Editor’s note: Erin Huck is one of six women on the USA Cycling Olympic mountain bike long team. Former world champion Kate Courtney is assured a spot, and two U.S. women will join her in Tokyo. 

Mine was not the most auspicious start.

I started racing mountain bikes in my late twenties, and I didn’t exactly ‘burst’ onto the scene, quit my job, and become famous. Instead, I raced for fun and prioritized my career as a mechanical engineer.

I enjoyed the balance of racing and working; eventually earning a role as an engineering program manager, while also experiencing almost imperceptibly steady improvement as a bike racer.

So, needless to say, my goals didn’t include the Olympics. Not at first.

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