2024 Season Reflections
I knew I wanted to be a professional athlete when I was sixteen, but that would have been a surprise to anyone who heard. A surprise because I wasn’t a star at anything, I even got cut from varsity field hockey my senior year of high school.
When I went to school at the University of Tennessee however, I felt like I could finally call myself a real athlete. It quickly became the athlete life I had been dreaming of. Almost immediately I plotted out my route and spent hours imagining the exact feeling of qualifying for the Olympics. But, that story didn't end in the same triumph of dreams achieved and tears of joy. It ended a bit differently. More like dreams lost and tears of grief.
After a year off, I found my way to the bike and felt a shift. The momentum was back, and I was ready to chase a new dream. By the start of 2024, I was once again chasing the goal of becoming a professional athlete. I came into the season with a lot of hope and fire, but also, in hindsight, some unrealistic expectations. I thought I could pick up my cycling career right where my rowing career left off.
My first race of the season, The Gralloch, was humbling. I went into it with so much pressure on myself, but I wasn’t ready to meet my own high standards. It was a tough race, the girls were so quick and where I had planned to be in that first group I was not.
But that’s the beauty of racing—you get to go again. I flew solo to Helsinki for FNLD GRVL, and my goal this time was simple: do me. I focused on finding my pace so I could do my thing to get my best rest result.
SBT GRVL was the longest race of my season, and it felt like a turning point. One of the highlights was the first 40 miles, where I got into an all-women’s group, and we worked together, pushing each other forward. GRL PWR. For the first time, I wasn’t just grinding through the race—I was celebrating the effort. I think that’s what I’d been aiming for all along, but it wasn’t until this race that I fully understood it.
Looking back on my season, each race taught me something new. I started with big hopes and big expectations, but when I recalibrated I knew this was just the start. I know if I got places to go and it wasn’t meant to happen overnight. The process is in action and I’m trusting it. These are the lessons I’m taking forward, so the process of evolving keeps on rolling.
Control the controllables. There’s always so much outside our control, but taking care of what we can control makes those moments more manageable. Like when a workout doesn’t go as planned—if you’ve nailed the last ten sessions, it’s easier to shrug off the one that didn’t. If work travel gets in the way, hit the hotel gym and do what you can. It might not be perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
Play to your strengths. I’ve spent too much time obsessing over my weaknesses and ignoring my strengths. This off-season, I’m hitting the gym hard because I’m strong, and I want to use that strength more effectively. It’s a myth that you need to fit a certain mold. Know what you’re good at and embrace it.
Fueling is everything. Proper nutrition on the bike is as challenging as the hardest intervals. It takes planning and discipline, but once you get it right, it changes everything. In rowing, there was this toxic mindset that suffering through hunger made you tough. Looking back, it was ridiculous—if I’d eaten during training, I would have performed so much better. Now that I understand the power of fueling, there’s no going back.
As I gear up for the next chapter, I know this journey is far from linear. There will be more humbling moments and plenty more celebrations. What matters most is that I keep showing up, learning, and evolving. Being a professional athlete is about so much more than just winning races—it’s about finding your rhythm, pushing your limits, and knowing when to embrace the unexpected. This season was only the beginning, and I’m ready to see where the next one takes me.
