Get to know Lea Davidson!
In our Question and Answer blogs, Nuun athletes introduce themselves to the Nuuniverse and (in their own words) dig a little deeper into their life as an athlete, muuver, and human!
+ Name/ Location/ Sport
I am Lea Davison. I am from Jericho, Vermont and I’m living in Sunderland, Vermont where my wife, Frazier Blair is based. I love sports but Mountain Bike racing is my profession.
+ Can you tell us what drew you to your sport in the first place, and what drew you to this level of performance?
A friend in high school, Dan Dombroski, suggested that I should stop running in circles on the track and try out mountain biking. So, as a junior in high school, I stopped running track and field, and I joined our very small high school mountain bike club. I immediately took to the sport since I found it was the perfect combination between downhill ski racing and cross country running, two sports I was very immersed in at that time. During the second year I was racing, I competed in the NORBA national race at Mt. Snow in the junior category and won. That automatically qualified me for the 2001 junior world championships. At that time, I had no idea that there was even a World Championships. So that really opened my eyes that mountain biking could be a career. From that moment on, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a professional mountain biker.
+ When you’re not mountain biking, what’s your second favorite form of muuvment? Skiing! Downhill or cross country!
+ You Just finished a killer workout, what’s the first thing you’re grabbing from your fridge?
I am reaching for some almond milk, a banana or strawberries, and vanilla protein powder to make a delicious recovery smoothie.
+ Early Bird or Afternuun Owl? Are you most likely to plan your workout in the morning or evening? Walk us through a day in your life.
AFTERNUUN Owl FOR SURE! I'm a big sleeper so I typically wake up anywhere between 8 am and 10 am. I usually eat fried eggs and toast for breakfast, and then get on my bike for a workout. This workout can be between 2-4 hours typically. Then, I'll come home and EAT, shower, and then start in on emails, working on Little Bellas, working on travel logistics, and sometimes fit in a nap. Then, if it's a double workout day, I will do strength or a second ride for another 2 hours and then spend the rest of the evening cooking dinner and hanging out with Frazier.
+ Do you have any heroes/ idols/ mentors in your sport of choice?
I really like Gunn Rita because I think it's incredible how many years she's been able to perform at the top of the sport. She won World Cups 22 years apart! She's also a great human.
+What’s your favorite flavor & way to consume nuun?
I love the mango citrus endurance formula during a long training ride.
+ If we’re talking big dreams, how do you want to be remembered in your sport?
I want to be remembered as someone who worked hard to inspire women in sport and show young girls that they can make a living as a profession cyclist. I have been a strong advocate for equity in cycling and have worked to promote equal prize money, opportunity, and media coverage. We have come a long way but we have a lot of work left to do.
+ What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome – mental or physical?
In 2014, I had hip surgery the end of January, and I came back to racing World Cups in July. I'm really proud of coming back from that surgery in the same season to win the XC U.S National Title, return to the World Cup podium, and win my first ever World Championship medal. I'm also really proud of my silver medal World Championships' ride in 2016 where I came around the start lap in 20th and fought my way to a second place. The 2012 and 2016 Olympics is also something I am really proud of.
+ Race Wise: What are you most looking forward to this year?
I am really excited about all of the World Cups, but I’m most excited that the World Championships are at Mont Saint Anne, Quebec, Canada which is the World Cup that I’ve done for the longest and it’s practically in my backyard.
