Mara Abbott facts for kids

Mara Katherine Abbott, born on November 14, 1985, is a former American professional bicycle racer. In 2010, Mara Abbott made history. She became the first US cyclist to win the Giro d'Italia Femminile. This is one of the most important races in women's cycling. Abbott stopped racing professionally after the 2016 Olympic Games road race.

Mara Abbott's Early Life and Amateur Cycling

Mara Abbott was born in Boulder, Colorado. She still lives there today. Before becoming a cyclist, she was a competitive swimmer. She focused on long-distance freestyle swimming. She swam for Whitman College.

Starting Road Bicycle Racing

At Whitman College, Mara started road bicycle racing. It was a springtime activity for her. She quickly became very good at it. She competed in the National College Cycling Association Division II championships. Her team won two championships in a row. They won both the team time trial and the team omnium.

Mara also won individual championships. She won the road race twice. In 2006, she also won the criterium and the individual omnium. That same year, she finished fifth in the USA National Championship Women's Road Race. She also won the Mount Evans Hill Climb in 2005 and 2006.

Mara Abbott's Professional Cycling Career

Mara Abbott became a professional cyclist in 2007. She joined the Webcor Builders team. She continued her success from college.

Early Professional Wins

In 2007, she won a stage and the overall title at the Tour of the Gila. She also won the 2007 National Cycling Championships women's road race. She beat famous cyclists like Kristin Armstrong and Amber Neben. Mara also kept swimming for Whitman in the fall. She earned a degree in economics from the college.

Racing in Europe

In 2008, Mara joined the HTC-Columbia Women's Team. This helped her race more in Europe. She won a mountain stage in the Giro della Toscana. The next year, she won stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia Femminile. She also won the King of the Mountains jersey and finished second overall.

In 2010, Mara joined the Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 team. She won the Tour of the Gila again. She also won the USA National Championship Women's Road Race. She then won two more stages and the overall championship at the Giro Donne. This was the only major women's Grand Tour race that year. In the same month, she won a stage and the overall title at the Cascade Cycling Classic. She also won a stage and finished second in the Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin.

Later Career and Retirement

For 2011, Mara moved to the Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan team. She won a stage and finished second overall in the Tour of the Gila. She was just behind the 1996 Canadian Olympic medalist Clara Hughes.

In 2013, Mara Abbott won her second Giro Rosa. Later that year, it was announced she would join the new UnitedHealthcare Women’s Team in 2014. On October 7, 2014, Wiggle High5 announced that Mara had signed with them for the 2015 season.

Mara Abbott retired from professional cycling after the 2016 Olympic Games. On September 20, 2024, she rode in the Mountain to Desert Classic in Southwest Colorado.

Mara Abbott's Life Off the Bike

Besides cycling, Mara Abbott is also a yoga instructor. She is a freelance writer. Her articles have been published in the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado. She has also written for the Wall Street Journal and espnW. As of March 2021, she works for Ceres. This is an organization in Boston that focuses on sustainability.

Major Cycling Achievements

Here are some of Mara Abbott's most important cycling achievements:

• 2007
  • 1st Road race, National Road Championships
  • 1st Overall Tour of the Gila (and Stage 2)
• 2009
  • 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile (and Stage 3, Mountains classification)
• 2010
  • 1st Road race, National Road Championships
  • 1st Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile (and Stages 8 & 9)
  • 1st Overall Cascade Cycling Classic (and Stage 3)
  • 1st Overall Tour of the Gila (and Stage 1)
• 2013
  • 1st Overall Tour of the Gila (and Stages 1 & 5)
  • 1st Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile (and Mountains classification, Stages 5 & 6)
• 2014
  • 1st Overall Vuelta a El Salvador (and Stage 4)
  • 1st Overall Tour of the Gila (and Stages 1 & 5)
• 2015
  • 1st Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic (and Stage 3)
  • 1st Overall Tour of the Gila (and Mountains classification, Stages 1 & 5)
  • 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile (and Stage 9)
• 2016
  • 1st Overall Tour of the Gila (and Mountains classification, Stages 1 & 5)
  • 4th Road race, Summer Olympics

See also

In Spanish: Mara Abbott para niños