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…
Tag: cycling
Endurance MTB Nationals–in ROANOKE!
Though I was very much on the “fringes” of the team that spent the last several years working to bring Endurance MTB National Championships to Roanoke, I was involved just enough to know that it was a possibility…and then, eventually, that it was really going to happen. There’s not much I like better than showing…
We’re All Scared
This last weekend, I had the opportunity to speak at the 2025 Take Aim Women’s Takeover at Bryce Bike Park. The title of the workshop was: “Overcoming Anxiety in Mountain Biking,” but as I got thinking about it, I felt like a more accurate title should have been “We’re All Scared.” Excuse the phone-only recording……
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…
Enduro, bro
I’ve been pretty open about how much of a mental challenge it has been for me to transition into enduro racing from my cross country background. Coming back from injury, I’ve tried to step away from the high performance expectations that I put on myself and find a place where I can be freed to…
Mama, I’ve been wormed
Choosing to do back-to-back XCM (cross-country marathon) events on the weekend following Rockstar isn’t anyone’s idea of optimal, but I had committed to both the Wormhole 100k and the Middle Mountain Momma XXC events long before I had planned to have anything to do with Rockstar. In fact, they were part of my original objection…
What if…?
Earlier this year, some friends mentioned to me that they were going to do a “stage race” version of the Rockstar Trail, a local point-to-point ultra endurance event, during the grand depart in April. I was intrigued, mostly because the fact that the Rockstar route starts in Harrisonburg and finishes in Roanoke with 270 miles…
Ride Fierce Racing 