For the Fall of 2021 the Foundation decided to support developing riders and give them the support and opportunity to compete at USA cycling National Cyclocross Championships. The ADF Equity and Opportunity Scholarship gave three riders entry fee, housing, flights, and on the ground mechanic, nutritional consults and support staff while at cyclocross nationals. The aim of the scholarship was to increase representation in the sport of cyclocross and give riders experiences and knowledge that they can then bring back to their local communities. Meet our three recipients below!
Tanieka Duhaney
Taneika Duhaney, is in her first year racing cyclocross after being bitten by the off-road cycling bug. Initially, Duhaney found success as a crit racer but soon found she enjoyed the challenges of riding off road and jumped into gravel with Rooted Vermont in 2021. From there she raced several other iconic gravel races including The Last Best Ride in Montana. Duhaney enjoys the challenge of riding against oneself that gravel brings and loves the camaraderie she feels with fellow competitors. Enjoying off-road so much, Duhaney then picked up a mountain bike and a cyclocross bike to add to her collection. Her first cross race ever was this year’s iconic DCCX race located in Washington, D.C. She immediately connected with the racing and enjoyed the forgiving nature of the cyclocross courses. Duhaney also enjoys the family aspect of cyclocross which has allowed her daughter to race and spectate as well. In addition to working full-time and being a mother of two, Duhaney created the MiniMe cycling initiative which encourages moms to ride with their daughters by providing routes, coaching and mechanical support for mothers and daughters on Minime rides. Additionally, she helps lead rides for her Getting it in Cycling team. Duhaney believes that cycling has grown, “but is still largely male dominant and not very diversified and being a part of the change that I want to see by representing this Foundation would be an extraordinary accomplishment for myself and many women who like me, who wonder if they belong in this sport.”
Steph Shelton
Steph Shelton, was initially introduced to the “glories of cyclocross” via the Trek Cyclocross cup in Madison, Wisconsin and fell in love with the sport and started racing in 2018. Shelton found Madison’s women/trans*/femme friendly bike culture flourishing and greatly appreciated the standard that Madison set for inclusiveness. Upon moving to the Washington, D.C. area, Shelton found like minded cyclists in the Bikenetic Cycling team. She was drawn to the team because of emphasis on creating and building relationships within the community and fostering supportive relationships that did not focus solely on results. In addition to helping put on events with her team, Shelton can be found helping maintain and build mountain bike trails, volunteering with Phoenix bikes or organizing group rides. Shelton hopes that “as a open member of the LGBT community my presence would encourage other members of the LGBT community to have a blast on the cyclocross course.” Shelton would like to use her time with the Foundation to be a conduit to help improve the diversity in cycling and help marginalized communities come and join the cyclocross community.
Sarah Larson
Sarah Larson, started her racing career early as a high school athlete. Her love continued to grow when she moved across the country to Reno, Nevada and worked at a bicycle non-profit with AmeriCorps VISTA. While there she worked with youth cycling programs in the area to get more kids on bikes. This combined her love of giving back to the community with bicycles and inspired her to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Health. Her dream job is to become an active transportations coordinator and blend cycling and public health into a career. In addition to pursuing her Master’s degree and working full time, Larson is secretary of the Indiana Kentucky Cycling Association Board of Directors and will join the regional OVCX board after graduating in 2022 to continue to help organize the local race series and get more cyclists involved in cyclocross. She loves cyclocross because “it is a family friendly sport and you put into it what you get out of it.” Larson takes a holistic approach to the sport and while she believes performing to the best of your ability is important she cares about the experiences and communicating that in a way to encourage other women to try out cyclocross. Larson takes inspiration from Amy Dombroski and wants to take that passion for supporting women in cycling to “continue to share the beauty of cyclocross and uplift WTF cyclists.”