Katy Rich

I fell in love with bikes as a 12-year old girl roaming the Pennsylvania countryside with my friends on my new mountain bike I got for my birthday. The highlight one summer was getting to ride my friend’s 10-speed road bike and trying not to wipe out on the dirt road and gravel driveway. I didn’t know at the time that I could ever ride hundreds of miles in a week or venture hours from home, so my early years of cycling were just a hobby and fairly limited.

In the early 2000s, I took up cycling more avidly thanks to my bike-loving husband, Jamie. I dabbled for several years in mountain biking and road biking but it was hard to dedicate much time when the kiddoes were little. As they got older, I shifted to cycling as a more prominent exercise to stay in shape. Upon moving to the cycling mecca of Tulsa, I found several great, welcoming groups to bike with and my riding took off. Starting in 2018, I began cycling much more regularly and I’ve since added gravel biking to my common activities. I race in road, gravel and mountain biking events and hope to do more long endurance races in the future.

I joined Team Suicide Prevention because I’ve been personally affected by mental health issues and suicide and I want to help raise awareness of support resources through one of my favorite activities. I have struggled with depression off and on since college and feel very fortunate to have pulled out of a couple depressive periods that were really scary. I credit cycling with helping me manage stress and providing a balance to a demanding job and the stressors of parenthood. I’ve commited to riding my bike regularly and getting adequate sleep as my best forms of self-care.  

When I’m not riding my bike, I enjoy spending time talking to my teenage sons, Rowan and Gaian, who are growing up to be beautiful human beings with interesting ideas and great attitudes. I also enjoy traveling with my husband and kids, reading, crocheting, gardening and playing the flute in our local community band.