Hi there and thanks for visiting my page!
About me: I am a professional mountain biker and a Physician Assistant who got into cycling after undergraduate school. To make a long story short, I got into cycling after running competitively in high school and briefly in college. The hard abuse from running on my knees finally took a toll and lead to countless hours of physical therapy for chondromalacia (deterioration and softening of the cartilage under patella. AKA "runners knee"). During PT I spent a lot of time on the stationary bike and got hooked into cycling. I realized how much I enjoyed spinning, saved up all my money after college, and purchased my first road bicycle.
On my first road bike in 2007.
Cycling quickly became my outlet and stress reliever while I was completing 2.5 rigorous years of physician assistant graduate school. It allowed me to find a healthy balance between work, socializing with friends, and staying active. I got involved with many clubs and made new friends who encouraged me to give racing a go. I competed in my first mountain bike race in 2011, which I won! From there on out, I was hooked. I worked my way up quickly from Cat 2, Cat 1, and now in professional class. 2016 was the first year I was racing pro in international UCI events for TRT Bicycles.
Off the Bike: I am a full time ER/ Trauma Physician Assistant at a local Trauma center. I work long hours, nights, weekends, and holidays treating trauma and medical patients. I have been a PA for 9 years. Throughout my career I've been fortunate to meet a lot of people, work in awesome team settings, educate patients on healthier life style choices, and rewarded daily with helping people get healthier. My hobbies include: photography, snowboarding, hiking and camping with my dog.
The spark that lead to creating this site: Throughout my cycling career I have sustained numerous injuries including a grade 3 concussion, which sent me to the ER, fractured jaw, fracture ribs, left ACL tear, and most recently my right ACL tear. The right ACL tear is what actually prompted me to create this website and start a blog. My goal with this website is to not only to provide information and race updates for friends, potential sponsors, and for just plain old fun, but to give some infomation to other cyclists and athletes about my journey with my ACL injury. I am in the process of scheduling my upcoming ACL reconstruction and I want to share my story with you. Hopefully this information will help others with their decisions and what to expect with any major injuries as an athlete.
