Kate Cross didn’t fall in love with mountain biking on her first ride. But, after the pandemic changed her career plans, she found that riding her bike was the perfect outlet for her energy. As a former runner and heptathlete, Kate’s competitive spirit pushed her towards mountain bike racing which is where she really fell in love with the sport. Fast forward a couple of years and a few gravel races later, Kate will be the first to tell you that she has learned a lot about bike racing and how to succeed in the sport. She will be a rookie in the Lifetime Grand Prix in 2024. She tells us why she loves the process of training and racing, and what she is most looking forward to in her first season in the Grand Prix.

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Not many people choose a 4-day mountain bike stage race as their first racing experience, but Deanna Mayles did. Deanna started cycling with her dad when she was in college, and fell in love with the sport. Her job as an engineer took her to Tucson and Colorado Springs, two cycling meccas that helped to foster her development in the sport. In 2023 Deanna burst onto the racing scene with a top 10 finish in the Lifetime Grand Prix. She talks about how she gained confidence as a “new” racer amongst the deep women’s field, and how she plans to take that confidence with her into the 2024 season. Aside from training and racing, Deanna also works full time at SRAM as a reliability engineer. She shares what that role entails, and how she is using her experience as a woman in the industry to help encourage better product development for women.

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The freedom of the open road is what draws many of us into cycling. This is no different for our guest this week Frankie Holt. She tells us how a cycling trip with her sister inspired her to stay on the bike and changed her life for the better. After a very warm and welcoming experience at her first group ride, Frankie was inspired to create that same feeling for other cyclists. This is what led her to start Fierce Hazel, a company that makes bags and accessories designed with all cyclists in mind. 

You can learn more on their website https://fiercehazel.com/ and follow them on Instagram @fierce.hazel 

Many people change career paths in their lives, and our guest this week is no exception. Alisha Zellner recently started a new career path as the Community Specialist at SRAM. She tells us how her combination of policing, social work, and her experience as a woman of color in cycling all lead her to this role. Alisha is also the founder of Bike Ride For Black Lives, and is on the board of Ride for Racial Justice, and she tells us about the work that these organizations are doing. 

You can learn more at www.bike4blacklives.com

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Our guest this week is ultra endurance cyclist and 2023 Colorado Trail women’s champion Katya Rakhmatulina. Not only did she win the Colorado Trail race, Katya also set a new women’s record at the race, which was her third bike packing race of the season. She also raced the Tour Divide this past June and finished closely behind friend of podcast Lael Wilcox, in just over 17 days. We hear what inspired Katya to go from bike touring for fun to racing with some of the best in the world, as well as how she biked from Michigan to California to get herself to graduate school, and what her plans are for next race season.

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If you’ve ever seen Kate Courtney ride a bike, you know that she sends it. Growing up in Marin County, Kate rode a mountain bike from a young age, and rose through the ranks of US mountain biking to race on the UCI Elite World Cup circuit. She talks about the changes and growth that she has seen in US mountain biking, and where she sees the future of the sport heading. Kate’s success in cross-country mountain biking has also given her a platform that she is using to propel her mission to get more girls on bikes. Through her non-profit organization the She Sends Foundation, Kate is helping to build a community of women and girls across the US who are passionate about riding bikes.   

Follow Kate on Instagram @kateplusfate and check out her foundation @shesendsmtb.

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This week on the show, Kathryn is joined by another Cal Poly graduate making waves in the gravel scene. Anna Hicks will be making her debut in the Lifetime Grand Prix in 2024, and she is ready to take on the new challenge. Anna spent last season on the pro road circuit in Europe, she chats about the skills she gained there and how she will use them to her advantage in gravel and mountain bike racing next year in the Grand Prix. Not one to waste time, Anna will also be racing on a criterium team in the National Cycling league next season. She talks about how she plans to balance the quick, high intensity battles of crit racing, with the training she’ll need to take on the longest events on the Grand Prix. 

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Growing up in Boulder with a father that ran marathons, Alexis Skarda was destined to be a professional athlete from a young age. As a runner in college, Alexis explains how injuries paired with an open-minded track coach lead her to mountain bike racing. After college she pursued professional racing while working as a substitute teacher, and was drawn to the Lifetime Grand Prix for the opportunity to expand her racing repertoire. It’s clear that Alexis has found her place in cycling in the world of off-road endurance racing, finishing 5th in the Grand Prix in 2022, and 2nd in 2023. She shares her take on what is required to perform at the highest level in the months-long series, and where she sees the sport heading in the future.

Follow Alexis in Instagram @alexisskarda

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Jenna Rinehart made her Lifetime Grand Prix debut in 2023, and with a quietly consistent effort she made her way to a 6th place finish in the overall points standings. Jenna grew up racing alpine skiing and running cross country, but like many cyclists, was drawn to the bike following injuries that kept her sidelined from running. She raced on the UCI U23 and Elite world cup, but backed away from elite level racing after realizing that the opportunities for women in the sport were hard to come by. This year however, after a decade-long hiatus, Jenna decided to throw herself back into elite racing and join the Lifetime Grand Prix. Jenna talks about the differences she saw in the sport this year after returning to racing, and gives her thoughts on the highs and lows of her season in the Grand Prix.

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After a career as a professional racer in the women's road peloton, Abby Mickey was ready to walk away form the sport entirely; she was burnt out and frustrated by the treatment that she and her colleagues received as professional athletes trying to make a living racing bikes. But, Abby also knew that the women that she had raced alongside had incredible stories that weren't being told. So she and a fellow racer decided to change that by starting a podcast that focusses on covering the women's pro peloton. This week on the show, Abby gives us her insider insight on the state of women's professional road racing, and why she is excited about gravel.

Here more from Abby on The Wheel Talk Podcast

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