This hour has 42 minutes: How we make time for family, career, and bikes.

A webinar by Kim Coleman and Nikki Peterson @npetersonsocal

Nikki and Kim met in the lovely state of Vermont in 2017. Nikki and her boyfriend, Nic, stayed with Kim, her husband Ben, and their son Nico for a ProXCT Mountain Bike race. Nikki and Kim bonded over homemade pizza about their passion to get more women on bikes, and have since kept in touch through phone calls, text messages, and social media. Whether it’s talking about research articles on women’s participation in sport, the highs and lows of training, the funny things that Kim’s children say/do, or delicious food, the two have colorful conversations that are also entertaining! They are also both very busy women.

In their talk, Nikki and Kim will share the challenges they have as they balance all of their passions and identities, as well as strategies they use to help navigate the push and pull of competing responsibilities. Though their families and careers differ, they find many similarities in challenges and strategies.

Nikki Peterson is a Professional Mountain Biker and newbie gravel racer for KS Kenda Women, a Professional Mountain Bike team she co-founded and co-manages with her teammates. Their mission is to increase the numbers of women racing bikes by creating a tangible community where women are encouraged, inspired, and mentored to excel in the sport. To accomplish this, they have a strong team presence at races, create outreach experiences at events and in their hometowns, and show positive examples of sportsmanship while excelling in mountain bike and gravel competitions. In September of 2019, Nikki was hired as the Program Coordinator for the NICA SoCal League, which has over 1,500 student-athletes and 850 coaches. In this role, she is responsible for fundraising and marketing, the GRiT program (Girls Riding Together), the Skills Coach Trainer program, and leading the event production for the 6-race series. With a B.S. in Nutrition, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and M.A. in Education, Nikki is stoked to use her education and life experiences to get kids, coaches, and families enjoying a healthy lifestyle in the outdoors, preferably on bikes! She is also a USAC Level 3 coach and recently began coaching with Source Endurance. Nikki resides in the beautiful mountain town of Idyllwild, CA with her boyfriend, Nic, and a middle-aged Yorkie, Fischer. 

Kim Coleman first started riding bikes when long distance trail running was not enough exercise to satisfy her tenacious Australian cattle dog, Tess. Her then boyfriend (now husband) suggested she take the dog mountain biking. She rented a demo bike and fell in love. In the following years, Kim’s involvement in the cycling community grew, and in 2017, she joined the Trek Women’s Advocate program. During the same time period, she got married, moved from Vermont to Virginia and back, earned a Ph.D. in forestry, and welcomed two children. Throughout it all, bikes remained a constant passion. While Kim loves exploring Vermont’s gravel roads, her primary focus in terms of racing is cyclocross (although she occasionally races cross-country mountain bikes). During the workweek Kim can be found at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Center for Earth and Environmental Science, where she is an Assistant Professor. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, two small children, and their rambunctious border collie.

Join us for the full DIY Gravel Summer Webinar Series:

• June 5th – Amber Pierce: Growth Mindset: Leaning In & Out of your Comfort Zone
• June 12th – Jess Cerra @jesscerra and Janel Spilker: Nutrition & Prep Focusing on Environment: Heat, Cold, Altitude, Etc
• June 19th – Rachel Cohen @rachel-cohen: New to Navigation: Planning a Route That Checks All Your Boxes
• June 26th – Lentine Alexis @lentinealexis: Flavor as Fuel: Why Flavorful, Real Food Stokes Our Fire For Greatness + Five Ways to Up Your Ride Food Game
• July 3 – Kim Coleman and Nikki Peterson @npetersonsocal: This hour has 42 minutes: How we Make Time for Family, Career, and Bikes
• July 10 – Sarah Lamb: Bike Maintenance Essentials Pt 1
• July 17- Sarah Lamb: Bike Maintenance Essentials: Pt 2
• July 24- Isabel Reyes-Todd: How to approach your first Gravel Event
• July 31- Mary Zider and Andrea Smith: Gravel Skills Clinic
• August 7- Emily Kraus, MD, @ekraus: Injury Prevention and Considerations