I promised myself I wouldn’t do the whole “New Year, New Me” thing, but it’s honestly a bit challenging to not associate the change of year with a desire for a fresh start.

I was at a Christmas party when someone asked me “what I do” to which i confidently responded “stuff and things”. Which is the most honest answer because I literally just be doing whatever and it’s really fun. Anywho, I would like to share the ideas I have for what stuff and things I’ll be getting into the first half of this year!

The fun thing about contract season is dreaming big. Sponsors want to know what they’re sponsoring. I have a modest instagram following, but my partners are usually more interested in what I’ll be doing to connect with folks in real life. It also creates a pipeline of more interesting instagram content.

In a month i’m running a half-marathon just outside of Barcelona. I’m not ready AT ALL, so I have quite a bit of work to do between now and then. Since I don’t own a treadmill, most of this work will have to be done outside or via cross-training. Y’all.. It’s in the thirties here this week, and Auntie don’t do cold. That being said, I’ve been doing really well dressing for the weather. Years and years of experience training as a professional athlete has come with a very solid knowledge of what to wear to get things done.

Before that, my first official event of the year will be a keynote at the Iowa Bike Banquet. I’m not planning on bringing a bike, partially because it’s honestly easier to travel without dragging a bike along, partially because it’ll be cold AF and Auntie has her limits, and partially because I’m telling myself this will force me to run leading up to that half-marathon. We’ll see how that actually unfolds tho.

I’m still trying to decide what March will look like. I’ve been toying with the idea of going back to Midsouth and doing the “mini-double”. It would be a trail half-marathon, and then a 50 mile gravel ride the next day. Why am I unsure? Because Stillwater OK is not the most accessible place, and usually, accomodations are quite pricey. Last year I was lucky enough to find a host house, but i didn’t get to participate because my ankle wasn’t healed enough for the run, and everything was on fire so they cancelled the bike ride (absolutely the right move btw). So I’ve got some unfinished business there. That being said, if you know of someone willing to host me, let me knowwww!

April is Sea Otter in Monterey, and it’s been a few years since I’ve attended, so I’m looking forward to it. Sea Otter is always really overwhelming. It’s crowded, chaotic, overstimulating, but also super fun and very effective for networking. It’s the one place every year where i’m most likely to run into many of my partners and be able to hang out with frenz, and do activations and such.

Early May is Traka here in Girona. I’m trying to avoid riding it again. I’ve never been the type of person to do the same event repeatedly, but it’s the biggest gravel event in europe and literally in my backyard so it’s the lowest lift of the year. If i don’t ride it, i’ll likely do an activation of sorts around the vent. We’ll see what happens there as well!

On the 10th I start the Lost Dot 101. It’s my first solo ultra race and I am filled with nervous excitement! I’ve done some ultras before, but never alone. This one is 1200km, and I have 6 days to finish. I haven’t decided if I want to be competitive or not, but I’ve decided to see where I am fitness-wise by the end of February, and make a decision then. I know I can finish, I’m more concerned with food and sleep. You can’t book anything ahead of time, and y’all know i have a very anti-bivy stance. I did catch myself googling tent-like bivys that weren’t as coffin-y as the typical bivy. Will Auntie end up in a tent-like bivy? Time will tell, but I do hope the Motel 6s of Portugal keep the light on for their good sis…

Nothing concrete for June, but it’s likely I’ll find myself in America again for some Abundance Project activations. I’ve decided to stop doing the grants this year, as I cannot consciously continue giving money directly to USAC so long as they are excluding my trans friends from racing. That being said, I still love women’s bike racing and want to support women of color to achieve their goals and dreams in a way that better aligns with my ethics and morals. I believe that looks more like direct community activations, education, and mentorship. I’m still formulating the full idea, but whatever it turns out to be, I know it will be good.

After that, something at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift of course, but nothing concrete there yet either! The route looks super fun, maybe I’ll ride it again? Maybe, I’ll rope a few close friends into doing it with me?

The beauty of doing “stuff and things” is that it can be whatever I decide it is. I love that for me.

On the content front, I’m really excited about two series. I’m bringing back Bicycle Basics where I teach folks how to do basic bike things. If there’s something in particular you’d like to know, I’d love to hear about it! That will live on my YouTube channel that I’m resurrecting from the dead. Allegedly, it’s only been dead to me because it appears that folks have still been watching super old videos from way back when. If you’re one of those people, thank you.

On Instagram I’m starting a Women’s Bike Racing Fan Club series where I’ve proclaimed myself the president of said club. I intend to start with basic info on the women’s pro peloton, and giving folks a heads up about upcoming races. After doing recaps for the Giro last season, I decided that particular approach was not for me, although I did enjoy aspects of it all and I LOVE talking about women’s bike racing to whoever will listen.

As far as partners this year? My goal going into contract season was to reall assess my partnerships and make sure I’m working with folks that believe in me and what I’m doing. These days I’m working with SRAM (Zipp, Time, Hammerhead), Ford Bronco, Castelli, Quoc, and CTS, and taking on contract work with folks who wanna work together in ways that make sense for both of us starting with Zwift, Katadyn, and SportRX. I’ve already explained how tough it is in the industry right now, so I’m thankful to have been a sponsored athlete consistently for over a decade now. Special shoutout to SRAM for seeing the vision 10 years ago, I PITCHED HARD, and Kate Powlison has stood ten toes down with me since day one. I’ve worked VERY hard over the years to get here, but it’s still a privilege to call this work, and live my life this way. I don’t make a ton of money, but it’s enough to enjoy my little life.

Will and I are also putting together some bike tours in Girona. I’ve enjoyed bringing groups for Thee Abundance Project in the past, and feel equiped to show folks a great experience. I think it’s going to be a ton of fun.