The four recipients of the 2025 Ride Fierce Women’s Scholarship have each completed their races, and I am so, so proud of each of them! Here are some short updates from each of them! The Shed Enduro: Annie Chapelle Holy Jalapeno, I did The Shed Enduro 2025!! WILD! I had a blast and I am…
Tag: biking
Wow. Just Wow.
I opened up a new message on Slack to my manager and CTO at work this morning and realized that the last message I had sent to that particular group of individuals was from the ER in January after getting hit by a car. The subject of today’s message was that I had been selected…
THE Downieville Classic!
I don’t really remember how I first heard about The Downieville Classic, but somehow, back in Indiana, when I first started racing mountain bikes, there were three “big” races that I quickly learned about: Iceman, Leadville, and Downieville. I’ve raced Iceman numerous times over the years and plan to make the trip from Virginia again…
Let it Shine
This is the mantra that Erin Ayala, of Skadi Sports Psychology, helped me identify in the lead up to the Enduro National Championship, but also one that has kind of “stuck” ever since. The idea was that racing isn’t about “proving” myself, but about putting the skills, fitness, etc. that I’ve worked so hard for…
Just Have Fun
This is what I told myself as I pulled into the parking lot for the start of the 2025 ORAMM race. My most recent XCM event (Nationals) put me far enough in the hurt locker that it left me reconsidering whether I even wanted to race these endurance events at all, and ORAMM wasn’t far…
2025 Ride Fierce Women’s Scholarship: It’s Almost Race Day!
For the women of the Ride Fierce Women’s Scholarship, it’s almost race day! Megan: racing ORAMM on July 27Annie: racing The Shed Enduro on August 3Abby: racing Slatyfork Enduro on August 10Nicole: racing Shenandoah 100k on August 30 If you happen to be at any of these events, make sure you give these women a…
Living my best life
Last fall, as I was recuperating from shoulder surgery, I started dreaming about the potential of making a road trip to the Pacific Northwest to ride and race. I knew that the North American Enduro Cup happened in late June in Kellogg, Idaho, and that it was a race I wanted to prioritize in 2025….
Finding Balance
That title sounds like I’m about to write some kind of self-help blog, not a race report, but c’est la vie. One of the mantras (in addition to the ever-present “stay curious”) that I’ve added to my top tube this season is “Balance.” In one of my skills lessons earlier this season, Harlan (of Take…
2025 Ride Fierce Women’s Scholarship: Early Summer Update
The four recipients of the 2025 Ride Fierce Women’s Scholarship have been hard at work, despite the inevitable setbacks, challenges, and obstacles that come with any attempt to reach a goal. Here are some short updates from each of them! The Shed Enduro: Annie Chapelle My journey has had a sidequest of healing. I was…
Transylvania Epic: 5 Days of #EastCoastRocks
It’s no secret that I love everything that is East Coast mountain biking: the rocks, roots, and jank. The 5-day Transylvania Epic (TSE) stage race serves this up in spades. I raced this event coming off of a knee injury back in 2023, and had a blast. Even though I was taking grad school classes…
Ride Fierce Racing 