Q: Kelsey, can you share how your journey in mountain biking began and what drew you to the sport? Kelsey: My parents were both passionate about riding, and they took my brother and I out when we were kids. But honestly, a few too many rides ended up turning into six-hour epics full of walking and pushing our bikes. Needless to say, I wasn’t too stoked on mountain biking at the time. It felt too hard, and I didn’t really get the appeal. Later, during my early teenage years, as my friends and I began becoming more aware of our bodies and how society expected us to look, a lot of them started exercising—mainly running. I never liked running much. But I had this mountain bike, and I started doing solo rides early in the morning, before school. I had this one loop and every day I’d try to beat my previous time. I think that’s when I got hooked—the solitude, the connection to nature, watching the sunrise… it became something I really loved and completely free from the initial societal pressure. I was probably about 13 then.
Q: You’re now racing with the KMC Ridley Mountainbike Racing Team — a big step in your international career. What motivated that move, and how has the transition to a European-based program shaped your season so far? Kelsey: I spent the last four years with Team 31, which was a really small and intimate setup. It was a beautiful environment to grow in—as a person and as a rider. But I felt ready for a new challenge, to have more independence and to stand on my own two feet. Joining KMC Ridley was a big shift. It’s a much larger, more resourced team. The biggest challenge as an American racer is balancing life back home with life on the European circuit. I spend almost six months of the year traveling, mostly in Europe, so having support and consistency from the team makes a huge difference and KMC Ridley is able to give me that. I also think the team and the people on it are foundational to the racing experience and I’ve been really pleased to find not only smart people, but also people I can laugh with. I really enjoy having a team with different personalities, cultures and ages.
Q: You’ve already raced with the team in Brazil. How was that experience for you? Kelsey: The first World Cup of the season always has its own unique energy—there’s a lot of anticipation and intensity. I actually love racing in Brazil. It’s always exciting to race in new locations, and as an American, I’m used to being a little out of my comfort zone. But in Brazil, even the Europeans are pushed out of theirs, which kind of levels the playing field. The courses there are super fast and tactical. Short tracks especially are becoming more about group dynamics, with tighter races and less separation. Experiencing that in both the short track and cross-country races, back-to-back, was new and really intense—but in a good way. It pushed me to be sharp, smart, and fully present, which is really racing at its best.
Q: Looking ahead to the LA 2028 Olympics, how are you approaching the next few seasons? Does having a home-soil Olympics change how you frame your long-term goals? Kelsey: I think as an athlete, I always hold some awareness of long-term goals, and LA 2028 is definitely one of those. But I try to keep a balance. If I focus too much on what’s far off, I lose the joy in the present, in the daily progress. So yes, I’m excited and I look forward to it, but the best thing I can do is stay focused on where I am now—on the work I’m doing today that gets me closer to those big goals without losing perspective.
Q: You’ve balanced elite sport with academics at Stanford, which is no small feat. What did you take from that experience that still informs how you train, recover, or compete? Kelsey: I graduated in 2020, and Stanford was a really formative experience. Honestly, both Stanford and World Cup mountain biking are high-performance environments, and being part of both helped me understand how those spaces operate—and how I function within them. I was taking 20 units, working a job, going out with friends four nights a week, and training full-time—all with no support from the school for my racing. I had this mindset of, “Yes, I can do it all!” But over time, it led to intense anxiety, and worsened my eating disorder. When I left Stanford, I was dealing with hormone burnout that lasted for years. It taught me that I can indeed do it all, but at what cost? That experience really informs who I am today and sort of my core values as an athlete. I wouldn’t change it, because it really took me going to the extreme to truly integrate the lessons, and it made the importance of listening to my body very clear. During and after my time at Stanford, my struggle with an illusive health issue became worse and worse. It’s very clear that when I hit a sort of stress threshold, my body shuts down. I see it as a kind of real-time feedback system. It’s helped me become much more honest with myself and tune into what my body needs. All of that has shaped how I approach sport now—with more care, honesty, and respect for what my body is telling me. For me, performance has become about how far my body can go when I truly honor it and its wisdom.
