My athletic career began with 12 years of competitive gymnastics including attending the University of Illinois on a gymnastics scholarship. After graduating with a B.S. in Computer Science, I started running and riding for fitness while working in California. During this time, I worked full time as a Software Engineer and earned a Masters in Engineering Economic Systems from Stanford University.
When I moved to California, I was originally attracted to recreational cycling as a “non-competitive” sport after years of competitive gymnastics. Little did I know then that it would eventually lead me to the Olympics 16 years later! After dabbling for a few years in amateur triathlons (including a 3rd in my age group at Nationals), I did my first bike race as a Cat 4 in the end of 1991; I quickly rose to the top of the local racing scene in 1992. I also raced at the Olympic Trials and the Idaho Women's Challenge that year. I had a breakthrough start to the 1993 season, placing 3rd at the Redlands Classic and the Visalia Cycling Classic (now Sequoia). This earned me a spot on a pro team for 1993, which allowed me to race a full national schedule and also do the women's Tour de France. I also qualified for my first of nine US World Championship teams that year. In 1994, I was crowned the World Champion in the Individual Time Trial. In 1999, I joined an Italian professional team and raced most of 1999 and 2000 in Europe. In 2000, on my third try, I realized my dream of making the U.S. Olympic Team at the Sydney Olympics.
After 2000, I retired from national and international competition and went back to work as a Senior Software Engineer. I currently work at Palm. At the end of 2003, Webcor CEO Andy Ball, along with Webcor men’s cycling team founder Ted Huang, came to me and said Webcor would fund a women’s team in 2004 if I would manage it! The goal then was to place Christine Thorburn on the 2004 Olympic team, which we did. The team has grown and expanded every year since, culminating in 2008 when we became the only North American UCI-registered women’s team and raced internationally as a team. We also qualified four riders for the Beijing Olympics
I still love to ride my bike and try to stay fit enough to keep up with the local group rides. I occasionally join the team racing in local criteriums when my travel schedule leaves me enough time to get closer to racing fitness. In 2008 I dusted off my track bike after eight years and won a masters national championship in the 2km pursuit in (unofficial) world record time for my age group at our local Hellyer Park Velodrome. Also in 2008 I discovered Cyclocross. I have had fun racing the local Bay Area series the past two years and learning something new in cycling after all these years!
Top career results:
1. World Time Trial Champion, 1994
2. U.S. Pro National Road Race Champion, 1997
3. Member of U.S. Olympic Team, 2000
4. 5-time stage winner, Idaho Women's Challenge
5. 3rd Overall, Tour of Switzerland, 1997
6. Masters National Pursuit Champion, 2008
How do you go green? I grow nearly all my own fruits and vegetables in my backyard (you can’t shop more locally than that!). I telecommute or ride my bike to work at least three days a week. On the days I do drive, I have a 15-year old car with almost 180K miles on it that gets over 30 mpg. I always combine errands and only drive when I have to. I very rarely use the AC in my car. I drive at least close to the speed limit. I recycle all paper, plastic, cardboard, scrap metal, and used electronics. Considering how much team equipment gets shipped to me and all the packaging it entails, that amounts to a LOT of recycling. I set my thermostat to 62 during the day and 50 at night in the winter. I wear a lot of Patagonia down and recycled fleece! I don’t have an air conditioner. I compost all my yard waste and vegetable food scraps and use the compost to grow more vegetables. I use all compact fluorescent bulbs in my house. I line dry all my cycling clothes. |
