Krista Doebel-Hickok

From 2007 to 2011, Krista competed in cross-country and track & field at Vanderbilt University where she broke the 10,000-meter school record and earned Summa Cum Laude honors. Upon graduating with a major in Economics and minors in philosophy and Managerial Studies: Corporate Strategy, she moved back to Southern California and bought a road bike to take her spin bike cross-training to the roads and hills of Malibu. By February 2012, she was racing with a local team—Big Orange. In 2013, with the help and support of Michael Marckx, she organized the start of the SPY-GIANT-RIDE women’s team. She was just getting started with that exciting opportunity when she was offered a pro contract with Team TIBCO, and then decided to make the leap to the professional ranks. She settled in there—and in the coming season, her first full year as a pro, she was the Best Young Rider at the Philly Cycling Classic and winner of stage 3 at the Cascade Cycling Classic. In 2015, she had her first taste of European racing—coming away with stage victories at the Tour de Feminin and Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche. In 2016, she made the move to Cylance Pro Cycling and took on her first spring classics and first broken collarbones. Unfazed by the trauma, she rallied to win the first ever USA Cycling Hill Climb Nationals later that season and placed 4th GC at the 2017 Amgen Tour of California. With Cylance Pro Cycling planning to fold in 2019 and thus slimming down the race calendar, the 2018 season was a rocky year—salvaged a bit by the opportunity to race the 2018 Colorado Classic where she placed 4th GC and began the search for a team for the 2019 season. She went into her first season with Rally UHC Cycling full of excitement and support—opening up with 4th GC at the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under followed by a stage win at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. 2019 proved to be her most consistent, high-performing season, and she's happy to be continuing with Rally Cycling for 2020. Off the bike, Krista is a certified USA Cycling Level 3 coach and National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer as well as engaged in various online courses and mentorship programs. She also worked as a copywriter for a few years before deciding to commit to racing full-time and full-heart.