What's your role on campus?
Associate Professor of Political Science
How long have you been riding a bike?
I rode an older-than-me Schwinn Collegiate cruiser to class when I was an undergraduate at Arizona State University in the mid-2000s because it was easier, faster, and cheaper than driving to campus. When I started graduate school in Boulder, Colorado, I quickly realized that needed a bike that could handle hills, so I bought a hybrid Giant Liv. I enjoyed riding to campus so much that I started taking recreational rides. Eventually, I realized I was on the wrong bike for what I wanted to do, and some experienced friends graciously helped me find my first road bike on Craiglist (an Orbea Onix that I still ride!). Within three months, I was training with the CU Boulder cycling time and ended up racing my bike throughout the final years of my Ph.D. I went from getting dropped and lapped during my first crit to winning my (beginner) category in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference in one year – I learned so much and am forever grateful to the team for taking this newcomer in! Although I couldn't keep up the same level of training in the following years as I moved into a faculty position, I have continued racing road, cyclocross, and gravel bikes, now for the Velo Reno cycling team.
What's the most fun you've ever had on a bike?
I'm not sure if I can pick a most fun moment, but I do enjoy riding off-road more these days. Singlespeed cyclocross is my favorite discipline to race. I also love "adventure" riding, which (for me) often looks like riding one of my 'cross bikes on trails and singletrack, especially on Peavine. Finally, I love any ride where I can introduce new folks to cycling. I'm on the leadership team for the Reno Chapter of Radical Adventure Riders, an organization that works to expand gender and racial equity in cycling; I enjoy leading all sorts of rides for that group and getting new folks excited about bikes!
What's great about bike commuting to the University of Nevada, Reno?
Commuting by bike makes it easy and quick to get wherever I need to go on campus – which is priceless for a busy faculty member.
We want to hear your bike story! Share with us and you could be featured as one of our Wolves on Wheels cyclists!
