November 29, 2022
Giving Tuesday
This Giving Tuesday, the Foundation is proud to announce the “Spirit of Amy D” Fund to support women venturing to Europe solo, much like Amy did in her cyclocross career. Our first recipient of this fund is Taylor Kuyk-White. For six years the Amy D. Foundation operated elite level cyclocross developmental programming with several of these riders going on to race with professional cyclocross teams. Pivoting in 2021, the Foundation developed the ADF Equity and Opportunity Scholarship. This scholarship allowed riders to gain national experience racing and spectating the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships, December 2021 in Dupage County, Illinois. As Amy Dombroski’s legacy, the Foundation encourages and supports young women through cycling, inspiring the celebration of healthy challenges and empowering the confident pursuit of lofty dreams.
Award recipient Kuyk-White previously applied for the Amy D. developmental cyclocross programming in 2018. Mo Bruno Roy, cyclocross Team Manager/ Mentor of the elite cyclocross programming has closely followed Kuyk-White’s upward trajectory. “In 2018, Taylor applied to the ADF CX Team and I had the pleasure to interview her then and see her combination of rising talent and ambition. On and off the bike, her dedication to community and social activism spoke volumes about her integrity. We were not able to take her onto the team that year but have kept her in reserves as she has voraciously made her way from a strong local cx racer to tackling multiple full UCI seasons consistently breaking into the top 10. Now in 2022/2023, the stars have aligned and we couldn’t be happier to be able to support Taylor on the most “Amy D” adventure possible! For those that remember, Amy audaciously moved herself to Belgium at age 22 to live alone in an apartment above an old shoe shop to figure out how to race World Cups and the Belgian and Dutch racing series and give it a real go.” With the support of the Amy D. Foundation and Kuyk-White’s cyclocross team Nice Bikes she plans to participate in several World Cups and her first “Kerstperiode.”
After placing high in several UCI races last season Kuyk-White was set to make a huge splash in the elite UCI field this season, but just two weeks before the season began, she broke her fibula. Despite this setback, she stayed positive and spent the Fall recovering, recalibrating, and building strength both physically and mentally to come back stronger. Kuyk-White believes that “coming through this injury has taught me so much and gifted me a new level of mental strength, motivation, and gratitude for my health and the opportunities I have ahead.” As Kuyk-White makes a comeback this season from a broken ankle, she’s decided to take a similar track and hop across the pond to race as many Euro CX races as possible in an effort to gain experience, points and confidently pursue a possibly absurd, definitely audacious series of lofty dreams. Bruno Roy believes “Taylor has definitely displayed her ability to race in UCI races with some stellar top five results including fifth at nationals last year. Taylor’s positive attitude and gratitude and gift to throw caution to the wind and just go race in Belgium feels like a very Amy thing to do.” Kuyk-White adds “As I finish off my first complete training block since the injury, my ambitions and expectations are continuing to ramp up as I forge ahead in this non-traditional season. With the incredible support of my team, Nice Bikes, and now the wind in my sails from Amy D – I am heading to Europe and while I may be a bit late to the party, I am thrilled to get my season underway and absolutely turn myself inside out from the whistle to the finish line, with the fire and grit of Amy herself.” The Amy D. Foundation is honored to continue to invest in Kuyk-White and support their development process.
The Spirit of Amy D.” fund will become a permanent part of the Foundation programming. The application process will open to riders that want to apply for this funding in June of 2023.
Taylor Kuyk-White’s European Cyclocross campaign
- Antwerp World Cup – Antwerpen, Belgium – December 4, 2022
- Dublin World Cup – Dublin, Ireland – December 12, 2022
- Val Di Sole World Cup – Val Di Sole, Italy – December 17, 2022
- Exact Cross Mol – Zilvermeercross – Mol, Belgium, December 23, 2022
- Gavere World Cup – Gavere, Belgium – December 26, 2022
- Superprestige Heusden-Zolder, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium – December 27, 2022
- Superprestige Diegem – Diegem, Belgium – December 28, 2022
- Exact Cross Loenhout – Azencross – Loenhout, Belgium – December 30, 2022
In addition to the “Spirit of Amy D.” for the 2022 cyclocross season, the Foundation will also host a small get-together and meet and greet on site at Cyclocross Nationals, December 9th, 2022, in Hartford, Connecticut. Racers and spectators are encouraged to join the Foundation and past participants for coffee and snacks.
You can join us this #GivingTuesday by donating to help support more the Foundation’s programming here
Much of the funding for Amy D. Foundation comes from community fundraisers and donations. Amy D. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Follow the activities of Amy D Foundation Cyclocross Elite Team at www.amydfoundation.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram