Sarah Sturm, A Badass On The Bike!
We're excited to introduce you to Trail Butter Pro, Sarah Sturm! Sarah is an incredible athlete and awesome person. We hope you enjoy getting to know Sarah...
And, thanks Sarah for sharing a bit about yourself with our community!
A little bit about me, I’m a professional cyclist for @iamspecialized by day and graphic designer by night (literally). I really enjoy the balance of both lives, but we’ll get to that later! I race mostly gravel and cyclocross though most of my riding is done on the mountain bike, mainly because of where I live and the adventures that motivate me. I live in Durango, Colorado with my boyfriend and dog, Norman who is much more famous than I am.
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Let's take a minute to talk about motivation as an athlete or just as a human being trying their best to be happy and healthy. Now more than ever it’s important to work on ways to stay motivated to keep a healthy immune system and healthy mindset.
For me, big adventures are what keep me going, I’m not the type of athlete to crank out a bunch of intervals for the sake of doing intervals but I WILL suffer for hours to get to a sweet campsite. Or, let’s be real, most of the time it’s just going out for a ride and knowing that there is a delicious cookie and a happy dog waiting for me at home that motivates me. During the pandemic I’ve been trying longer runs with my dog, Norman, it’s a way that we can both get outside together. Running isn’t something I’m naturally efficient at so I REALLY get a good workout. Whatever gets you outside and moving around is a win, it doesn’t have to be huge, it doesn’t have to be epic or a PR, it’s a balance of pushing yourself but also just being kind and accepting the days where a walk is all you’ve got!
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Now we get to talk about the thing that I’ve yet to achieve but will always strive for, the elusive idea of balance in one's life. Over 10 years of riding and racing have helped me learn that I am my happiest (and fastest) when I have other facets in my life other than cycling. I’ve always been good at stretching myself too thin, so that’s something that I have to work on (with the help of a coach) because I naturally like to take too much on.
But a good balance of art, design, and bike racing is my happy place and helps me to be the best version of each. It’s less about balance and more about finding out what makes you excited if I have too much of anything I will most certainly burn out.
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I wanted to leave you all with a little encouragement in a tough time. More than ever it’s important to be kind, to ourselves, and to each other. It’s really easy to carry judgment right now, even when we’re outside trying to be healthy. I’ve experienced a lot of mixed feelings out there on the trails, trying to be safe and keep healthy can be extremely difficult but all we can do is change our own actions and hope that others follow suit. So bring a yummy trail snack, and maybe one to hand to that extra grouchy person out there, and spread the love. Literally.
