We’ve got an exciting line-up for this year’s Seattle Bicycle Expo, to be held March 9 and 10. From thrilling stunt shows to DIY-crafts to inspiring presenters, Expo has it all. A special lineup of speakers and presentations will take to three separate stages, headlined by The Ryan Leech Stunt show, London 2012 silver medalist Jennie Reed, and photojournalist Mark Johnson. Leading up to the Seattle Bike Expo, we will highlight some of these presenters here on the blog.
You’re in for a real treat this year as we’ve got no less than three Olympic athletes presenting at Bike Expo!
Jennie Reed: 2012 Olympic Silver medalist
Born and raised in the greater Seattle area, Olympic medalist Jennie Reed was introduced to track cycling at the Marymoor Velodrome by her father when she was 16. She was hooked immediately.
She participated in her first Junior National Championships that same year and won two National titles.
She then continued on to become two-time US Female Cycling Athlete of the Year (2011 & 1998), 14-time National Champion, 2008 World Champion in the Women’s Keirin, and earn 24 International Track Cycling medals.
After a highly successful 12-year career Jennie was ready to move on, go back to school and spend quality time with her family in the Puget Sound region.
But then in 2009, changes to the Olympic Track Cycling Schedule were announced and Jennie’s old teammate and training partner, Sarah Hammer, called her asking if she had anything left in her tank. Sarah wanted a chance to compete in the new Olympic event – the Team Pursuit –and she wanted Jennie to join her. Jennie deliberated; in order to become a Team Pursuit rider she would have to transition into an endurance rider after have been a sprinter for 12 years. But the intrigue of attempting to do something which she wasn’t sure was physically possible as well as the allure of becoming part of a team after racing as an individual for so many years, was too big to resist so Jennie returned to the track…
Jill Kintner: 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist
Competitive in BMX, Mountain Cross, Downhill, Slalom and Pumptrack racing, Jill Kintner is one of the most dominant female dirt cyclists in the world. She is a two-time USA Downhill Champion, three-time UCI 4X World Champion, four-time US National Champion in 4X, USA Slalom Champion, Olympic bronze medalist, and US National and World Champion in BMX.
Born in Burien, Wash, Jill began riding BMX when she was just seven years old.
“I was the only girl in our neighborhood, and I would go on these bike missions with the boys all the time,” she remembers.
She started competing, and claimed her first national title and sponsor in 1990 at just nine years old. She turned pro in 1995 at the tender age of 14 and went on to build an impressive BMX career. After earning more than 70 wins including the NBL National Series and ABA World Championship pro titles, she began looking for a new challenge, a quest that would continue to drive her throughout her cycling career.
Kintner jumped into the emerging sport of mountain bike 4 Cross (4X), a fast-moving sprint down a winding, varied course with four riders racing head to head.
She quickly fought her way to the top, taking her first U.S. National 4X title in her rookie year. The wins piled up and she virtually dominated the sport for years. Among her countless 4X podiums, Kintner collected three UCI World Championship titles, 15 World Cup wins, 2 World Cup overall title, and four U.S. National titles.
Jill came out of BMX retirement in early 2007 with the objective of being included in the US BMX team for the 2008 Olympics.
She successfully claimed a spot on the team and didn’t disappoint them, returning from the Beijing Olympic wearing a bronze medal.
Driven by a desire to challenge herself and deepen her skills, Kintner is now fiercely competitive in a third discipline, downhill mountain bike racing. She has already claiming two consecutive Downhill U.S. National Championships in her first two years in the downhill scene, and there is no way of telling what else she might accomplish!
Megan Fisher: 2012 Paralympic Gold and Silver medalist
Megan Fisher is a lifelong athlete who never let her injury, a below knee amputation resulting from a horrific car accident, slow her down. In fact, Megan says that she has “done more with one leg than she ever would have done with two.”
Megan is an accomplished paratriathlete and cyclists whose accolades include six world champion titles and a 2012 Paralympic Gold and Silver medal.
Megan began representing Team USA in international cycling and ITU Triathlon competitions five years ago. In the past three years, she has focused primarily on cycling in preparation for the Paralympic Games. Megan has also competed in XTERRA Off-Road Triathlons where she won two world championship titles as the first female challenged athlete to ever attempt such an endeavor.
Megan also loves mountain biking and is looking forward to the day when mountain biking is included as a Paralympic sport.
When she is not training or competing, Megan is busy completing her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Washington in Seattle.
