I started racing bikes in high school but really came up the ranks in the collegiate peloton racing in Colorado. After graduating I moved out to LA for three more years of school where I could be found doing repeats of the climbs in Malibu when not working on my dissertation or overpaying for artisanal donuts. I first rode on Zwift in January 2017 after breaking a collarbone on a group ride and credit it for my rapid return to form. I wasn’t hooked from day one but I came to respect it as it’s own discipline and virtual miles began to complement IRL ones – especially when I left SoCal and returned to winter weather. I’ve lived and raced in the DC/VA region since 2017 where I met a number of NeXT riders who convinced me to more formally give esports a go. Having now completed two seasons of community ZRL racing with NeXT, there’s no way I’d prefer to suffer on Tuesdays.