Many Americans start cycling later in life. We develop a love of bikes during college, or we start riding in our 30’s to lose weight or overcome stress.

This late start, unfortunately, dooms any aspirations we may have to become a top-level bike racer. Most of the best male cyclists started racing as children. 

United Healthcare’s Coryn Rivera is one of the few female cyclists to start as a kid. Rivera first hopped on a bike at age nine, and regularly rode on the back of a tandem bicycle with her father. When she was 10, Rivera competed in her first bike race, and finished 2nd in the boys criterium at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. By the time she was a teenager, she regularly completed 100-mile rides with her dad.

Now 23, Rivera credits her international success to her early start in cycling. Rivera is the fastest sprinter in the United States, and one of the fastest in the world. This summer she won a stage of the prestigious Thuringen Rundfahrt race in Germany, as well as a stage of the Tour of Utah.

“I’ve been racing pro races since I was 16, so I already have a ton of experience at that level,” Rivera says. “You learn how to adjust to that relentless level of racing.”

Rivera’s road to the top was both challenging and lonely.  There were so few female cyclists her age that she often trained with her dad or by herself. At the junior races, Rivera competed in the boys division.  She was so physically fit from cycling that she tested out of Physical Education class in middle school. She skipped team sports in high school and instead focused on bike racing. 

“I’m different, I suppose,” Rivera says. “I was a competitive kid, and I really got engulfed in racing.”

And Rivera has had to overcome the numerous obstacles that are endemic to cycling. Although she competes as a professional, Rivera has often raced with out a salary. She’s had to balance professional commitments with her schoolwork at Marian University. And she’s suffered through injuries. 

In 2011, Rivera was racing the Tour of Qatar when two cyclists in front of her tangled their handlebars and crashed. The mishap sent Rivera crashing to the pavement, and she hit her head and was diagnosed with a concussion. She spent two days in a hospital, and still says she remembers little from the crash. 

In 2013 Rivera decided to take an eight-month break from cycling to decide whether or not she wanted to continue her professional career. She had become frustrated with the sport’s challenging financial situation, and the lack of organization within the teams. Rivera chose to return to cycling. Her competitive drive, she said, is what brought her back. 

With her fast sprint and her penchant for winning criteriums, Rivera is the favorite to win Sunday’s stage in Golden. If she’s able to stay with the group up the Rist Canyon climb on Saturday, she could also win in downtown Fort Collins.

Even if she does not win a stage this week, Rivera says she believes she’s progressing toward other goals, including the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

 “I came back and decided to go all in on cycling,” Rivera says. “Cycling isn’t a glamorous life. I’m OK with that.”