Real Rider Stories: Sarah Pedals to the Podium

When you see a professional rider racing at the top of their game you can only assume that they must have been riding all their lives, racing since they could reach the pedals, spending every waking moment training, destined to join the pro circuit from the moment the training wheels came off their first bike. For some riders, this is certainly true. However, this rider (who has one of those wonderfully infectious laughs that fills a room), didn’t get into the sport of cycling until later in life while attending Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

Sarah Sturm ventured from her hometown in Albuquerque, New Mexico to the Southwest corner of Colorado starting school as a soccer player but eventually found herself immersed into the mountain biking scene when she decided to join the Collegiate Cycling Program . “I think I stuck with cycling because I was so bad at it at first, I met all of my friends on the team so I wanted to stick with it probably just to socialize and hang out with everyone. That sort of turned into me being stubborn and not giving up on mountain biking.” 

That stubbornness, motivation, and of course, having a good time with her fellow mountain biking enthusiasts, eventually lead Sarah to win a Collegiate National MTB Title.

“Things just sort of rolled after that, I joined a local XC MTB team and raced all over the country, then I sort of quit and started doing adventure rides and Enduros, and got back into racing cross because of Single Speed Worlds in Portland. I got 2nd in the SSCX race at Nationals in Reno [NV] where I kind of got back on the map, a few months later I signed with Specialized to race Cyclocross. Next was Gravel and here we are!”

Having previously gone through a Retül fit on her Specialized Diverge before taking the win at this year’s Belgian Waffle Ride, Sarah is certainly no stranger to knowing how important a proper bike fit is when getting ready for race season. “I was racing the US Open of CX and I wanted to make sure I was getting the most out of my [Specialized] Crux. Also, working with the team in Boulder I knew they'd understand my needs as a mountain biker/cx racer.” 

Williams teaching Sarah the CX aero racing position.

Even though Sarah had gone through a Retül fit on her Diverge, transferring that data over to the Crux was not going to glean the same results. “One of the biggest things I learned about my fit was how different each discipline is in terms of how we want to fit on a bike. Even though a Diverge and Crux look really similar, the way I ride and fit on each with the racing in mind is very different.”

Her positioning on the Diverge was more relaxed to provide comfort for 5-9 hours of racing. This means that the cockpit was set up higher and the reach is more neutral. “On my Crux, we want to maximize power for short periods of time so we pushed the bars out and down and even added a little tilt in the saddle for hopping on and off the bike quickly and easily.” Fine tuning the Power Mimic saddle and handlebar position ultimately helped to improve Sarah’s handling and weight distribution on the bike, according to Sports Scientist and Retül Fitter Jason Williams. 

“After my fit I raced the US Open of Cyclocross in Boulder [Colorado]. Though the changes were small they didn't go unnoticed. During the races I felt powerful on the flat sections, perhaps more so than I had been at the beginning of the season.” Sarah continued to race through the weekend where she ended up snagging her first UCI CX podium finish. Definitely a great start to the Cyclocross season!

“My goal is to continue racing happy and healthy, a podium finish is always on the mind too. I will always turn to a bike fit to help with all of those pieces, it's a huge part of the equation as a professional athlete (or really anyone who rides a bike, even for commuting). You are fixed to a machine and your body will adapt to that position, so if you make sure that is healthy (or fast) then that's what you're body gets!” Sarah is now focusing on Nationals in December where she’ll race both the Elite women's and the Single Speed race to defend her National title from the previous year.

“The whole experience with Retül was special, it's exciting to learn about how your body works with a bicycle, especially from a willing professional. Everyone honestly can benefit from this knowledge, no matter who you are or what you do on a bike. If it keeps you healthy, fast and pain free then why wouldn't you look into a fit?!” 

Everyone has something to gain from a Retül fit. You don’t have to be a professional in order to benefit from a professional bike fit experience. Whether you just want to be a little bit fast, ride a little longer, or not think about how uncomfortable you are when shredding the trails with your best buds, then a bike fit should be the next step.

Sarah thought it was also important to note that, “My dog, Norman, was really impressed with the fit process and feels like he also received adequate attention in the form of treats and head pets.” We do love visits from our four-legged friends too… Looking forward to seeing Sarah defend her National title in December and best of luck with the CX season! (and lots of head pets for Norman).