JENNIFER YANAZZO grew up encouraged to play sports by her athletic father. She skied, played junior high and high school sports and, with the exception of skiing, never really excelled in any one sport. In college she shifted her focus to developing expertise in special education with concentration in the field of autism. She continued to be active, but still had not found the one sport that made her tingle.

When she met (soon-to-be) husband Joe, Jennifer was introduced to the sport of cycling. While very interested in learning, it wasn’t until she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31 that she found her motivation. While battling through multiple surgeries followed by six months of chemotherapy and all the miserable side effects, she managed to get on her bike everyday. With the guidance, coaching and unending support of Joe, she entered her first cross-country mountain bike race in Vermont less than one year following cancer treatment, and won! The rest is pretty much history… or herstory.

That summer Jennifer also entered her first triathlon, placing third in her class. She continued to compete in triathlon for the thrill and the challenge, but cycling was her true love. Having found a sport that made her tingle, she moved from the beginner category to expert in two years, and continued to compete in both triathlon and cross-country mountain biking. In July 2008, she was crowned National Mountain Bike champion in female cross-country. In October 2008, she won the New York State Single Speed Female championship to the thrill of her loved ones and  Team Sho-Air.

“It never gets easier, you just get faster.”

—Greg LeMond

Jennifer lives and works in a small Upstate New York community just south of Saratoga Springs. During the day, she pours her heart into  intensive work as a behavior analyst in special education and teaching preschool children with autism. Her early mornings, evenings and weekends are spent training  with Joe and their two Dalmatians, Neve and Nico. She also loves sharing her passion for cycling. Now in his sixties, Jennifer’s father got on a bike for the first time this past summer, thanks to the daughter he encouraged in sports. Now Jennifer’s mother is no longer a golf widow — she’s a bike widow — so Jennifer is encouraging her to begin riding. More passion and encouragement from Jennifer »

“If you worry about falling off the bike, you’ll never get on.”

—Lance Armstrong

For 2009, Jennifer intends to achieve podium placements in the New York State Championship series and compete in multiple triathlon events, with the hope of a podium placement in the Xterra Series. While she’s qualified to race in the National Series in Colorado, her summer focus will be on giving back to her community by encouraging local athletes to learn, achieve and conquer in triathlon, cycling and life. As part of that goal, she’ll be creating mountain bike rides that inspire her friends to fall in love with mountain biking as much as she has.