My first cycling promotion effort was as a kid when I ran a bike through snack stand for my block. Growing up in a city having a bike meant freedom to go beyond my neighborhood and get to nature. As I got older I subconsciously gravitated towards cycling friendly places where a bike could be my main mode of transportation, living in Denmark, Belgium and Colorado.
During those years I was working in agriculture and my community was small, consisting of mostly others in ag. When I moved back to my home state of Pennsylvania I was looking to be engaged in the larger community so I volunteered for the Reading120 road race in 2015. The following year I served as the volunteer coordinator for the race and helped with registration at the Bucks County Classic, which had the same race director. Over the next two years I worked with the director, John Eustice, on the Bucks County Classic and at the end of 2018 when he decided to retire I purchased the race. As I was learning the ropes of race production I was asked to be the events coordinator for the Main Street Program where I was living. The experience gained running a variety of events and working side by side with a municipality to do so helped me when I began planning my first Bucks County Classic. I understood that although it is a race, at its crux it's really about bringing community together. I enjoy being able to do that and to combine it with one of my first loves, cycling.
In the past few years my event work has shifted to be focused on cycling and outside of the Bucks County Classic I provide services to assist non profits with charity rides, run a summer series of kids cycling programs, do contract work for other races and am on the build crew for Cyclocross Nationals. When not working I enjoy riding and continuing to find that joy and freedom cycling brings.
History about the Bucks County Classic
In 1998, former professional cyclist and two-time U.S. National Champion John Eustice founded the Univest Grand Prix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This event evolved over the years, becoming the Thompson Bucks County Classic from 2012 to 2014 and later the Reading 120 in 2015 and 2016. The Classic celebrated its 20th anniversary on September 8, 2024, attracting record crowds and marking two decades of competitive cycling in Doylestown. Traditionally held in conjunction with the Doylestown Arts Festival, the Bucks County Classic contributes to a vibrant weekend celebrating both athleticism and the arts in the community.
Learn more about this great event here.
Photo Courtesy of Laura Reppert
