Stacey Barbossa has ALWAYS been an athlete. Basketball and softball were her passions from first gradethrough high school and college. Stacey even played semi-pro softball in New Jersey as well as in California. Competitive? You bet…
While in chiropractic college in Los Angeles, Stacey took up mountain biking, riding the hills in and around Southern California. Upon returning to New Jersey, she was encouraged to enter a mountain bike race and fell in love with the sport as well as the competition. Stacey entered an off- road triathlon and then took on adventure racing, running races, and road triathlons. A driven, borderline psychopath, Stacey progressed from sprint triathlons to Ironman, from 5Ks to marathons.
Stacey was training for Ironman Wisconsin in 2008 and met a group of girls from the Montclair Cyclists on a ride sponsored by the Bicycle Touring Club of New Jersey. She was encouraged to join the team and did so, merely hoping to improve her bike split in triathlon.
A leg injury in early 2009, while training for the Boston Marathon, forced Stacey (reluctantly) to focus exclusively on cycling and a road racer was born! A chance encounter with cyclocross legend, Roger Aspholm, exposed Stacey to cyclocross. She immediately gravitated to the sport and it has become her main focus and passion.
Stacey currently races for Team Colavita. She is a Category 1/Elite Cyclocross racer, Category 1 mountain biker and Category 3 Road Racer. In 2014, Stacey earned a spot on two USA Cycling Masters National Championship podiums, a Silver medal at the Cyclocross National Championship in Austin, TX and a Bronze medal at the MTB National Championship in Macungie, PA. She won the bronze medal at both the 2012 and 2013 Masters Cyclocross National Championships and finished 22nd overall in the Elite Women’s National Championship Race.
Height: 5’5″
December Weight: 122-125lbs (“I’m still racing cyclocross in December!”)
Race Weight: 122-125 lbs
Off Season Weight: (“Whenever that is!”) 125-129 lbs
Birthdate: October 25, 1966

Childhood Heroes: “Women who put women’s athletics on the map. Basketball icons Ann Meyers and Carol Blazejowski, along with Olympic softball players Lisa Fernandez and Dot Richardson.”
Hobbies and Interests: “I really enjoy completing all kinds of projects around the house. Snowboarding and hiking are also some of my favorite activities.”
Favorite Movies: “Raiders of the Lost Ark. I love the adventure, the excitement, the humor.”
Musical Tastes: “I’m all over the map, depending on my mood. I’m not particularly fond of rap and country… Give me some rock, pop, alternative, and dance music.”
Favorite TV Shows: “House Hunters International… I love seeing homes in other parts of the world.”
Favorite Meal: “Chicken parm, pounded really thin, no cheese, angel hair pasta on the side, with a glass of pinot noir. Mmmmmm.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I really don’t eat breakfast cereal, but if I had to choose I would say Count Chocula. Yeah, definitely Count Chocula!”
Favorite Pre-Race Meal: “My specialty… Eggs in the microwave on whole wheat toast with ketchup! Make sure you only put them in for 1:30 or you will have a very, very messy microwave.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate with chocolate chips and a chocolate ribbon, with sprinkles… you guessed it, CHOCOLATE! Oh yeah, add some hot fudge for good measure.”
Childhood Dream: “To play professional basketball.”
First Car: “1984 Dodge Aspen Station wagon. My uncle gave me that car and it was definitely the party mobile in high school. I want to add that my favorite car is the 1966 Mustang Convertible that my family gave me when I graduated from Chiropractic College. Wish I had more time to drive it, but I’m too busy training!”
First Job: “A girl I played softball with was the manager at a local variety store and she hired me as a cashier, stock person, salesperson, general gopher.”
Favorite Vacation Spot: “Belgium.”
Pre-Race Feeling: “Like I’m going to explode out of my skin, like I’m right on the edge, ready to GOOOO! It’s a combination of excitement, exhilaration, and nausea. Actually, not very pleasant.”
Early Racing Memory: “I remember thinking that all of the road racers were so darn serious. Come on, lighten up, we’re having fun riding our bikes.”
