest potential on the bike.