An interview with Reba

Reba’s Rapid Rise: Meet Specialized’s Endurance Specialist September 5th, 2008 by Yuri Hauswald (taken from www.bikemonkey.net)

Rebecca Rusch’s(Specialized) meteoric rise in the cycling endurance race scene, specifically 24 hour solo events, is nothing short of spectacular considering that the Ketchum, Idaho resident only started mountain bike racing three years ago. In that short span of time she has racked up two 24 hour solo World Championships, a national title, and countless victories in 12 hour events. The one time uber adventure racer won, what is widely considered to be the pinnacle of adventure races, the Raid Gauloises in Kyrgyzstan in 2002. Here are a few excerpts of an interview I did with her this summer, the entire article will be featured in our next issue of Bike Monkey.

Bike Monkey: Biggest accomplishments, so far, on and off the bike?

Rebecca Rusch: Off the bike: winning the Raid Gauloises in Kyrgyzstan in 2002. This race is the unspoken world championships of adventure racing and a multi-day sufferfest. It is the pinnacle of adv. Racing and winning that felt like I had finally joined the super elite in that sport. On the bike, by far the biggest accomplishment is being 2x 24 hr solo world champ. 1x could be attributed to a fluke, but now with 2 titles to my name, I feel like I’ve cemented myself into the upper echelon of endurance cycling.

Bike Monkey: How did you get into mountain bike racing, endurance racing specifically?

Rebecca Rusch: I basically lost my adventure racing team sponsorship just over 3 yrs ago when Montrail was bought out by Colombia. I was pretty bummed and figured I was going to have to go work at a gear shop or coffee shop and decide what to do with my life. It was October and I got talked into doing 24 hrs of Moab on a women’s team with my girlfriends from Idaho. I’d never done a bike race in my life and was pretty much a hack on a bike. I ended up with the fastest female lap times in the whole race, including a few pros and ex-pros. I had a blast and an idea to re-design my racing career was formed. Red Bull and Specialized agreed to stick with me and see what I could do. The following Spring I entered my first 24 hr race. My 2nd 24 solo was US Nationals and I won that, so I was on my way and the snowball has just kept rolling and gaining momentum.

Bike Monkey: Did you play sports growing up?

Rebecca Rusch: I was a tomboy as a kid, ran cross country and track in high school and part of college. After that, I learned to rock climb and headed West. Did some noteworthy first female ascents of some big walls in Yosemite and Zion. Raced outrigger canoes at the international level in CA, Hawaii and Australia. Raced on the US women’s whitewater raft team and did a long stint as an elite adventure racer. I have world championship titles in Outrigger canoeing, whitewater rafting, adventure racing, masters cross country skiing and now 2x solo 24 hr mtb world championships. Jack of all trades, master of some. I’ve sort of re-invented myself as an athlete multiple times with this endurance cycling thing being the most recent.

Bike Monkey: Why Ketchum Idaho?

Rebecca Rusch: I have been here about 6 years and have owned my own home here for 5. Before that I lived out of my truck and surfed around the West. Mooched off friends, rented short-term apartments in places like Truckee, Moab, Laguna Beach. I came to Idaho to visit an adventure racing teammate and never left. Basically after checking out all sorts of places, this was the first one that felt like home from day one. People here are so welcoming and love living here. Lots of folks were born and raised here and stay. There are a ton of ex-Olympians, ex-world champs, ski racers, runners, cyclists. Pretty much everyone is active and there’s a great sense of community. It’s off the beaten track, so you have to want to come here. Once you get here, you don’t want to leave. Of all the places I’ve traveled this is seriously the first place that I found with this vibe.

Bike Monkey: How long have you been with Specialized?

Rebecca Rusch: 6 yrs. It started with me begging them to support my adventure racing team and the relationship grew as I morphed into a bike racer.

Bike Monkey: Not that it matters, but how old are you?(She’s going to kill me for publishing this!!)

Rebecca Rusch: Really? Do you HAVE to put this? If you must, I’ll be 40 by the time this prints. 40 and f-ing fast! I’m racing against women (and men) in their 20’s and beating them. So I guess it’s OK. I’m way smarter about training and racing than I used to be, and fitter than ever, so I guess age and experience does pay off.

*Editors note: I can attest that she also beats men in their 30s, having been caught and passed by her at a 12 hour race this summer in North Carolina.