My Story

My story is not one I ever expected to tell.

Growing up, my life revolved around alpine ski racing. I ate, slept, and breathed the sport—and I loved it. I never questioned the early mornings, long training days, or sacrifices it demanded. Ski racing taught me discipline from a young age. It taught me to take responsibility for my goals, care for myself, and find something valuable in every experience.

I won, lost, crashed, and learned. Some days meant crying on the lift because my toes were painfully cold. Others meant laughing with my teammates until exhaustion made everything funny—or crossing the finish line knowing I had given everything and seeing my name at the top of the results. The difficult moments and the unforgettable ones shaped me equally.

For most of my life, I believed ski racing was my future and a defining part of who I was. I progressed through every level of the development system, competed internationally, represented the United States, and earned a place on the U.S. Ski Team in 2019. I was incredibly proud of what I had accomplished, and walking away from the sport felt like letting go of the future I had spent my entire life building.

But alongside skiing, another passion had quietly been growing.

Mountain biking gave me a different kind of freedom. I loved pushing myself until I had nothing left, knowing each difficult effort was making me stronger. I loved the constant opportunity for improvement, the technical challenge, and the places my bike could take me. Most of all, I loved the feeling of possibility.

Deep down, I knew my passion for cycling was becoming too strong to ignore. Admitting that was frightening because pursuing it meant stepping away from the identity and path I had always known. But I also realized that being scared was part of what made the decision feel right.

When I committed fully to mountain biking, I entered a new sport with years of experience to make up—but I never viewed that as a reason to limit what I could accomplish. Instead, I asked myself: What if I could compete with athletes who had been doing this their entire lives? What if the discipline, resilience, and competitive drive I developed through skiing could help me build something equally meaningful on the bike?

Since making that decision, cycling has taken me farther than I once imagined. I have progressed from racing my first UCI events and national championships to competing internationally as a professional cross-country mountain biker. I have earned UCI podiums, victories at major U.S. races, and opportunities to represent my country in a new sport. Every season has reinforced my belief that I made the right choice—and that I am still only beginning to discover what I am capable of.

Leaving ski racing did not mean losing that part of myself. It taught me that a sport does not define who I am. The determination, courage, and love of competition were always within me; I simply found a new way to express them.

I would never change my past or take back the lessons skiing gave me. Those experiences prepared me for this journey and shaped the athlete and person I am today. My path into professional cycling may have been unexpected, but that is what makes it so meaningful.

Now, I am chasing this dream with everything I have—proud of where I came from, grateful for where my bike has taken me, and excited by how much possibility still lies ahead.