WE WERE delighted when Rebecca Rusch took the time to talk to us about her sporting career and what makes her tick. The six-time world champion and four-time Leadville 100 champ also works as a part-time firefighter and is the founder of SRAM Gold Rusch Tour and Private Idaho. The first promotes women’s cycling while the second is her way of introducing people to her hometown. She is also passionate about giving to and working with bike charities.

Rebecca has excelled at every sport she’s taken up and continues to set herself new challenges whenever she can. Her book, Rusch To Glory,  is a celebration of the adventures she’s enjoyed and what motivates her to push her body and mind to the limit. Included are stories such as swimming the Grand Canyon on a boogie board and what’s it’s like to win Leadville.

When all is said and done, despite the endurance and sporting accomplishments she is so well known for, Rebecca is often most satisfied when spending time with her dog Diesel. 

Read on to find out more about the life of this very extraordinary lady and her passion for everything she’s involved in.

When did you first get involved in outdoor pursuits and were there any strong early influences in your life in terms of sport and adventure?

I got involved with sports very early on in life by camping in my backyard. I loved to be outside and our annual camping trips around the country were the highlight of my year. Driving to an unknown place, hiking and sleeping in the dirt was so much fun for me as a kid. That influenced me a lot and I knew I wanted to travel and keep seeing places like that and sleep without a roof over my head. These early adventures strongly influenced me, so I have to thank my mum for taking us camping every summer.

Could you tell us about some of the sports you have been involved in and some of your wildest adventures with them?

My sports are:

Cross country running (high school and college)

Road biking (started in college for a brief time)

Aerobics (for a very short time in college)

Outrigger canoe racing

Whitewater rafting (US women’s whitewater raft team)

Cross country skiing (masters world champ)

Back country skiing (winter training in Idaho)

Fat biking (winter activity in Idaho)

Adventure Racing (ten years and world champion)

Mountain bike racing (multiple time world, national and Leadville Trail 100 champion)

Wildest adventures? Well there are too many to tell – that’s why you have to read the book!

You have excelled at mountain biking and have won many national events setting several records along the way. What have been some of the highlights?

Winning 24-hour solo MTB world championships three times was my first really big success in mountain biking. Winning the first time may have been a fluke, but after three times in a row, I knew I was doing something right and had earned a reputation I am proud of.

Winning the Leadville Trail 100 four times in a row also had the same affect, although riding 100 miles instead of all night was a ‘short’ distance for me, so this race required a ton of specific training and working on my weaknesses to get faster at shorter events.

I’m also very proud of my Kokopelli Trail record 134 miles 13:32 hrs. I’m proud of this because I did it alone, with no prizes or spectators to cheer me on. I had to motivate myself and the ride did not go perfectly. I had a bad crash, dislocated my finger and also had to ride two hours during the night without any lights when my headlamp malfunctioned. I stuck with it and still broke the record.

 Could you tell us some more about SRAM Gold Rusch Tour? 

I launched the SRAM Gold Rusch Tour to help grow the women’s cycling community and provide a network of support for women who wanted to learn more about cycling. The goal is to break down barriers of entry and provide opportunity for more women to get involved. All of the events are different, but the goal is the same: to get women together to ride, gain knowledge, skill and friendships.

And Rebecca’s Private Idaho?

I launched Rebecca’s Private Idaho to bring people to my hometown training ground and show them how magical Idaho is. I also wanted to do my part to provide for bike charities that are important to me (IMBA, People For Bikes, World Bicycle Relief). This event is my way to do both things in one event: welcome people to my hometown and also provide support to get more people on bikes.

What can readers expect from Rusch To Glory and what’s the message you try to instil on those who will read the book?

Rusch to Glory is full of inspirational stories like swimming the Grand Canyon on a boogie board, adventure racing around the world, what it’s like to win Leadville. What I hope people gain by reading some of my stories is the motivation to get out and create an adventure of their own, to push themselves a little further.

What’s life like as a fire-fighter and how does it feel to have such a respected role in society?

I feel honoured to be a member of the Ketchum Fire Department. I respect my co-workers so much and am proud to be part of such a talented group of people. The training for firefighting requires me to use skills I have like teamwork, strategical, working quickly under pressure. But it also challenges me in different ways and makes me learn new things like engineering and fire science. I love being able to help when there is an emergency and if I wasn’t a bike racer and author – I would certainly be a full time firefighter.

You’re a passionate dog walker and spend a lot of time out and about with Diesel. What’s he like to live with and what are some of his quirky characteristics?

Diesel is my mood enhancer. Anytime I feel sad or lost, all I have to do is hang out with him. He wakes up happy every single day, loves to play outside and as long as there are squirrels and sticks to chase, he is happy. He makes me realise that I need to live in the moment and just be happy and take one day at a time.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year and beyond?

I’m always planning and looking for the next adventure! I just returned from a great trip to South East Asia where I rode a long way on my bike.

I will obviously be doing the rest of the SRAM Gold Rusch events on the calendar. I will also be in Leadville to sign books and offer free clinics for racers.

After that, I’m still searching for what the next big thing might be. I have some cool ideas, but you’ll have to wait to find out!