"My happy place is the moment before I go to warm up for a race when I put my headphones in and it goes from chaos to total silence.”
BIOGRAPHY
I began riding bikes when I was 14 years old. My father who was an active Master's racer at the time took me out to our local velodrome for a beginner’s class. As an athlete of many different sports at the time I remember him saying to me, "You don't have to like it, but you're at least going to try it." After the first night riding around the track, I was hooked. I soon after got into road cycling which ended up taking me all over the country (and world) for the next 10 years.
In 2013 came some drastic life changes and I ended up taking a step away from cycling. Thanks to the encouragement of friends, I got back on the bike in 2019. My competitive nature soon had me back in the racing scene and in 2020 I was given the opportunity to race with newly revitalized Colavita Women's program with a focus on the US criterium circuit. Over the last 3 years I was able to find my love for the sport again and reconnect with some amazing people along the way.
My very first road bike was a bright yellow (Fuji?) with downtube shifters. It taught me to plan ahead and pay attention to changes in the terrain.
What's your favorite movie and why?
Gladiator; I have seen it more times than I can count. Great score/soundtrack, action- packed, inspirational, and so on.
Describe yourself with one word.
Resilient.
If you were starring in a movie, what would your theme song be?
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Proudest sporting moment? Proudest life moment?
My proudest life moment was restarting my life at 25 years old, taking control of my destiny and becoming an independent strong woman who I was proud of.
My proudest sporting moment would probably be winning the State Championship Road Race after breaking my arm 2 months prior, in tremendous pain and not really able to be up out of the saddle much. It gave me reassurance that I can overcome just about anything when in pursuit of my goals.
Guilty pleasure food item?
Chips & Salsa. I cannot resist.
Where is your “happy” place?
My happy place is the moment before I go to warm up for a race when I put my headphones in and it goes from chaos to total silence. A feeling of calmness with nothing to focus on but the bike.
What is your most memorable meal?
On one of my European visits I went with some teammates to have dinner at the top of this mountain in Lichtenstein. Not being a fan of heights, it was one of the most terrifying experiences getting to the restaurant in this tiny rickety gondola that looked to be about 1,000 years old. After a full-on panic attack, I got to enjoy some nice spaetzle for my trouble.
Tell us about your pet(s).
I am a proud cat mom to Reeses, my female torti who has been my “ride or die” and was my first real pet, and Diego, my male tuxedo whose favorite pastime is playing fetch and absolutely terrorizing Reeses.
What’s your favorite smell?
At the moment, anything “good” smelling at all. HAHA. Since getting COVID in 2021 I have not consistently had a sense of smell.
