Like so many others, I rode a bike as a kid but abandoned the hobby for years, picking it up again in my 40s. Rediscovering and developing a love for cycling started when my husband bought me a used Cannondale road bike, which served me well for a very long time. In 2016, I discovered gravel riding and the rest is history.  My passion is navigating and exploring the backroads of central Illinois with fellow cyclists. My husband, Steve, and I participate in numerous organized gravel events each year. I also enjoy mountain biking, doing it poorly but with great enthusiasm, and can still be seen occasionally on a road bike.

I retired in 2020 after 30 years as a graphics technician at an engineering company and keep busy volunteering as Marketing Coordinator for the Springfield Bicycle Club, a 300+member club based in Springfield, Illinois.

My favorite place to ride is Pike County in western Illinois. It is a beautiful and largely unpopulated area bordered by the Illinois River on the east and the Mississippi River to the west. The hilly, forested area is famous for world-class whitetail deer hunting, and many of the roads are navigable only by 4-wheel drive (or gravel bike!). A perfect day of gravel riding in this area would consist of parking at the courthouse square in Pittsfield and heading out into the countryside on the numerous gravel roads that crisscross the land.

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