Funny Racing Memory: “My first road race experience at the Branchbrook Park Training Series in 2009. I picked up my number and promptly pinned it where I pinned my number for EVERY other race I competed in up to that point – on the FRONT of my jersey. Thank you, Cyndi Steiner, for NOT falling on the floor laughing, and instead assisting me in the fine art of number placement for a bike race.”
Greatest Racing Moment: “January 2015 Cyclocross Nationals in Austin, TX….I visualized the race hundreds of times in my mind, but never once did I consider that I would be back near the middle of the pack before we even hit the first turn. Yet, that’s where I found myself…. a frozen foot and a missed pedal at the start will do that. Finishing off the podium was simply not an option. I called upon every aspect of my training to pull myself up to second place on a tight and deceptively technical course. I had tunnel vision, focused only on catching the next girl and then the next, then fought hard to hold on when I realized that a win was beyond my reach. In the final pivotal moments of the race, I summoned every bit of fight I had left to get to the top of the last hill and then sprint for the silver medal. I left everything I had out there on the course and I was truly happy, just not yet satisfied. Then again, I’m never satisfied. Isn’t that what it takes to keep pushing yourself when your body and your mind are telling you to stop? Never, ever give up. ”

Most Painful Moment In Life: “On July 26, 2003, I was involved in a collision with a SUV while out training for a triathlon. I suffered multiple permanent physical injuries, but the most painful part was the psychological impact. It literally took me years to come back physically, psychologically, and emotionally from the trauma. It was a very dark time in my life.”
Worst Injury from Racing: “Oh boy. As a cyclocross racer, there have been quite a few bumps, bruises, cuts, abrasions… At the Horseshoe Scramble in 2009, I crashed and broke my thumb [but still got up and won the race].
“The most painful injury – not necessarily physical – was at Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, OR in 2010. I was in third place, visualizing that podium, when I crested a hill with another girl right on my shoulder. She had the good line down, but I refused to relinquish my position, so I bombed down a super sketchy line and crashed hard over the handlebars, off the course. I injured my ribs, my hip, my knee, my elbow, you name it… I was able to continue, but finished a VERY disappointing 7th. I still beat myself up to this day over that decision. If I just sat in behind her, on the good line down that descent, I would have at least had a chance to overtake her. Instead, I was overaggressive and paid the price.”
Closest Racing Friends: “Jennifer DeFalco, Jocelyn Linscott, Sean Runnette, Lauren Twombly, Lauren Dagostino.”
Funniest Racer: “Jocelyn Linscott. She always has something hilarious coming out of her mouth. We have a similar warped sense of humor.”
Favorite Race: “Nittany Lion Cross….typically it’s the first big race of the CX season and the first UCI race in the WORLD! The field is always HUGE and the race attracts quite a few women from Europe, looking to get a jump on collecting UCI points. It’s great to see all of the familiar faces both on and off the course. The excitement is always intoxicating, even when the course is toxic. Okay, that was only once!”
Embarrassing Racing Memory: “2011 Bay State Cyclocross, Sterling, MA. I slipped on an off-camber and crashed on another girl’s chainring and crank, completely ripping open my pants. I had to ride the rest of the race with my left butt cheek fully exposed, cut and bleeding. As I passed girls I said, “HEY, don’t look at my butt…” We all laughed pretty hard but I was really, really embarrassed.”
Toughest Competitors: “Me. I can win a race and not be satisfied or finish 5th and be thrilled. Putting forth the best possible effort is the goal and I am my worst critic.”
Favorite Athletes to Watch: “I love watching the Olympics. Summer, Winter… I don’t care. I’m glued to that television.” Qualities You Most Admire in People: “Humor, intelligence, confidence, humility, discipline, dedication, and drive.”
What You Love Most About Riding Your Bicycle: “Suffering. I LOVE the difficulty, the pain, the fact that I can push to the point of almost passing out, recover and repeat. Thank you, Ken Lundgren!”
