ABOUT US
Our StoryBabes on Bikes Racing Team was formed in 2023 as a platform to expand the presence of underrepresented Genders in competitive cycle. Here’s our team
Our Team
Anna-Lena (she/her)
How she started riding:
I lived in Germany in the 4th grade and got a road bike to commute to school. As a teenager living just outside city limits, my bike was how I got around Pittsburgh, especially at night after the buses stopped running. In college, I started racing alleycats, and then a USACycling licensed friend got me into road racing.
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
I’ve been running Pgh Babes on Bikes for 10 years and throwing the Frigid Bitch alleycat for the same timeframe. People say they dig it!
What does equity in cycling look like?:
Building out the bottom of the cycling pyramid and filling in the gaps in demographics. Top tier level cyclists should reflect a wide variety of humans, but to get there we need to get those humans onto bikes and into novice racing. I want to see more race categories and bigger cat 4/5 fields. Make it easy for non racers to break into competitive cycling, and then they’ll start working their way up the cats.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
I’m a city-rat rider, I love zipping in between cars and buses, hopping on sidewalks and zigging around potholes.
Favorite bike:
My rigid 26" singlespeed Surly mountainbike!
Board President, FounderDisciplines: crit, road, cx, gravel, alleycat
Sawyer (they/them)
How they started riding:
As an adult it started with getting a cheap bike to commute in undergrad, but my cycling really took off when I moved to Pittsburgh and started riding the Frigid Bitch race. That was the first race I had ever done and it immediately got me hooked onto racing and riding fast with friends.
How they’re involved in the Pgh cycling community:
I’ve been participating and riding with different groups, doing the underwear rides, various alley-cats, WNM+ events with BikePGH, and just biking with my buds. I am a new instructor for learn to ride at the Wheel Mill and I am also always trying to get more folks involved in biking.
What does equity in cycling look like?:
The lens in which I view equity in cycling has been shaped by what I’ve participated in and who I’ve seen participating in those groups. I see equity in cycling as being transparent about what a ride involves; providing things such as average pace, the kind of terrain, the types of hills climbed and whether it’s no-drop or not, and if possible, adjusting to meet the needs of interested riders. I think it looks like educating ourselves, keeping up to date on what folks need and want who are apart of underserved/under-represented communities, and listening. It also looks like pushing back on the status quo if it’s no longer serving us. Lastly, I think equity looks like outreach that prioritizes under-represented communities and helps support interested folks to participate and thrive.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
I think riding Riverview for the Month of mud was my favorite course ride I’ve done in Pittsburgh.
Favorite bike:
My 20$ Specialized Hard Rock MTB I call Rigid Ripper
Vice PresidentDisciplines: Gravel, Cyclocross, and Alley-cats
TreasurerDisciplines: Road, gravel, triathlons
Julie (she/her)
How she started riding:
I joined group rides while training for triathlons, made a ton of new friends, and got hooked—I focused on having fun, so I kept saying yes to more rides and more races!
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
Usually with a cardboard sign! If I’m not riding, you can find me cheering for friends and teammates. I support the cycling community by simply showing up—whether that’s riding, cheering, encouraging new people to come to events, or just being a positive presence.
What does equity in cycling look like?:
Equity in cycling means ensuring that everyone has access to the sport—affordable gear options, beginner resources, safe spaces to learn, and group rides where newcomers feel genuinely welcome. It looks like cheering for beginners, offering guidance without gatekeeping, and being intentional about who is included and uplifted. It’s about making sure people feel like they belong on the bike and in the community—even when they’re just starting out.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
Anywhere with friends!
Favorite bike:
My pink and black 2008 Cannondale Synapse
SecretaryDisciplines: Road, Gravel, and Cyclocross
Bonnie (she/her)
How she started riding:
I’ve always had bikes, but the obsession really started when I began bike-commuting in 2018. I started training and doing long rides in 2020, and started racing in 2022
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
Enthusiastic participant and recruiter
What does equity in cycling look like?:
To bring more people into the sport, we need to lower the barriers to entry. That means more beginner-friendly events, lower cost to race, and connecting people to gear and resources they may not be able to invest in on their own. We also need to build a community that engages and supports newcomers with social rides and events.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
I love hitting the corners just right on Circuit Drive in Schenley park
Favorite bike:
My zoomy Scott Addict 20 road bike!
