Whitney Allison

What attracted you to Eliel?

Bike Sports is all about having fun, as is Eliel. You see it in Eliel's fun and whimsical designs and how they dare to push the limits with new materials, designs, and fits. Having fun while pushing limits is the ultimate recipe for success.

What about bikes brings you joy?

The bike provides. It can provide transportation for a job or school. It can provide exercise for a healthy body. It can alleviate stress and give you space to think. It can facilitate adventures of your wildest dreams. It can be used for competition and sport. This simple machine can enhance so many facets of so many people's lives and all it asks in return is the occasional bath and minimal maintenance. It's transformative.

How does riding make you a better person?

Being an athlete is my greatest identifier. I've never not been one. Cycling has occupied that space for me for the last 15 years and with that, an exceptionally fortunate one, full of incredible mentors, one-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and lifelong relationships. Even though I enjoy being competitive in races, outside of that, I love helping to shape my community and creating space and support for new riders.

Which rider inspires you the most?

It'd be hard to pin down just one person. I'm continuously inspired by the riders around me and company I keep. Whether it's a fantastic ride by a competitor at a race or a newbie having the guts to show up on their first group ride. When people change the narrative they have written about themselves and exceed their comfort zone, magic happens.

What are your goals for the future? On and off the bike...

Tbh, I'd love to win one of the "big" gravel races...there is a lot that goes into that and rad competition but it's a good goal to have. 2020 was supposed to be the big kickoff for me and gravel. What do they say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Something like that.

What is important to you?

Friends, family, community. Empathy, compassion, and understanding I will never understand a lot of people's experiences. Consuming thoughtfully, making change, not being afraid to be my own thing.

Whitney's Story

Time alone on the bike is one of my favorite introspective times and one of life’s greatest pleasures, maybe it’s just the introverted, modern-day Stoic in me. It’s the combo of being alone with my brain and exploration in nature on an adventure that just does it for me time and time again.

With that, I’ve ridden since 2013 on professional teams, racing in the United States and Europe, constantly learning from and with incredible women- Women’s World Tour races to the local grassroots weekday time trial alike. From the greatest team wins to the darkest moments of suffering, they all roll into the complicated beauty that is being an intrinsically-motivated athlete. I'm looking forward to finally storming the gravel scene in 2021!

My business and racing team, Bike Sports, to me is a triple threat of exploration/adventure, finding joy and humor in the challenge, and daring to dream wildly.