How I got started

I started racing downhill seriously in the fall of 2003 after getting to school in Boulder, CO. I bought a 500 dollar dh bike and raced collegiate nationals with it in Angel Fire, NM. I ended up 6th ahead of a handful of well known riders who are now pros, and realized I might have a shot at doing well at this. I have raced in just about every cycling discipline, including XC, trials, enduro, and road, but downhill is my true love.

Goals for the Future

I am going to see how the off season goes before I decide when to get my pro upgrade, if I avoid any injuries or major setbacks I will probably move up to pro as soon as spring racing starts. I am also putting mountiancross and dual back in the schedule, starting with just mountain states cup races for this year. I skipped mountaincross this year due to lack of funds and also in order to stay healthy through the whole season.

Some Personal Information About Me:

I am a 20 year old college student from Baltimore, MD, attending school in CO. I started riding bikes in high school and raced XC, road, and trials before coming out to Colorado in the Fall of 03. As soon as I got out here I knew I wanted to get into downhill. The community of riders in Boulder helped me out alot and I`ve been focused on gravity racing ever since. I love travelling to the races and getting away from the grinds of work and school to race my bike. I am studying to be an engineer but I hope to be able to continue racing seriously at the pro level past college.

Do you train? What does your schedule look like?

My schedule consists mainly of dirt jump and bmx track sessions and downhill days. I try to get out and ride every day at one of the many spots around Boulder, especially in the spring.

Why do you compete?

Really, in mountain biking, it`s for fun. Win or lose, I still love going out and riding my bike for a of couple days, seeing friends, and hanging out with the whole crowd. When it comes to the race run however, I am super competitive and race to win. If things dont go well I dont let it get me down for long but it does effect me and make me want to improve.

Schools Attended

I am a junior at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

In only my second season of racing I got 8th at the Snowshoe National in Semipro and qualified for my pro upgrade. Qualifying and Racing in the US Open this year was a big highlight even though my final result wasn`t quite as good as I hoped. 2004 was my first season racing DH and I ended up 2nd in the Norba series in Expert with a win at the Snowmass national.