Alison Starnes: Rookie at Nature Valley Grand Prix
May 5, 2010Alison Starnes is a professional cyclist for TIBCO, which she has been a part of since the summer of 2008. Just three months removed from her first bicycle race as a Category 4, Starnes was fortunate enough to be a member of the 2008 Nature Valley Pro Ride team. Her cycling career has gone onward and upward since then. Take a look below and see how the Nature Valley Grand Prix and the Pro Ride shaped her cycling career:
It was June 2008, and I nervously approached the line of a flooded Minneapolis Downtown Criterium, as the streets were being swept away by steady rain. I did not want to admit it at the time, but this was my first Pro 1/2 criterium. I had been riding a bike for a little under a year, and I had been racing a bike for about 3 months. What was I doing at one of the most competitive stage racing on the National Racing Calendar? I was questioning that myself on that stormy evening, and still wonder why I ended up in Minnesota that night.
When people ask me how my cycling career began, I cannot leave out the 2008 Nature Valley Grand Prix. With a quick rise in women’s cycling, I entered my first Cat 1/2 race, and actually qualified for the Nature Valley Pro Ride. This was an experience of a lifetime, as it allowed me to enter the NRC racing scene. Perhaps I was not quite ready to join the likes of Kristin Armstrong and her teammate Emma Rickards on that line that night, but now I look back and see how this incident changed my life. This race marked the beginning of my cycling career.
Courtesy of Bob Cullinan
Although the Nature Valley Grand Prix was one of the most difficult cycling ventures I had ever done to that point, including my triathlon career and local racing, I learned what being a professional meant. What I lacked in experience, I did have in ability. I was able to place in the top 10 in the time trial, although I was struggling to survive in the road races. Looking back on it now, I am learning what a little experience can give. With my time trial performance, Team TIBCO asked if I would guest ride for them at the next NRC race, the Cascade Cycling Classic. I immediately took them up on this offer, and was able to sign with Team TIBCO for my inaugural season as a professional in 2009. Since then, I have raced in Europe and New Zealand for the US National Team, and am a proud member of Team TIBCO/To the Top Cycling Team for the 2010 season.
Of course my first big professional race was still a daunting experience; the Nature Valley Pro Ride allowed me the ease of mind with transportation, mechanics, and a team. When I look back at the week now, I see how this was a major stepping stone for my professional career. The riders that intimidated me at the start line that night, are now my peers, my colleagues and even my management. I have continued to learn and grow in the sport the last 2 years, and I look forward to returning to the Nature Valley Grand Prix for my 2nd time this year. I will no longer have the feelings of apprehension, but I will still have respect for those professional women on line with me, doing what we love—racing our bikes hard. Kristin will be there again, directing her team, Peanut Butter & Co, and Emma will be there as well, as the director of Team TIBCO. Women giving back to the sport that they love. We will see you at Nature Valley Grand Prix.
To read more about Alison and her adventures, check out http://alisonstarnes.com/blog/, and to keep up with her team throughout the season, visit http://www.teamtibco.com/. For more information about the Nature Valley Pro Ride, visit http://naturevalleyproride.com/.
