Birthdate:
December 26
Hometown:
Rockford, IL (lived in B’ham, AL, until I was 16)
Current Residence:
Boulder, CO
Education:
BS Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
MA Exercise Science, San Francisco State University
Career Highlights:
Representing the US at both the Road World Championships and Cyclocross World Championships within a four month period (2009-2010)
Cracking the top ten in a Cyclocross World Cup with a sixth place in Tabor (2013)
Five time member at Team USA at Cyclocross World Championships (2010-2014); 12th place (best American) as top result in 2010
Three time podium finisher at the USAC National Cyclocross Championships; 2nd in 2009, 3rd in 2010 + 2014
Road Teams:
Team TIBCO 2009 – 2013 (retirement)
Aaron’s Pro Cycling 2008
TEAm Lipton 2006 – 2007
Team SATS 2003 – 2005
Talgo America 2002
Cyclocross Team:
California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized 2008/2009 – 2013
My Story:
My competitive cycling career spans for 15+ years. I came to the sport by way of collegiate soccer, and I consider myself a lifelong athlete. Sports dominated my childhood, shaped my undergraduate experience and have paved my career path for the entirety of my adult life to date. I have made a name for myself as super domestique on the road, and I have been amongst the top-ranked American women in cyclocross for the last five years.
My story in professional cycling starts on the other side of the pond. While living in Denmark, I joined the Danish-based Team SATS where I spent three years racing in Europe full-time. With Team SATS I raced all the big women’s tours including the Giro Donne and Tour de l’Aude and World Cups including Flèche Wallonne, Primavera Rosa and Flanders.
Following my stint with Team SATS, I rode for U.S.-based squads over the next eight seasons. With TEAm Lipton, Aaron’s Pro Cycling and Team TIBCO, my teammates and I chased top honors across the country as we raced all the big events on the NRC calendar. I also spent small portions of each season racing in Europe. In 2009, after winning the U.S. National Road Championships, I represented the U.S at the Road World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland. After five seasons with Team TIBCO, four as road captain, I announced my retirement from road racing in August 2013.
I entered CrossVegas in 2008 on a whim. It was my first ‘cross race, and I lined up with minimal expectations. I crossed the finish line with a gigantic grin plastered across my face and a clear understanding that I was completely hooked. Less than 18 months following my first ‘cross race, I finished in 12th place at the 2010 Cyclocross World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic.
On the road, I relished my role as teammate extraordinaire. I strove to be the best teammate and contribute to my team’s success both on and off the bike. When I tried my hand at cyclocross in 2008, I discovered a place where I could nurture my personal ambitions, which I have done for the last six years.
Retirement from road racing has suited me, allowing me to explore a diverse-set of cycling-related interests that my previous training would not have allowed. In the last year, I have:
- blogged for the Huffington Post about the 2014 Cyclocross World Championships
- ridden the entire Amgen Tour of California race route with Rapha Ambassadors
- joined the Women Race Bikes board
- instructed cycling skills clinics at Sea Otter and in Boulder (with Little Bellas)
- announced women’s races at the Tour of California
- signed up for the Brasil Ride (October 2014) – this will be my first mountain bike stage race
- raced my first mountain bike race team event with my fiancé; we finished second amongst the Firecracker 50 co-ed division
The 2014/2015 cyclocross season, my seventh in ‘cross and my 12th as a professional, will likely be my last. I’m determined to close out this chapter of my life in a way that does the experience justice.
