Sometimes all it takes is a happy accident to send us on the path to our destiny.
Former Hazleton area resident Kimberly Zubris discovered competitive cycling after participating in a 10K running race, and just five years later received some of the state's top awards in the sport.
Zubris was recently named the Pennsylvania Cycling Association's Best All-Around Rider champion as well as the 2013 Woman Rider of the Year and Woman Track Rider of the Year.
Zubris, who has a bevy of relatives from Schuylkill County, said she is still rising through the ranks of the sport and was pleasantly surprised to receive the awards after competing against so many accomplished racers.
"I was quite honored and surprised to receive the Rider of the Year awards for both the road and track for last season. It was truly a year of growth for me, working towards upgrading to the elite level in both disciplines," Zubris said. "There are many women who had much more impressive results from the season, with countless wins and podium placings and race at the highest levels of our sport. I am incredibly proud that my hard work and achievements were acknowledged and I was selected out of such outstanding competitors."
Although bicycle racing was a new sport to her, it didn't take long for Zubris to get hooked on it.
"I first started competitive cycling when I was 25 years old," she said. "The year before, I had participated in a 10K running race that also hosted a cycling race later in
the day. While volunteering along the course during the cycling race, I was so drawn to the excitement of the racing that I knew I had to try it for myself."
Zubris was attending graduate school when she started her competitive racing career as a member of the Boston University club team. She got involved with both the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) and USA Cycling collegiate program and rose quickly through the collegiate ranks.
"I was very lucky to have my start in road cycling through the USA Cycling collegiate program. For a newcomer, I can't say enough good things about collegiate cycling, especially in the ECCC," Zubris said. "I started in the Intro category my first year, riding with the help of coaches and mentors in the race, and progressed through the program to eventually be the conference leader in the Women's A category by my final year."
Another twist of fate helped Zubris begin a career in track racing. She moved back to Pennsylvania following graduate school and settled just a few miles away from the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown. The center held weekly pro racing events and Zubris was drawn once again to the excitement the sport brings.
"I started attending the World Series of Bicycling pro racing events on Friday nights as a spectator and had the same reaction as (I did) watching my first road race. I just knew I had to be out on the track racing myself," she said.
Zubris signed up for adult classes in 2012 through a community program that was part of the Air Products Developmental Cycling program. She was so drawn to the classes that she borrowed a bike to take part in them and was hooked instantly.
Although the thrill of competition helped draw Zubris to the sport, she also looked forward to learning from her teammates and growing as a cyclist.
"What first drew me to cycling are the same aspects that keep me lined up to race every weekend: I love the thrill of the races, the tactics and teamwork, and the feeling of truly pushing yourself to your limits," she said. "I also love the ability to progress through the levels of the sport and constantly learning from my teammates and competitors to become a better cyclist."
Zubris now competes in USA Cycling events for the Peanut Butter & Co. Human Zoom team, a regional team based in Philadelphia that supports riders of all abilities and cycling disciplines. Some former ECCC members invited her to join the team and she was happy to accept the invitation.
"Racing with the women of Peanut Butter & Co. Human Zoom has been a great experience and there is nothing quite like the races where I'm able to contribute to a teammate's win or receive the support of the team to achieve my goals," Zubris said.
If her 2013 results are any indication, Zubris is achieving her goals in a hurry. She finished first in a variety of events during the seven months of racing in the 2013 series. She competed in a variety of disciplines during the season, including criteriums, which are road races on a course less than a mile long, and omniums, which include six different events as part of the competition.
Zubris finished first in the Piscitello Law Great Valley and Rock Lititz Tour criteriums and grabbed the top spot in 11 different Masters & Rookies events, including three omniums. She also finished in the top three in two FUJI Super Tuesday Pro-Am Series omniums and quickly advanced from racing as a rookie to sharing the road with the pros.
"It was a great year for me in so many ways. It was the first year where I had multiple wins on the road and track," Zubris said. "The highlight of the season was placing third in the omnium during the Women's Open night of the World Series of Bicycling. To go from competing in the Masters & Rookies events to the pro racing during the season in itself was a personal goal of mine, so to place in an omnium event was a thrilling and motivating point in my season."
Zubris is looking forward to continuing her growth in the sport this season and will start off the year competing at the Category 2 level.
"It will be exciting to start the year off competing at the elite level and it will certainly be a chance to learn from some of the very best women in the sport," she said. "My goals are to keep competing at the highest level I can and to see how far it will take me. With that in mind, this season will be focused on events that are suited to my strengths, gaining experience at bigger races and learning as much as I can along the way."