Board MemberDisciplines: Road, gravel, triathlons, Mountain, Cross
Laura (she/her)
How she started riding:
I started riding to get to class faster at Pitt and quickly discovered I could extend my rides for a sure bet to improve my day. I continued to commute and explore living car-free in San Diego and then friends introduced me to racing triathlons and road riding in rural North Carolina. My love of both city and endurance riding grew even more when I moved back to Pittsburgh. In 2022, I got a gravel bike and recently started bike-specific racing.
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
I’ve been a youth bike educator since 2016, when I coordinated Bike Pittsburgh’s Positive Spin summer youth cycling program and then in 2018 founded a school-wide outdoor youth bike program, BikeECS. In 2022, I completed my certification to become a cycling instructor (LCI) and now teach private and group instruction, as well as lead group rides and events to help children and adults tap into their strength and confidence, and connect them with the joy of riding a bike.
What does equity in cycling look like?:
To me, equity looks like pausing to reflect on what spaces are being held in our cycling communities and leadership, educating on what each of us personally brings to a ride/event/race, listening to underrepresented groups, and then taking action to shake things up to better serve our Black, brown, trans and non-binary riders, as well as women and girls, and riders of all body sizes and abilities.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
All the hills & all the parks: Frick, Schenley, Riverview, Highland.
Favorite bike:
My “babe,” a 2011 Trek Lexa road bike
Board MemberDisciplines: Commute, Mountain, Gravel, Bike Packing, Alleycat
Sara (she/her)
How she started riding:
I started riding my bike to school in the 3rd grade.
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
Beyond riding anywhere anytime with anyone (please, lets ride bikes!) I am deeply invested in sharing bikes with folks in Pittsburgh via my work with POGOH. I also lead some beginner mountain biking sessions with Venture Outdoors (they provide mountain bikes for folks who need them) throughout the summer. I hope to expand women and NB bike mechanic training in Pittsburgh in 2023.
What does equity in cycling look like?:
Equity in cycling looks like folks feeling invited to a ride, race, or shop. We can provide free bikes as a form of public transportation and provide safer streets for them to bike on. We can provide quality bike service, affordable and serviceable parts, and listen to needs of riders in a shop setting. We can throw inclusive (and RAD) cycling events like Frigid Bitch that slice through the norms in cycling to provide a space for women and nonbinary folks to show off their skills - whether thats being fast, being resourceful, being a navigator, or being a cheerleader.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
I love riding in the Allegheny cemetery. It’s a great spot to get lost when you’re stressed (and I do truly still get lost in there). I also really love riding through Oakland. The on road bike infrastructure is thoughtfully designed, but also beautiful. I wish every bike lane and pedestrian crossing was as gorgeous as the one on Bigelow.
Favorite bike:
Surly Disc Trucker setup for adventure with Jones Bars and wide gravel tires
Board MemberDisciplines: touring, bikepacking, gravel, alley cat, gran fondo (so far!)
Lindsay (she/her)
How she started riding:
I moved to Pittsburgh in 2008 without a car and found that the city opened up, became bigger and more playful when navigated by two wheels! Commuting and “sandwich messengering” introduced me to the biking scene and all the rad humans who also enjoy Pittsburgh by bike.
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
Pittsburgh is now graced with so many different groups leading so many different vibes of rides. I love to join and recruit others to those organized efforts, and occasionally host a MXT foray or hill-laden city loop. I also host bikepackers travelling through Pittsburgh, and sing the praises of our community!
What does equity in cycling look like?:
Cycling has become my mobile Third Place - my home away from home that makes me feel connected with fellow cyclists across disciplines, ages, races, genders, socioeconomic statuses, etc. To me, equity in cycling is getting more humans across various identities and abilities onto bikes so we all have the opportunity to find that sense of place among each other on two wheels. Finding joy and connection on two wheels is a radical, powerful act that I want more people in Pittsburgh and beyond to have access to whether they’re enjoying a commute, participating in a race, taking on a leadership role, or simply heading to a bakery.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
I love a mixed surface ride between Riverview, Frick, and Schenley Parks that dabbles in Girty’s Woods when feeling spicy! The combination of (hopefully) smooth pavement and (almost certainly) gritty trail is delicious!
Favorite bike:
“Pretty Boy” - a Velo Orange Campeur. It was my first ever complete self-build, and it has carried me up the entire coast of Maine, along the St. Lawrence Seaway, across many ‘a rail trail, to and from many grocery store trips, and over some gnarly cobbles during Frigid Bitch training season! It’s my many-grammed utilitarian workhorse.
