Rebecca Rusch

Adventure racing calls for a deep well of skills: paddling, rock climbing, biking, navigating, skiing, and more. Since turning pro in 2001, Rebecca Rusch has proven to the world she has what it takes to execute any of the above even after going beyond her limits in far flung places like Kyrgyzstan and Tibet. After winning adventure races became routine, she added 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike racing to her résumé and proceeded to dominate the sport in 2006, 2007, and is currently two time World Champion.

Rusch moved to California from the stark plains of Illinois after college to pursue rock climbing. She soon racked up ascents of big walls from Yosemite to Zion. Paddling was next as she rose through local competitive ranks to race with the world-famous Offshore Canoe Club’s women’s outrigger team in the brutal Molokai crossing. Adventure Racing was the next challenge. The first race she entered was a qualifier for the Australian Eco-challenge. “We ended up winning the race. The rest is history!”

So what do you do if you win the first major race you’ve ever entered? Quit your job, move into your Ford Bronco, and set your sights on becoming the best. After several years on the road, she landed in Ketchum, Idaho which is currently her home base. In the nine years since that first adventure race, Rusch became one of the strongest female captains in the sport and garnered an incredibly deep résumé.

In 2006, Rebecca successfully turned her talents toward endurance solo mountain bike races while continuing to compete in the toughest adventure races. In 2006, she won the Solo Mountain Biking Nationals, and took second in Worlds. In 2007, she became the 24 Hour Solo Mountain Biking World Champion. In 2008, Rebecca remained in the top seat by once again dominating the World Championships.

Monday means time to catch up....

November 16, 2009

Hello Everyone,

Monday means time to catch up, and it’s a little hard to stay inside on the computer when it is beautiful outside. The new gondola here in Sun Valley is spinning, meaning people are in garages waxing skis and already telling tall tales! Last weekend as most of you know, there was an encore showing of Race Across the Sky in Boise. I wanted to share some photos from last weeks fun.

I threw the party at G Fit Studio where my mechanic Jason holds court along with exercise physiologist, Corey Hart. Fearing no one would show up for the party, I did a media blitz in Boise with an appearance on theChannel 7 evening news . I also did a radio spot with the most listened to morning show in Boise, 94.9 The River. That was topped off with a great story in the Idaho Statesman newspaper. I also cruised around to local bike shops and coffee shops and putting up flyers and chatting with local cyclists. The response has been great from these little, more personal shop visits and the fans are loving it!

The plan worked and over 100 people jammed into G Fit Studio to eat, drink and get prepped for the Race Across the Sky movie showing. We spent a couple hours mingling over food, Red Bull , Pabst Blue Ribbon and Prosecco. I hosted a free raffle with three tables full of great products from SRAM, KT Tape, Suunto, Light and Motion, Hammer Nutrition, Hydrapak, Skins compression tights, Smartwool, Smith Optics and Buff. Free food, free drink and free gear! Everyone seemed very happy!

After the party, the crowd moved over to the movie theater. This was the 2nd showing of Race Across the Sky in Boise. The first showing sold out and this one was no different. I was glad that I had purchased 10 tickets online for myself and a few others. It was actually oversold and a few of us ended up sitting on the floor to watch the film. The Boise cycling community is super active and it was great to here them cheer when I came onto the screen. It was a great night and the film gets me fired up for the 2010 bike racing season! Thanks to everyone who helped with the Boise movie event, especially Jason Bauer at G Fit, Shea Andersen and Outside Media.

You are all awesome! – Reba

Stats for Rebecca Rusch are coming soon.