Most admired person in cycling!

ROBIN FARINA:

Where do I even begin? Robin has been coaching me for more than 2 years now and I think she is more than just a coach. She is a mentor, friend, someone you can give crap to and expect you will get it back, and if I said she was like a mother, she would make me clean clean the toilets, so she is more like a big sister!

In the freezing river in Bend, OR
If Robin was not in my life, helping me day in and day out, I dont know where I would be in cycling. She has helped me accomplish and pass my goals. Not only does she teach me cycling skills but she teaches me life skills as well. I get to work at her shop, Uptown Cycles, and I work my way into success!

Before the start of Road Nationals
Robin is a major help to all of her clients no matter what level cyclist you are at, and she makes the hard 1 minute on 1 minute off intervals fun! You wont see robin anywhere without her great coaching skills and a good attitude to everyone!

A little birthday party, and I HAD to wear my awesome birthday hat
I have been given so much from the moment Robin started coaching me and there is no way I could ever pay her back except for hard work on the bike and a good attitude towards life and bike racing! And I am very thankful th have Robin Farina in my life!!

TOP 5 ACTS OF CHARACTER BUILDING:

5. Accepting loss in a serious game of Foosball

4. Pumping a flat tire on a car in the middle of summer heat

3. Doing abs and going to Laura for strength workouts!

2. Finding a moldy water bottle and opening it with drink mix still inside

1. Cleaning toilets!!!!!

Friendships that last a lifetime

Bike racing isn't just about bike racing, if you ask me my favorite part about bike racing I would say the friendships that I make with people! It is so easy to make a friend in this sport because you both share and relate to each other in bike racing!!!

I met Alexis Ryan in Bend, OR for nationals and I think I found my long lost sister! She and I clicked immediately! We share everything in common, we like the same things, and our birthdays are 2 days apart. The only thing is that we live across the country from each other, she lives in Ventura, CA. If you put the two of us in a room, we would never stop talking! My BEST friend!!

We were surprised that this was the only photo that we got together at Nationals.

This is Hunter a.k.a Pete, we have been training partners for a year and we live about 2 miles from each other and it is really easy to get out and ride after school with each other. We are pretty much brother and sister , oh yeah and best friends.

Riding in the country, running into an interesting sign.

This is my pen pal Skylar Schneider. She is 11 years old and lives in Wisconsin and we met during speed week when her sister, Sam Schneider, was racing in the 1/2 women we bonded during the whole week. She doesn't own a cell phone and she does not have an email, so we wright back to each other the old fashion way!

Skylar in Bend, OR when she was showing me her brothers birthday card :)
CINTHIA LEHNER!!!
My coach introduced me to Cinthia 2 years ago at a race when we were juniors! She lives in Greenville, SC. I looked up to her because she was older than me and she helped me in races and now we are best friends, and we talk to each other in German!!

This is in Nationals during awards night, we were both very excited for silver!

Here I one of my most favorite pictures of the friends I met in Bend, OR. Inside is Sarah Haung, Kati Lawrence, Alexis Ryan, Jacqueline Denny and Skylar Schneider. Each one of us lives across the country from each other and we screamed our heads off for all of the mens races, I think it made them race faster!

We tried to break the record of fitting as many as we could in the phone box, didnt work, the real record it 22 people!
I say friends are the best part of bike racing and no matter what they will always be there for you!