24 hours of Old Pueblo on Team Rusch

Being on the Rebecca Rusch racing team at the 24 hours of old pueblo was truly an answer to my prayers. First of all, I would like to thank our team captain Rebecca Rusch herself. She was not only an amazing rider, but also a cheerleader and encourager along the way. It was such an honor to meet her!

The crew was also a vital part of the team’s success. They cooked for us, were our cheerleaders, took care of our bikes, and some even stayed up the whole night to support!

My teammates were awesome!

KK was so energetic and spontaneous, and Korissa was kind enough to help me with my hair in between laps. I also enjoyed meeting Phoebe, Angelina, and Demi, the members of Chloe’s team. It was a unique experience to ride with other girls since I’m the only girl on my Corona Composite high school team.

Parts of the race were especially challenging for me, such as riding at times in the night and morning I’m not usually even awake at! Plus, on my first lap, some mean guy wanted to pass and pushed me into some cactus! It was very painful, and I had quills in me for the next couple of days. Thankfully, however, a different man kindly stopped and helped me get the quills out of my bike seat and gloves. Then he waited with me until I calmed down. It made me angry and frustrated, and I wish I could have got the guy’s race number. Unfortunately, I lost some time due to this event.

The photo shoots were one of my favorite parts of the weekend. We had so many awesome sponsors, and so taking pictures was a way to show them that we used and appreciated all of the wonderful gifts they gave us. I had never been in a photo shoot before, so it was great to get a taste of the model lifestyle ; )

I had a lot of support at the race from family. My mom, dad, sister, grandparents, and 2 dogs all joined us on this adventure. My coach, Kevin, also formed a 4-man team with some friends, and came out. It was awesome to be surrounded by people who care about me enough to drive out to the middle of nowhere in Arizona to cheer me on.

I made sure at the end of the weekend to get everyone’s Instagram account so we could all stay in touch and share pics from the race. It’s neat to see what my biking friends are up to, and I hope to see them all in person again someday. Thanks again to everyone who took part in the weekend! Love you all!

2014 SRAM Gold Rusch Tour Stop #1 | 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo- Team Rusch

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