I am a 16-year old competitive cyclist from Bend, Oregon. I started biking at Phil's Trail with my mom and dad when I was four and my passion and drive for cycling has continued to grow. Riding in Bend made it easy to fall in love with cycling due to the endless trails, gravel, and roads. Aside from the awesome terrain, the cyclists in Bend are super fast and, more importantly, they have created an inviting community that makes me look forward to hitting the trails and roads. I started riding with Bend Endurance Academy when I was 5-years old and started racing as soon as I became eligible at 10. Since 2019, I have been training under Bill Warburton and Bart Bowen with Cascadia Junior Cycling. I train with CJC multiple times during the week doing rides with teammates, skills sessions, and fun off-the-bike strength sessions. Two years ago, I began riding Cyclocross for Speedvagen. Speedvagen is an Oregon company that makes custom steel and Ti bikes. They have been very supportive of my cycling.
I am a 16-year old competitive cyclist from Bend, Oregon. I started biking at Phil's Trail with my mom and dad when I was four and my passion and drive for cycling has continued to grow. Riding in Bend made it easy to fall in love with cycling due to the endless trails, gravel, and roads. Aside from the awesome terrain, the cyclists in Bend are super fast and, more importantly, they have created an inviting community that makes me look forward to hitting the trails and roads.
I started riding with Bend Endurance Academy when I was 5-years old and started racing as soon as I became eligible at 10. Since 2019, I have been training under Bill Warburton and Bart Bowen with Cascadia Junior Cycling. I train with CJC multiple times during the week doing rides with teammates, skills sessions, and fun off-the-bike strength sessions. Two years ago, I began riding Cyclocross for Speedvagen. Speedvagen is an Oregon company that makes custom steel and Ti bikes. They have been very supportive of my cycling.
I compete in cyclocross, mountain, and road events. I've claimed 3 National titles-- two in XC mountain bike (13-14 XC & short track 2019) and one in Cyclocross (13-14 2018.2). However, one cycling-related highlight that comes to mind was the 2019.2 CX nationals in Washington. I had broken off from the lead group but then had a mechanical on the last lap. Even though the race didn’t end as I had hoped, it was one of the most exciting races I've ever done. Having the entire Oregon cycling community and my family at the race is also something I'll never forget.
Because I could only race my bike three times in 2020, I looked for different ways to challenge myself and have fun on my bike. One ride that sticks out was Everesting on a local hill in Bend. Riding 140 miles with 29,600 ft elevation in about 15 hours was a mental and physical challenge. But that ride set my attitude and motivated my training for the rest of the year.
Aside from cycling, I enjoy spending my free time outdoors with friends or family. A special place in my life is on the river; my family often goes on rafting trips in the summer and that has become my favorite summer pastime. I also river-surf on the Deschutes most mornings in the summer. I am blessed to have great winters here in Bend where I can enjoy downhill skiing at Mt. Bachelor and then riding out east on the same day.
I've raced in Oregon and west-coast events my whole life, but racing Cyclocross in Europe has always been a goal of mine. I'm hoping that with USA Cycling’s ODA, I will be able to spread my wings and take my racing to an international scale.
