In high school, Julie was very athletic, playing basketball and tennis. In college, however, she was anything but! She gained the proverbial Freshman Fifteen and her exercise involved lifting cases of beer ☺
By the time Julie got to veterinary school, she was disgusted with herself and determined to get her athletic body back. She started working out and eventually started taking spin classes – and she was totally hooked and absolutely loved it. One of her instructors realized Julie’s enthusiasm for spinning and encouraged her to get a teaching certification.
So Julie quickly got certified… but still wasn’t truly satisfied. She yearned for the REAL THING and ended up buying a road bike. Having not been on a bike since she was 11, her first rides – and riding with clipless pedals – were definitely interesting, to say the least. She learned of the local cycling team, the Montclair Bikery, and Julie attributes Earl Perretti for guiding her along, showing her the art of riding a road bike gracefully over varied terrain… His encouragement further cemented her love of the sport – she knew racing her bicycle was something that would help complete her life.
“Bike racing is a journey, not a destination,” Julie says. “My journey has just started and I can’t wait for the places it’s going to take me…”
2010 was her first year competing and Julie placed top-3 in nearly every time trial she entered, winning two TTs and placing 2nd overall in the fiercely contested NJBA TT Cup.
Height: 5’11”
December Weight: 165-170 lbs.
Race Weight: 155-160 lbs.
Birthdate: July 14, 1981
Childhood Heroes: “My mom: not only was she a successful career woman, but she was a great parent and a true master of multi-tasking. I always ask myself how she did it!”
Hobbies and Interests: “Reading, cooking, working out. Being the best friend, aunt, daughter, sister and girlfriend I can be☺”
Favorite Movies: “The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, American Beauty, Mystic River, The Birdcage.”
Musical Tastes: “Dance, both new and classic. House, trance, and old-school hip-hop.”
Favorite TV Shows: “RuPaul’s Drag Race, Real Housewives of Atlanta, The First 48, Jersey Shore – yeah, I said it!”
Favorite Meal: “Anything Mexican, especially tacos… I swear I could have a Tabasco sauce IV.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Whole Foods French Vanilla Almond Granola – THE BEST EVER.”
Favorite Pre-Race Meal: “Oatmeal, granola, and black coffee.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Pistachio… YUM!”
Childhood Dream: “To be a veterinarian.”
First Car: “Agnes, my 1997 Acura Integra. Everyone used to tease me about it. I was always the tallest girl in school but seemed to pick the smallest sports cars. I thought I was so cool because I fit eight people in it one day: two in the front, four in the back, two in the trunk…”
First Job: “Cleaning cages at a veterinary hospital. Hey, you got to start somewhere!”
Favorite Vacation Spot: “Miami and the Bahamas.”
Pre-Race Feeling: “Nervous, anxious, and totally AMPED!”
Early Racing Memory: “The first women’s race at Floyd Bennett field. It was an Open Women’s race but the Cat 4’s were given a 20-second head start. As soon as the race started, we immediately organized ourselves into a paceline and stayed away from the 1-2-3 girls the whole time… IT WAS AWESOME!”
Funny Racing Memory: “Picture this: the State Time Trial Championships in Chatsworth. It’s about 100 degrees, sweltering, no shade, and wicked-high humidity. 25 miles of no hills, completely flat! I’m a quarter of the way into the TT and suddenly I feel something fly into my mouth. OWWWW… I realize a huge bee has made its way into my mouth and has stung me. I’m swerving all over the place and the race official drives by in a car and is looking at me like I’m nuts, yelling at me to stay inside the white line. Finally, I spit the bee out and my mouth is THROBBING! But I couldn’t quit – all the training for this day, NO FREAKIN’ WAY I’M QUITTING! So I completed all 25 miles of the TT with my legs and throat burning, telling myself to ignore the pain and just GO GO GO! But I finished that TT… probably with the worst time ever! Now my teammates call me ‘Buzz’…. Hey, I earned it.”
Greatest Racing Moment: “Readington Time Trial. It was only like my second time trial EVER and I’m expecting nothing! As soon as the buzzer went off, I just ripped it. I felt so good that day, well-rested and in super form! I ended up coming in 1st and was totally shocked. But it felt great because I really left everything I had on that course… It was truly an awesome feeling.”
Most Painful Moment In Life: “Having to leave my family and friends in New Jersey to move to Alabama for veterinary school… ”
Worst Injury from Racing: “I wasn’t racing but I was on one of my first group rides. I came flying down a hill into a corner, and I didn’t realize a car was there… I slammed my brakes and my bike slid out from under me. I ended up scraping my leg pretty bad, getting a really nice raspberry on my elbow.”
Closest Racing Friends: “All the ladies on the Montclair Bikery women’s cycling team… They are supportive, encouraging, and so much fun to ride with… I couldn’t ask for more.”
Funniest Racer: “Stacey Barbossa, a.k.a. ‘Quacker.’ She coined my nickname, ‘Buzz.’”
Favorite Race: “The Freedom Tour, Floyd Bennett Field, Readington TT.”
Embarrassing Racing Memory: “Pinning my teammate Diane’s race number upside-down and having her wear it the whole day – oops. Surprisingly, she asked me to pin it again at another race. I think I need a number-pinning tutorial.”
Toughest Competitors: “The Riptide Girls. ‘Nuff said.”
Favorite Athletes to Watch: “Mark Cavendish, Fabian Cancellara – they are pretty easy on the eyes, too ☺”
Qualities You Most Admire in People: “Humility.”
What You Love Most About Riding Your Bicycle: “When you get on your bike you just leave everything behind… It’s just you, your bike, and the road. After a great ride/workout, everything is right with the world.”