Disciplines: road, crit, gravel, alleycats
Paige (she/her)
How she started riding: I started as a runner, dabbling with bikes in high school, but it wasn’t until my car broke down in 2017 that I started relying on my bike for transportation and got hooked exploring Pittsburgh. Soon after I started racing the Frigid Bitch, doing a lot of bike touring, and in the last few years started racing gravel & road/crit.
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
For work, I design and build traffic safety projects at the City’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure, which has included a lot of bike infrastructure projects that I’m really proud of. I also volunteer with some national organizations advocating for better traffic engineering practices for cyclists & pedestrians in American cities, and locally I sit on the board of POGOH bike share. Outside of work, you’ll find me on group rides, leading the bike parade to the party, or otherwise trying to convince my friends to ditch their cars and come ride.
What does equity in cycling look like?:
I think equity in cycling is all about getting more bodies on bikes, period. Bikes are incredible tools for building community, exploring & living sustainably, and bringing more joy into our days. Cycling for sport is the cherry on top!
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
Riverview Park is a hidden gem - such great trails & views.
Favorite bike:
I’m pretty sure I’m invincible on my All-City Cosmic Stallion.
Disciplines: As of now - road, mountain, gravel - but wanting to get into as much as I can
Megan (she/her)
How she started riding:
I’ve always been drawn to bikes, but they really became a major part of my life and a passion of mine when I moved to the Netherlands. I started commuting and then dipped my toes into road biking. When I moved back to the US, I felt uncomfortable riding with traffic so I escaped to the woods and fell head over heels with mountain biking. Now, newly arrived in Pittsburgh, I have been riding gravel, road, and mountain any chance I get.
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
I participate in every event and group ride that I can manage, eager to experience everything I can in the area. I’m not a native Pittsburgher and recently moved to the area so I am still finding my way and role in the community. I’m hoping to funnel my love for cycling and desire to see a more thriving and supported cycling community in Pittsburgh through working with Babes on Bikes.
What does equity in cycling look like?:
Equity in cycling looks like the whole sport/bikes being more accessible. There should be less barriers to entry and participation in the sport when it comes to cost, race, gender, age, size, etc. Bike paths and infrastructure should be equally distributed and supported in all neighborhoods and areas, despite the wealth or demographics of the area. All riders should be celebrated and rides/races/riders themselves should treat every rider with respect no matter their ability, category, gender, race, sexuality, etc.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
I love the feeling when rounding the curves on the way down out of Riverview Park. Honestly, I find new pockets of the city and little thrills all the time, it’s hard to single them out.
Favorite bike:
My road bike - a Cervelo Caledonia.
Disciplines: road, gravel, mountain
Bailey (she/her)
How she started riding:
I started riding because I commuted by bike
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
President of PMTCC, board member of Bike Pgh, board member of Pittsburgh Youth Leadership
What does equity in cycling look like?:
Pay equity, diversity of riders
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
Frick park for mountain biking… East Side & Northside for road… The trail for Gravel
Favorite bike:
LIV Langma
Disciplines: Gravel, Road, Alleycat, Crit
Sarah (she/her)
How she started riding:
I began riding as a toddler in my family’s cemetary with my siblings, and before long, we were riding trails in the Laurel Highlands. By the time I was ten, my brother and I were building dirt jumps in our backyard. Stripping our bikes down just to rebuild them for fun, no wonder I love working on my own bikes! As I got older, I started exploring the roads and trails in the Laurel Highlands. After moving to Pittsburgh in 2021, I began cycling around the city for recreation, which turned into racing in 2024.
How she’s involved in the Pgh cycling community:
I am a League Certified Instructor (LCI) and instruct group and private lessons with BikePGH. I also work at the University of Pittsburgh and oversee the student staff at the Pitt BIke Cave!
What does equity in cycling look like?:
EEquity means removing systematic barriers so everyone can build their own cycling culture. This requires fair access, safety resources, and opportunities to ride. By fostering a welcoming environment through community rides, clinics, and programs, everyone can see themselves as a cyclist whether for recreation, commuting, or competition.
Favorite Pgh place to ride:
Riverview Park!
Favorite bike:
2002 Haro TR 2.1 (my first real bike!)