SCBC has named Larissa Connors our 2026 Bike Champion of the Year for her dedication to commuting, racing, getting more kids on bikes and bringing seemingly boundless energy to the local bike community.
Connors, a math teacher at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, grew up riding the trails at Annadel State Park. She eventually became a professional mountain bike racer and has won, among many events, the famed Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race — twice.
She has been a committed bike commuter since 2008 and estimates that she hasn’t driven to her teaching job in five years. She and her six-year-old daughter now bike to school together, and she is a passionate advocate for active transportation.
“I believe everyone should have the choice not to drive,” Connors said. While she believes the City of Santa Rosa has done a lot to improve local bike infrastructure, she also notes that she feels the gaps in the bike network much more keenly as a parent.
“Your child’s safety is at risk,” she said.
Lately, Connors has become involved as an instructor with the Blue Tailed Skinks, a local mountain biking program for kids. She also recently led a family ride for SCBC on the Joe Rodota Trail. Her own professional cycling career, she says, was built on similar foundations of spending time outdoors and exploring trails as a child.
And after a five-year hiatus from racing, Connors has started lining up again. Late last year, she was the first woman and fifth overall to finish the MegaHopper, a 400-mile race that linked together several of the local Grasshopper Adventure Series routes. She is currently preparing for Unbound XL, a 350-mile gravel race in Kansas, adding hours of weekly training time to her already packed schedule.
But the goals now are a little different, she says. While she still wants to win, more important is being happy with her performance and being a good role model for her daughter. She finds motivation in being able to share her cycling knowledge with kids and adults, and to help all riders find the joy in biking.
“Each individual person enjoying being on a bike is super motivating,” she said.
The annual Bike Champion of the Year award is part of the Bay Area Bike Month celebration in May. For information about local events throughout the month, visit https://bikesonoma.org/btwd.