Natalie Quinn
Natalie grew up on the slopes of Utah’s snow-capped mountains where her dad taught her and her sister to ski. By the time she was 16, she had dedicated half of her life to the sport and had the opportunity to become a professional downhill ski racer. She ultimately concluded that there was far too much in life to explore to commit to skiing full time. Natalie began trying other sports at her high school and was curious about the mountain biking team. She was a natural and became serious about racing which led her to race with Fort Lewis College’s varsity cycling program.
Once she got to college and realized just how many different types of bike racing were out there, Natalie began to race in just about every race the team would bring her to. She discovered that she loved road racing and focused on it in 2023. She got her first taste of racing in Europe with USA Cycling. When it came time for the American road race national championship, Natalie worked to stay with the main group until the closing kilometers, and won the Under-23 race, earning her first national title.
The 2024 season is her first as a pro and Natalie will balance training and racing with university. She is studying for a degree in environmental conservation and management and is interested in food accessibility and sustainable agriculture.
Fun Facts
What is your favorite climb? What makes it special?
There's an old road near where I grew up that used to be the main access point for Snowbasin Ski Resort. It's closed to cars now and only bikes and hikers can go on it. I really like that climb. It's in a really beautiful area and it's completely safe from car traffic. It can be done on a road bike, but if you do it on a mountain bike you can keep going all the way to the top of Snowbasin which is an awesome climb.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
Aotearoa (New Zealand). It looks like an amazing place to spend some time. Additionally, I've always wanted to visit some of the places where Lord of the Rings was filmed. I think it would be fun to make a bikepacking/backpacking trip out of the places they filmed.
Who is your favorite athlete in any sport? What do you admire about them?
Mikaela Shiffrin. I remember watching her first World Cup ski race when I was pretty young, and it's been awesome watching her become the GOAT of ski racing.
Which emoji do you use the most?
Either 😂 or 💀
Think about your best teammate ever. What was the quality in them that you appreciated?
The teammates I'm thinking of aren't afraid of hard work and are willing to do all they can to execute the race plan. They also weren't afraid to try new things tactically, and everyone was willing and ready to work for whoever felt best that day. They are also awesome friends and we could go and have fun together off the bike!
Date of birth: 12/23/2001
Hometown, Country: Ogden, Utah, USA
Languages: English
Nickname: Nat