Cynisca Cycling

Tess Edwards

Tess Edwards

Tess Edwards

USA &nbsp&nbsp

HOMETOWN: Ojai, California

DOB: 17 August 2001

Tess is relatively new to cycling but has had an impressive 2023 season. She has had five wins and 18 top ten finishes as she has quickly moved up the ranks of cycling to an elite racer. In 2023, she won two stages in the Intelligentsia Cup Cat 2/3 races and finished second in three others in the series. Moving into the Pro field, she more recently finished 7th at the Criterium Championships in St. Petersburg, Fla., and 6th at the Berkeley Hills Road Race. And she’s just getting started. 

When she isn’t honing her own cycling skills, she can often be found inspiring younger girls to ride. Tess volunteers as a coach for a mountain bike group of girls ages 6-8. What an outstanding role model she makes!

She is exactly the type of rider Cynisca aspires to help reach the top ranks in cycling. 

Q&A with Tess:

What do you consider your strengths in cycling?

“Since I am relatively new to the sport of cycling I feel like I am discovering new strengths all the time. I really enjoy races with shorter punchy climbs and can put out good power attacking and responding to attacks. I like the puzzle that is navigating my way through the bunch to set up a leadout. I am also good at working for others and being a team player in a race (I am tall and can give a good draft to those behind me). I have found my most personal success and best results in small group breakaways and going solo off the front.”

What is your favorite race memory?

“At Intelligentsia this year I raced in the Cat ⅔ field. By the 9th day I had enough points to win the overall omnium without having to race the last day. I had been dying to jump into the Pro race the whole week, so having the overall secured I raced the pro field on the last day. It wasn’t my best race by any means but I learned that being in a field with 70+ women bumping elbows and taking narrow corners at high speeds was my cup of tea.”

What attracted you to bike racing?

“I grew up running track and decided to stop when going to college. My dad had always been trying to get me into cycling and I finally decided to pick up the sport as I was looking for a way to stay active. I quickly fell in love with the sport. Since a young age I always loved competing however I never loved running so when I picked up the bike everything finally clicked. The ability to explore and experience nature on the bike is amazing, however what really attracted me to racing bikes is the high paced intensity of it. Nothing makes winning a race more rewarding than knowing you, and the women racing next to you, put everything they had into it.”

Do you have family members who ride? 

“My father got me into bike racing. He started racing bikes at a young age because my grandfather loved bike racing. My father raced throughout highschool and college and later entered into a career in the cycling industry.”

What are your goals? 

One day I would love to see if I have the potential to race at the highest level on the world tour. I know there is a lot of work between today and then that must be done but I am excited for each step of it. My goals in cycling are to be the best athlete and teammate I can at the highest level I can race at.

Where is your favorite place to ride? 

“I love riding in the mountains of Montecito and Santa Barbara. It is a maze of narrow roads winding up climbs surrounded by oak trees and orchards that you can spend hours riding in.”

Any advice to younger girls who want to get into bike racing?

“If I were to give any advice to young girls trying to get into cycling I would tell them to protect the joy/love they have for it. The joy and passion that you have when you first start a sport you love is what makes sports so special. A sport like bike racing is hard and you aren’t going to be able to push yourself as hard as you need to if you don’t truly love it. So when you are young starting a sport make sure to have fun with it so that 10 years down the line you are still just as excited to get on the start line as you were in your first race.”

Any dream race you’d like to do?

“It’s a dream of mine to race on the cobbles of Roubaix. When I first started riding bikes I watched a little documentary put together by Specialized about the first edition of the women’s Roubaix. The women in the video spent most of the time talking about how hard and gnarly the race was gonna be and how much harder it ended up being than they even thought prior. while watching it I couldn’t help but think, ‘Damn, I wanna do that!'”

 

Follow us as we help talented women climb to the top of the podium!