Q: You’ve spoken in the past about being coached by your mom. How did that influence your development as an athlete? Kelsey: Sharing sport with both my parents has been really special. We still go out and ride together, and I think that early experience shaped how I view the bike—as a way to explore and connect with people I love. It was never something I felt pressured to do. Both my mom and my dad created an environment where it was about sharing something meaningful together. That’s actually really hard to get right, but they did. And now I carry that mindset into all the riding I do with others—it’s a special way to spend time and connect.
Q: In recent years, dropper seat posts have become a staple in cross-country racing. That wasn’t always the case. What’s your take on their role in modern XC courses? Kelsey: Yeah, it’s pretty wild to think about how recent that change really is. I think the last time I raced with a fixed post was around 2018 or so, from then on I’ve been on a dropper full-time. I used to switch back for a few races here and there, but now I really don’t see the point. The courses are definitely evolving, becoming more technical and demanding, which I think is reshaping the sport in a really exciting way. I think we see in real time a sort of debate between more bike park style courses with lots of jumps or just natural technical style courses but overall, I think it’s a positive direction for the sport and makes us all better rounded riders. Now there’s really no question about using a dropper. It just makes sense. I can’t imagine racing without one at this point, the weight difference is nominal, especially with a dropper as light as the KS-Lev and it feels pretty essential for the tracks, even if it just means you can breathe and relax a bit more here and there. And it’s not just about the gnarly features; it’s about having confidence and consistency in your setup. Most of us are riding a pretty consistent basic setup at most races, and I think that trust really helps.
Q: Are there any other gear or setup tweaks you’ve found to be game-changers on technical courses? Kelsey: Definitely. The biggest one for me is suspension setup. I’m working with the team mechanic this year, Matej, and we make small changes at every race. It’s the first time I feel like I’m riding a bike that is tuned to me. There’s a baseline we start from, but every course has its own demands, and even subtle adjustments can make a big difference.
Q: The road world is obsessed with marginal gains. Do you see that same culture in XC? Kelsey: Oh, for sure. But I think it can be a double-edged sword. My coach always says marginal gains only matter if you’ve absolutely mastered the basics. And the thing is, the basics are pretty hard to master, even as someone who has been in sport for almost a decade now. We can get so fixated on tiny things like how many grams you save by swapping out bolts, while overlooking bigger factors like nutrition, sleep, or even emotional health. There is so much uncertainty and unknown in our sport, I think sometimes these small changes become about reaching for control. For sure there is value in feeling like you are the best prepared but at the end of the day, energy is also a limited resource. At least for me, I will be better off having taken the time to process some anxiety or stress and sit with my discomfort around the unknown and impulse to want to control what I can’t. That said, those little details do matter at the top level—they just need to be in the right order. That’s why having a team I trust is so important. My mechanic focuses on the bike, which frees me up to focus on what I need to do.
Q: You’ve been part of the conversations around gravel racing’s rise. What’s your view on the evolution of off-road disciplines? Kelsey: I think anytime people are excited about riding bikes, it’s a good thing. The growth of gravel racing in the U.S. is kind of mind-blowing. So many amateurs are signing up for these super intense races—like Unbound, where the pro men are doing 12 hours at over 20 miles per hour. That’s a hard day for anyone, let alone an amateur. But what’s cool is the sense of adventure. People are into the challenge, the experience, and that’s what makes it special. It’s great for the sport overall.
Q: What are you currently loving most about the sport? What keeps you motivated? Kelsey: I love how dynamic cycling is. There’s always something new to learn or improve or adapt to. If one thing feels a bit stale, there’s always another aspect pushing you. Last year was about coming back from a health break. I wasn’t sure how things would go and that was a challenge that was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. It felt like starting over. This year, I get to stand on the foundation I built last year. For the first time in a long time, I have full confidence in my health and in myself. Now, the dynamic of being more settled also feels like a completely new challenge because I’m not wondering if I can trust my body anymore, I’m leaning into it. That evolution and constant change is really what I love.
Photos: Piotr Staron