News / Articles

If you would have told me two years ago that I would be riding bikes competitively, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’ve always been an active and competitive person, growing up swimming, running, and figure skating. I learned how to ride a bike like most kids do and would ride scenic trials on the weekends with my family, but I soon outgrew our family outings when my other sports took over my mornings, evenings, and weekends. In college, I continued to swim and run for fitness and following college my running took off as I went from running 5 and 10k’s to half and full marathons, even leading a regional running team at one point. Throughout that time, I constantly battled injury after injury, ultimately leading to a point where my left knee hurt almost every time I ran. I took a few years off when I went back to school to become a nurse and in that time, I knew I wanted to get back to training for something, because training is something I can’t seem to live without. The summer before my last semester of nursing school I decided to sign up for my first sprint triathlon, something I had always dreamed of doing. This however, required me to get back on the bike. To say I was nervous about this part of training would be an understatement. My husband and I went to a local secondhand bike shop and somehow found a nice road bike that barely fit me. It was a slow start, but I kept at it and consistently trained and practiced until I felt confident riding during the race. During this time, I quickly fell in love with cycling.

At the end of my triathlon season, I was nursing a painful shoulder due to my bike being ever so slightly too big for me. Having ridden it all season I put a lot of strain on my right shoulder and ended up with a very angry trigger point that eventually had me in tears and going to an urgent care for a shot of steroids. I knew that I needed to find a PT to help fix the root of my pain and so I found Chris. Yes, fellow teammate Chris Walkerwicz. Little did I know when I scheduled the appointment, that she was herself a cyclist, and this made all the difference in her approach in treating me. She not only fixed me but helped me understand the importance of a proper bike fit. She was so encouraging and excited that I had begun this new cycling journey, so much so that over the time we worked together she invited me to try riding gravel with her. I didn’t have a gravel bike at the time and with her history of already being an experienced cyclist I was hesitant to take her up on the offer. I continued to work with her to help strengthen the muscles I wasn’t quite used to using on the bike all the while still working on honing my skills on the road bike.

On the day of my 33’d birthday, I went out for what would be my longest ride to date, 33 miles. I decided to ride up the blue ridge parkway which is close to my house and a road I had been training on all summer. That day I had my first accident when I went to turn around and lost control of my bike, ultimately ending up crashing down a steep embankment off the side of the parkway. That day I suffered a concussion and didn’t know it as the ER failed to do a concussion assessment on me despite the facial abrasions and obvious dent in my helmet. By fate, I had kept my PT appointment with Chris the next day and the minute she saw me, she knew something was wrong and quickly sent me down the hill to see a doctor associated with her practice who was well versed in concussions. He ultimately diagnosed me with a concussion and put me on strict concussion protocol, which meant time off the bike. This was a very difficult time for me, as I was limited to walking during my recovery. It was during this time; I finally caved and bought my first gravel bike. As soon as I was able to ride again, I took to the gravel roads of bent creek with my husband and had a blast. Soon after, I finally took a leap of faith and went for a ride with Chris, who patiently taught me how to ride gravel and stuck with me through a tough climb up the gap. This is where I feel like my cycling really took off and I became hooked.

Riding for me is so fun and so unique in that it can be both calming and an adrenaline rush, depending on what I’m doing. Whether its creeping along a trail through the woods, enjoying nature or flying down a road, pushing my speed, or chasing down competitors at races, you can make each ride what you want it to be. Not to mention the many different genres of cycling that are out there to keep things extra interesting. I am constantly finding new ways to challenge myself and have even gotten my husband back on the bike. The best part, however, has been the community I have become a part of and the friends I have gained. I owe a lot of this journey to Chris, as she has helped me in so many ways to become the cyclist I am today. I am grateful for her continued support, encouragement, and knowledge. But even more so I am glad to have found such an amazing person to call my friend and now teammate. She introduced me to gravel, got me on a mountain bike, talked me into cyclocross, and encouraged me to apply to the Sorella race team. I am excited to see where this journey will take me as I continue to gain experience and hone my riding skills in gravel, mountain, and cyclocross. I am even more excited to have the opportunity to represent and be a part of such a wonderful team of fierce females taking the cycling world head on and building a sisterhood of amazing cyclists.