Maria Santiago

Cat 3

Maria began her cycling career at the 2011 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, the infamous 50-mile race that summits two mountain passes. Never having been on a road bike, she finished in the top 20 of her category riding a borrowed bike two sizes too big. Just one year later, she won her category in the same race. In cycling, Maria found something she never knew she was looking for. Nothing else had ever quite “clicked” like it did when she was hammering up a hill at 10,000 feet. She discovered a passion for the training, the respect and camaraderie of fellow cyclists, and the health of a cycling life. Maria finds that the clarity which comes with racing brings her strengths and weaknesses into sharp focus. This focus, as well as some blood, sweat, and tears, enabled her to upgrade to Cat 3 after just one year on the saddle. Maria is proud to ride for her new team, Naked p/b TriBella, and race and train on LAAF Bikes and CThree Wheels, her new sponsor.

Personal goal: I would like to become a strong and talented mountain biker. There are so many beautiful trails to ride. The sound of knobby tires on the earth, the sun passing through the trees, and the meditation mixed with intimidation (for me anyway) is a combination that I hope to feel completely in tune with for 2013.

Nickname: Santiago and Scalpel
Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA and Portland, OR
Current Home: Durango, CO
Racing Disciplines: Road, with Mountain, Running and Cyclocross for fun
Strengths: Climbing
Road Racing Since: 2011
Favorite Race: A tie between Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and Tour of the Gila
Hobbies: Painting, Playing the Piano, and Laughing about the little things
Favorite Post Race Drink: Homemade fruit smoothie with, yogurt, milk, peanut butter and Organic Life liquid multi-vitamin. If I am in a pinch, the Vegan Sport Recovery Accelerator or Naked Juice Protein Shake are great too
Favorite During Race Drink: Tailwind (made here in Durango)
Bikes: Sponsored by LAAF Bikes and CThree Wheels
Racing Highlights: 1^st in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and 2^nd In the Colorado State Hill Climb Championships. Completing my first Stage Race at the Gila was a highlight too!
Rollers or trainer: Trainer
Bibs or shorts: bibs and shorts
Skinsuit or kit: both
Speedplay, Look or Shimano: Shimano but I haven’t tried the others yet
Carbon or steel: Carbon
If you could ride your bike anywhere, where would it be? Italy

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Who We Are
- Naked Women’s Racing was founded in November 2010 by three competitive cyclists passionate about women’s racing. The team has grown to include 25 women in all categories of competitive cycling with a primary focus on road cycling. The team also competes in track, cyclocross, and mountain biking with national and state champions in each discipline. In 2012, the team incorporated a club to foster women who are cycling enthusiasts and thinking of trying out racing. The group of dedicated women athletes share a commitment to a healthy lifestyle through cycling as well as helping the Colorado community. Our goals are to encourage women to engage in a healthy lifestyle through the friendship, teamwork and fun that cycling offers; to assist in our community through our Ride for Reading service; to help others get to the next level through hard training and racing.; to increase the visability of our generous sponsors through participating in races, paid charity and team group rides while expecting our members to participate in social networking to provide positive support of our sponsors; and to be conscientious of our personal character on and off the bike so we can continue to promote the sport and our sponsors in a positive light while remaining “drama-free.” More »

Maria Santiago

Cat 3

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