Lea Davison announced her retirement from international racing after the final World Cup of the 2021 season, but she’s definitely not walking away from bikes or racing. So we sat down with the two-time Olympian and 20-plus year XC pro to talk about the career that’s taken up her entire adult life to this point; the highs and the lows; the state of XC racing; mentorship & career evolution; what comes next, and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Getting started in bike racing & qualifying for World Championships at 17 (2:06)
• Racing first full pro season without an ACL (6:34)
• Evolution of the XC race scene (11:23)
• What could be improved? (18:56)
• Racing World Cups (21:10)
• Mentorship & development (23:57)
• Competing in the Olympics (27:10)
• Postponement of the 2020 Games (35:28)
• Favorite moments and proudest accomplishments (40:50)
• Career evolution & team roles (45:31)
• What’s next after announcing retirement? (49:13)
• Lea’s Big Idea (54:22)

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