Bailey Cioppa

Bailey was born in Boulder, Colorado and moved to Durango not long after, with her parents and younger sister. Growing up in these smaller towns and having very outdoor involved parents gave her the opportunity to explore many activities like skiing, hiking, camping, and biking. When she was younger, she enjoyed sports that any typical 5-year-old likes which were soccer and gymnastics, but none of them ever stuck as much as cycling. Moving to Durango, she was quickly introduced to a cycling development program called Devo. Going to practice twice a week with friends, and exploring trails all over town got her hooked. Not only were there lifelong friends at these practices, but their coaches were former Olympians and some of the most well-known cyclists. Being able to ride from her house to some of the best trails and exploring places only a bike could take you has motivated her to be the rider she is today. Her first bike race was in 2018 at a freshman NICA race where she continued to compete for 4 years. Her first few years she rarely got on the podium and didn't know what a bottle feed was, but it was a way for her to hang out with friends and go on camping trips. In 2020, she started racing more and decided she was going to try a little harder and maybe go a bit quicker, but then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Everything was canceled and everything was closed, but the one thing you could still do every day was ride outside on your bike and use the local trails. That year she got a lot more serious about cycling and was looking forward to the races ahead. In 2021, Julia Violich believed in her enough to put her on the Bear National Team where she placed 3rd at Nationals and punched a ticket to the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships!