I am from Lyme, NH, a rural town on the Connecticut River, filled with endurance athletes, dirt roads, and great climbs. Though I grew up surrounded by cyclists (my dad and his
friends), I didn’t discover biking for myself until I joined my high school’s team at the last minute during my senior year. It was right in the middle of COVID, and because I went to boarding school, the team was the only way to escape a campus that was otherwise in lockdown. My world opened up; I had barely been off campus before, and now I could see the area where I had spent four years in a whole new light.
Now, I am on the cycling team at Middlebury College, where I road race a few times a year (but, more importantly, plan adventure rides with my friends around café stops and convince
anyone who will listen to get on one of the team’s loaner bikes for a ride). Besides biking, I love to cook, and bake, I’m learning to nordic ski, and I do a bit of printmaking. Before TCH, I’ve spent my summers working on farms in Vermont. At Middlebury,
I am majoring in Geography and minoring in Global Health and French.
What is the best thing about working at The Cycling House?
The best thing so far has been to be surrounded by people with stories in a space where stories are meant to be shared. I've loved to learn about the vastly different experiences of those who are brought together by a shared love of riding.
Do you have a favorite ride?
I love any ride that fills in the gray spaces of where I live. The one that comes to mind right now was a gravel ride last summer through Thetford, Vermont, that took me across a river, over a dam, and through forests and farmland…all in just 25 miles.
What is the most memorable day you've ever had on the bike?
My most memorable day was on a bikepacking trip in Nova Scotia. It was a hilly day filled with intermittent rain, too much peanut butter, and a bit of an off-road adventure on the Skyline Trail. Exhausted by the end, my friend and I rolled into a campsite…then realized we had nothing for dinner. It was too dark and rainy to ride into town, so we approached a couple of families to see if anyone was driving in that direction, only to be turned down. We walked into one of the cabins to check one last time for any kind strangers, and stumbled upon the loveliest family who asked us to join them for dinner before we even admitted we had no food. In exchange for building them a fire, we got a full meal, s'mores, and countless stories. That trip showed me that the best way to explore a new place is by bike.
