The Five time National Champion (Junior, U-23, and collegiate), Lea Davison is an integral member of Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain.
Though Lea Davison got into mountain bike racing after tearing her ACL during a ski race, she has made quite the name for herself in the time since. As a member of Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, Davison is also known for her work in getting next generation female riders more involved in the mountain bike scene. Growing up in Vermont, Lea Davison loves anything to do with maple syrup—and we here at Maxxis really enjoy the samples she sends! Maxxis is proud sponsor to sponsor Lea Davison.
Career Highlights
•5 time National Champion (Junior National Champion, two time collegiate mountain biking national champion, two time U-23 national champion)
•11th Place: 2009 Champery World Cup
•12th Place: 2009 Schladming World Cup Finals
•1st Place: 2009 Windham 2009 Short Track
•10th Place: 2008 Bromont World Cup
•3rd Place: 2009 National Championship Short Track
•7th Place: 2001 Junior World Championships
A friend convinced me to quit running in circles on the track and join the highschool mountain bike club. Mountain biking is the perfect combination of two sports I was competing in at the time, cross country running and downhill ski racing. I was immediately hooked. I started racing local and NORBA junior races and I qualified for the World Championships when I didn't even know they existed.
Crossmark
Dry Conditions
”Corners well and rolls fast.
Medusa
Wet Conditions
“Sheds mud and cuts through slop.”
The life encompassing dedication it takes to race and be competitive at the highest level.
The 2008 National Championship Short Track. I raced to third place with the Little Bellas cheering me on. Another highlight is riding in the top 10 at the Champery, Switzerland World Cup working together with my teammate Marie Helene Premont.
We were having a water balloon relay at the Little Bellas. I was the anchor on my team of four seven year olds and up against my sister on the opposing team. Our teams were tied, and I was riding with the water balloon in my right hand sprinting for the finish line. With my only available hand, I grabbed a handful of front brake to stop. I went over my bars and crashed on top of my group of Little Bellas, in front of all of the parents in the program. It was pretty embarrassing considering I'm a professional cyclist and the director of the whole program.
The quality and diversity found in the Maxxis lineup of tires is unmatched. I race on the best tires available giving me an almost unfair advantage over the competition. Working with Maxxis is more like being part of a family, which I feel really lucky to be a part of.
Most of my downtime is spent working on the Little Bellas, a nonprofit 'mentoring on mountain bikes' program I started with my sister, Sabra.
I use Nordic skiing and backcountry skiing to cross train during the Vermont winters. I spent the majority of my youth and collegiate athletics downhill ski racing and running cross country. I love to do anything active outside and I'm really ridiculously good at croquet.
Strawberries. Thai Food.
Izze.
I most admire Billy Jean King for pushing the limits of females and athletics. King continues to promote female athletics through the Women's Sports Foundation. If I could make even a small portion of the impact that she has had, I would consider myself successful."
BC Bike Race. Seven days of racing on challenging single track really pushed me to my limits. For the same reasons, it was also one of the most amazing and rewarding races I've ever done.
Beyonce. Justin Timberlake. The Roots. Hip Hop. The Chill Playlist: Ingrid Michaelson, Tristan Prettyman, Amos Lee, Eric Hutchinson.
Spontaneity and adventures.
Extreme skier actively pursuing a hobby of hip hop dancing. In all seriousness, I would probably be using my college degree in Environmental Studies, working with kids, and competing in free skiing competitions.
Maxxis Tires for their phenomenal support. Gary Wolff, the Team Maxxis manager and bike mechanic extraordinaire, for all his hard work and support. All of my sponsors including Rocky Mountain and Oakley Sunglasses. My coach Andy Bishop and my family.