It was a surreal moment for Kym Flynn Fasczewski as she lined up at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Finals’ starting gate alongside 80 other top female mountain bikers from around the world.
“I couldn’t believe that I was about to race against the greatest women mountain bikers of our time,” says Fasczewski. “It was almost unimaginable for me-that I was an actual contender.”
Minutes later, the fearless Fasczewski exploded up a steep gravelly hill, vying for prime position on the single track. She charged up inclines, then blasted down hills on narrow dirt paths that snaked through woodlands.
Kimberly Flynn-Fasczewski, Kristi Angevine, Star Affolter, Stephanie Smith, Amy Mace, and Paula Burks, from left, teammates from the US Stove -Trek women’s mountain bike team.She banked around tight corners at breakneck speeds, zipped her bike across bridges and swerved to miss roots and rocks. “It was an extremely challenging course, and my legs burned through the entire race,” she says. “But I never wanted it to end. I wanted the race to go on forever.”
Fasczewski finished 57th among the 81 elite athletes who competed that day. “Honestly, I felt like a rock star,” she remembers. “I was so proud of my performance, and so eager to share the experience with my team.”