I just celebrated my 1-year anniversary of riding a bike outside (although I was an indoor spin queen for years) and I’m realizing how much different this summer would have been if I didn’t have my bike (shoutout to my Ventum NS1!) as an outlet. Being outside on my bike, working hard, but also just exploring and being in the sunshine, is HUGE for my mental health. It has become such a big part of my life that it feels like I can’t remember what I did before cycling. In 2016 I wrote an article called “Runner Turned Mermaid” when I got injured before the Olympic Trials and had to learn how to swim in order to stay in shape while my body healed. I don’t think I need to write “Runner Turned Cyclist” this time but that feels very true.

Every single person who has taken the time to show me the ropes in the cycling world will have a piece of my heart forever. There have been so many people who offered to go on a ride with me, invited me to a group ride, taught me some kind of hack or let me know about a cycling “rule”. I can’t thank those people enough and I’m eager to pass it along to any new riders.

This summer I launched The Track Collective with Nikki Hiltz, Katie Camarena, and Emma Gee. I’ve been in this sport professionally since 2015 and have learned so much along the way. I’m excited to give back to the community that has brought me so much joy and help support the next generation of emerging pro athletes.

The Track Collective has two main goals.

The first goal is to empower the next generation of track & field athletes by providing a collective of resources and information that can help bridge the gap to professional running. We hope to be a support system for athletes as they work toward signing a professional contract.

Our second goal is to support athletes beyond the limits of a typical professional running “team”. Our coaches, sponsors, and training locations may be different, but we show up for each other's causes and communities. We are a collective of athletes who assist each other no matter our individual  setups.

Check us out on IG: @thetrackcollective

Learn more on our site: www.thetrackcollective.org

Connect with us via email: contact@thetrackcollective.org

This is a great question! Believe it or not, Olympians go through slumps too. One thing that has helped me is something I read in my friend Alexi Pappas’ book, Bravey, which is that if you want to change the way you feel you have to first change your actions, then your thoughts and then finally your feelings will change. So by starting with action you do something (like go for a run or eat a meal) even though you don't feel like you want to and then your thoughts and feelings will follow suit eventually, but you can't wait for your thoughts and feelings to change before changing your actions.

📨 Have a question you want answered? Drop me an email and I just might answer it in my next newsletter (and I’ll try to email you back regardless).