Mary Zider
Hometown
Weston, MA
Date of Birth
25 June 1984
Category
1
Profession
Assist with running the Beaver Summer Programs
Years Racing/Year Started
3 / 2005
Selected Palmares
2008 – 1st, Turtle Pond
2007 – 3rd, GMSR Road Race; 3rd place overall
2007 – 1st, Bow Road Race
2007 – 3rd, Battenkill
2007 – 2nd, Palmer
2006 – 1st, GMSR Road Race; 3rd place overall
in her own words
How did you spend this off-season/winter?
Riding the computrainers at Incline Training. Weekends snowshoeing in Vermont. Hanging out with family, friends, and searching for the best sweet potato fries this side of the Mississippi.
What are your goals for 2008?
To be competitive in all my races and to work with my teammates to position one of us to be on the podium at the end of the race. Race in several NRC and UCI events.
What are your Favorite Movies/Bands/Books?
• Pistol Pete: The Pete Marovich Story
• Five for Fighting
• Books…Isn’t that what TV is for?
What is your Favorite Race? Why?
Any race that has an epic climb or is hilly. The more hills the better!
When did you start racing, how and why?
2006 was my first race season. I’d been riding for a few years after playing collegiate soccer and started training more seriously, so racing was only the natural thing to do.
Who were/are your cycling mentors and/or influences?
Jay Gump, who has taught me so much about training and racing. Crack o’ Dawn cycling club who welcomed me before I could even climb hills.
What was your first bike? When/how did you get it?
A Specialized. I loved this bike! We now laugh that I raced my first season on what I now call “my mom’s bike”.
What was your first win/best placing?
2006 GMSR Road Race, 1st place. Oh…the App Gap nearly did me in!!
What would you consider your finest moment on the bike?
A long training ride on a warm sunny day with Lance and taking the time to jump off the covered bridge into the Mad River in Waitsfield, VT.
What was your worst or most embarrassing moment on the bike?
Riding home in a taxi, after getting lost in the dark, on a rain soaked training ride.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen on a bike ride?
While riding out in Carlisle, a wild peacock crossed the road in front of me. I thought I was hallucinating!
What’s the one thing you’ve done on a ride (training or race) that you will absolutely never do again?
Not properly fuel/hydrate on bloody hot rides. Under fueling can quickly ruin any ride/race.
When you’re not on your bike, what do you like to do?
Relax, hang out with Lance, and enjoy great food…I love my burrito’s.
What’s the best advice you ever got for training/racing on the bike?
I tend to over think things going into a race, so the best advice I’ve ever gotten is to simply… “just shut up and ride your bike!”
Anything else you’d like to share?
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”. Steve Prefontaine
Oh and one more thing…I love peanut butter.