Whats going on, Angelina!? How was your 2016 season?
2016 was basically my Rookie year in Pro. I
was happy with a few Pro GRT podiums, and was excited to see how the rest of
the season would play out. I was beating pros that I always looked up to… and
that felt pretty awesome. I had big goals, but broke my collarbone the week
before Nationals.
How did you get into racing/riding mountain
bikes?
My dad used to race dirt bikes and ended up
retiring after he raced the International Six Days Enduro when I was a baby. He
would always ride mountain bikes with my uncle and mom to train. I taught
myself how to ride a bike and there was no stopping from there. I got into
racing cross-country mountain bikes, but it wasn’t until my freshman year of
college until I started racing downhill.
Tell us a little about your Collarbone injury
and what the recovery process was like?
I suck at jumping so I took my BMX bike to
the dirt jumps. I got a little cocky and overshot a jump. Long story short, the
day I was suppose to fly out to California, I got a plate and 9 screws in my
left shoulder… and it was the day before my 20th birthday. I spent
the rest of the summer catching up on Netflix and trying to move my arm more
and more each day. Once I was able to start riding again, my shoulder felt
fine, but I was a mental disaster. I wasn’t fully recovered and completely myself
until Collegiate Nationals 3 months later.
You took home the national Collegiate
Championship last year and also finish 5th in the overall Pro GRT
Standings. Congrats!! What did you do to help prepare yourself for
those races?
Thank you!! I had been close to that title
for a while, so it meant a lot to finally win, especially coming off an injury.
I like to do a bunch of different disciplines of cycling to keep things
interesting. I race cross-country mountain bikes, cyclocross, road, and BMX for
my college. I feel they all help with my downhill racing. It’s hard living in
Indiana where we don’t have mountains to ride, so I drive down south a lot to
train and race. I’m on the bike everyday and hitting the gym at least three
days a week.
What is your Favorite Bike park & trail to
Ride and favorite event to compete at?
Windrock Bike Park is probably my
favorite place to ride. It’s the closest place I have to me at school. It’s an
up and coming park with awesome trails and great people to ride with. Snowshoe is
my favorite place to race (I love rocks.) The other trails there are sick, too.
You are also a full time student at Marian
University and are a part of their Mountain bike team. What are you studying and how are you able to
balance studies and racing?
I am a Marketing major with an Accounting
minor as well as a concentration in Business in Sports. I keep myself busy, but
I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m taking 17 credits as well as an
internship while still going to the gym and fitting my rides in. Marian’s
cycling program is the best in the country and without the support of my
teammates and coaches there’s no way I would be where I am, both academically
and athletically.
what are your plans/goals for 2017?
Since 2016 got cut a little short, I plan
to race the whole ProGRT series as well as Nationals. I plan to race the
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup and potentially a few others. The big goal is to
qualify for the World Championships if all goes well!
Right on! Thank you for checking in with us! Any supporters/sponsors you would like to thank before you go?
I want to thank my Mom and Dad as well as my
friends and family for their continued support. Dirty Harry’s Bike Shop has
been helping me out ever since I first started racing in junior high and I
couldn’t do it without them. Marian University is the reason why I got into
downhill racing. I credit Dean Peterson, Michael Kubancsek, and Vernon Smith
for my successful past seasons and I hope to continue to make them proud. I
also would like to thank Specialized for giving me the opportunity to race with
the best bikes and products out there. And of course Monster Army for all you
guys do! Looking forward to getting back into racing.
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