March's Featured Rider: Bobbi Kae Watt

Bobbi Kae Watt is a gated-racing specialist based in Colorado. Although the super-smiley former BMX racer is best known for her aggressive mountaincross and dual slalom racing, she's at home on cross country trails and epic road rides too. Bobbi currently works in orthopedics at the Boulder Medical Center, and is attending school for her degree in Integrative Physiology. She's working toward becoming a PA, so she can fix the rest of us when break ourselves.--FF

Name: Bobbi Kae Watt
Home: Broomfield, CO
Age: 29
Favorite type of riding: I truly love all of the many disciplines of riding, from long grueling climbs on the road bike to tearing up a mountaincross track. A BMX rhythm section is where I first felt the "flow." But I can get that same feeling climbing a mountain on any bike. My favorite race, EVER was the MSC dual slalom race at Keystone, CO in 2005. The course was just how I like them--fast and flowing with lots of air time. I like high speeds, technical rhythm sections, flowy jumps, and tight racing. Naturally, coming from BMX, I like gate starts and feeling the explosiveness down the first straight.
Why you ride: I love riding. It's something my husband (Fast Jon Watt) and I get to spend lots of time doing together. There is always something new to learn.

Sponsors: Oakley, Team Tough Girl, Scott, Mt. Borah, SRAM, Powerbar, Uvex, Go Fast, Hydrapak, Feedback Sports, Save our Soles, DT Swiss, Nite Rider, Maxxis, Rock Shox, Avid, Truvativ, Ritchey, Fizik, Crank Brothers, Rockymounts

I originally started riding BMX, but not until I was 19. Running was my first love, when it comes to sports. I became so addicted to the smooth, flowy feeling of riding BMX. My husband is to blame for crossing me over to the dark side. He is an outstanding rider and has so many crazy skills! Initially I was a little intimidated by the "mountain." Riding with gravity is completely different than riding a BMX track. Jon first introduced me to cross country so that I could essentially gain some respect for the mountain and get comfortable with gravity-fed riding.

I think it was at a Big Bear national that I saw the mountaincross course and thought, "It's like a super-sized BMX track!" That's when I started the gravity stuff, and I've been hooked ever since. On occasion I race some BMX, on my hardtail mountain bike. I still have my 20" and was planning on riding it again this past fall, but being hit by a minivan while riding my bike to class, postponed those plans.

The skill that really helped things click for me was learning to move around on the bike and allowing myself to really become one with the bike. That may sound kinda out there, but it's the truth. You can do anything once you figure out how to move your body on the bike to get it to do what you want.

I think my confidence to race just comes from my desire to do it. I have the desire to ride the courses and to be aggressive while doing it. If I'm on my bike, you'll typically find me with a smile on my face. Of course I like to win, but with mountaincross and slalom, once the gate drops, it is what it is. So much can happen in a race, so you have to be sure you enjoy what you're doing, regardless of the outcome.