Samantha White—AKA Cycling_Sammy on Instagram—really loves racing her bike. And it doesn’t matter what type of racing, either! I’ve been loving following her on IG the last year and watching her learn, improve, shred and just love being outside riding bikes. So let’s chat with her—and make sure you give her a follow!

When did you start riding?

I’ve been on a bike for as long as I can remember, My dad is a mountain biker so when I was too little to ride by myself he would load me up on the bike trailer and take me along his rides. When I got a little older he bought a tagalong that attached to his bike, I was able to pedal and not worry about tipping over since he made sure we were balanced. When did you start MTB, or was that what you did immediately? Mountain biking is in my blood, I’ve been doing it for many years.

When did you decide you wanted to start riding more seriously and racing a ton?

I got more serious about racing in 2014, so I was 8. That was the first year I raced at the Prairie City Mountain Bike Series as a junior racer and came in third.

Favorite part about riding?

My favorite part about riding is racing because I like the competition, I like to push myself.

Least favorite part about riding?

My least favorite is the technical stuff that I’ve never done or ridden before!

Have you made friends through racing? (If so, any tips for talking to new people? I’m always scared of that—so is the main character in the first Shred Girls book!)

I’ve always been really shy and wait for other girls to approach me (I seldom approach other racers even though my parents tell me to become friends with my fellow competitors) thankfully I have made some great friends now that I hang out with even outside of racing.

Coolest trick or accomplishment you’ve had with riding?

The very best was when I beat my dad at a race by 5 minutes! He started his race 3 minutes before I started, we were racing the same course but because there are so many racers, they stagger the start times. I passed my dad on the first lap!

The very best was when I beat my dad at a race by 5 minutes!

What does a week of training/riding look like for you?

Along with mountain biking, I also play soccer so that means I practice soccer on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have games on Saturdays. I ride with my dad on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. Races right now are on Wednesday nights (I’m racing cyclocross on my mountain bike) Starting in October Cyclocross races will be either on Saturdays or Sundays in addition to my Wednesday race.

Best tip for someone your age or younger who’d love to get started riding/racing, but doesn’t know anyone else to ride with?

A few local bike shops in my area have junior cycling development teams, I did one series a few years ago, it lasted a few weeks and was a lot of fun, you get to meet other girls and boys that also love to ride their mountain bike and the coaches teach you lots of cool stuff.

Best tip for tackling a scary section when MTBing?

Use the attack position by keeping your butt off the seat and back, your heels bent, and your head up while looking down the trail!

 Absolute favorite piece of gear?

My favorite piece of gear would have to be my super awesome donut jersey. At races everyone cheers me on by calling me “donuts” even though they know my name!

 

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