In spring 2024, I tore my ACL and damaged my MCL and meniscus skiing at Snowmass. Then, exactly six months to the day after surgery, I slipped on wet ground and fractured my kneecap in that same leg. The outlook was grim. I was told that I should give up hopes of cycling or skiing altogether.
I decided to set an ambitious goal and riding became a way to fight depression, rehab my knee, and find forward motion again. One week after surgery, I was pedaling a stationary trainer with one leg. A month later, two. Leadville had always been a lifelong goal, but after two knee surgeries, it took on a deeper meaning. I didn’t just want to finish. I wanted to prove that where you are now is not where your story ends, but what you build from.
Ten months after my second knee surgery, I completed the Leadville Trail 100 MTB in 8 hours and 43 minutes.
This August, I’ll be returning to Leadville. This time riding on behalf of the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF), a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation.
While I’ve been fortunate to rebuild my body, more than 103,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Every day, 17 people die waiting. Every 8 minutes, someone new is added to the transplant waitlist. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives and improve as many as 75 more through tissue and eye donation. Yet while 95% of U.S. adults support organ donation, only 48% are registered donors.
Organ donation is the ultimate second chance. The same mindset that carried me through injury—rebuilding from zero, trusting the process, choosing hope when the future feels uncertain—is at the heart of CKF’s mission. Even after devastating setbacks, there is still forward motion. Still possibility. Still purpose.
I’m riding to help tell those stories, to raise critical funds for CKF’s lifesaving work, and to show that what looks like the end is often just the beginning. If my ride helps even one person avoid the wait for a transplant, it will be worth every mile.
Please consider supporting my fundraising effort. Every donation makes an impact, and 100% of your contribution is tax-deductible. Donations can be made by credit card or check, and every dollar helps CKF continue their mission of saving and improving lives.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
