I grew up riding bikes for fun and as a mental escape for my introverted mind, but cycling eventually became a competitive outlet as well. I started racing in local mountain bike races in North Texas at the age of 13, but when I started college I jumped into every discipline of racing I could. By the time I was ready to graduate with my degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2010, I was also ready to try racing professionally on the road.

Over the course of my career, I raced almost all of the most prestigious events and was able to help teammates win a few of them—John Degenkolb’s Milan-Sanremo victory and Tom Dumoulin’s Giro d’Italia victory ranking the highest in my memory. I learned from the best and was able to win the final stage time trial in the Giro d’Italia—an example that a little talent and a lot of preparation can go a long way!

I love that cycling is so nuanced—there are physical challenges to be sure, but technique matters and tactics are significant. Each offers an opportunity for improvement, and an ever-evolving challenge as life is constantly throwing curveballs to keep things interesting.

Now that I have a family of my own, I can easily see that when life is out of balance, performance on the bike is poor. Every racing season offers new chances to improve, or another chance to reach my peak amidst new challenges, and I’m ready to share these lessons with others.

I started learning Catalan so that my daughters won't speak a language that I don't understand. And nothing ruins a meal as quickly as olives or celery.