Our BW Ambassador's are like family to us. These are fans of the shop, athletes and all around good people. Being the fastest isn't a job requirement, but having an infectious love of the sport and a willingness to share that love is.
We rely on our area ambassadors to help us build relationships with local organizations and we draw inspiration from their exploits. From the Olympics, to local 5k's, our ambassadors represent everything we love about endurance sports.
"Hi! I’m Fiona Dougherty, and I like bikes!
I am a Bicycle World Ambassador, and with their support I race bikes all across the country. Most recently I took third at cyclocross nationals in women’s cat 1, 17-18 at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, and fourth in cross country mountain biking in the women’s cat 1, 15-17 at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California.
I live in Waco, Texas where my Dad is a Philosophy Professor at Baylor University, and my Mom is a mechanic and sales representative at Bicycle World. I have three siblings who all also race bikes.
For me, racing bikes is about enjoying the outdoors and pursuing personal excellence in body, mind, and soul."
Read Fiona's full profile here.
"My name is Benjamin Sims, and my passion is fitness. I started out on my quest to become an elite triathlete in 2014. My background was solely running. My parents got me started when I was 6 and that carried me through high school. I ran cross-country and track and field. In track and field my event was the pentathlon, I liked the wide variety that it offered, which lends itself nicely to triathlon. I got my start in triathlon in the summer of 2014, and it started off as a challenge from a friend. My first race was the Cazenovia Sprint triathlon, with no bike or real swims training I finished in 1hour and 28minutes. After that I was hooked, because I knew I could get a lot better with bike and swim training. So over the course of the next 8 months I spent innumerable hours on the road or on my trainer and I focused and taught myself to actually swim. In May of 2015, right before I had my first race I got hit by a car while riding, and was put out of commission for 5 months. In that time I moved here to Waco, to get my Masters at Baylor, and have the ability to train all year long, because in Syracuse NY you have maybe 5 months of nice weather to train in. I teach running and walking classes at Baylor, and I coach at CrossFit Waco. I love getting people moving and active, and I am always open to trying new things. In 2016 some of my races included the, Clermont U25 elite developmental race, Tri Aggieland, US draft legal world qualifier. I have big hopes for 2017 and I am glad to be partnering with Bicycle World!"
"My name is Kimberly Dam and I am a mother of a 11 year old daughter named Addyson and 13 year old son named Austin. I am the owner of Yoga8 yoga studio, a fitness coach and adjunct professor at Baylor. In my free time I like to do triathlons and marathons. I started running in 2012 and transitioned into triathlons in 2014. I had my triathlon debut in July of 2014 at the Tri Waco. I completed my very first triathlon and fell in love. I immediately decided that I wanted to do a Ironman but needed a better bike to go that distance. My first and last stop was Bicycle World, where I bought my first triathlon bike. In October of 2015 I completed my very first Ironman in Louisville. It wouldn’t have been possible without Bicycle World. I was a newbie in the sport and needed a lot of help getting equipped to take on the challenge. After Ironman Louisville I completed Ironman Vineman and Ironman North Carolina. Bicycle World went over the top to provide me with all of my swim, bike and running needs. With doing so many endurance races in a 375 day period I had a lot of needs and they went above an beyond to take care of me. I look forward to racing this season wearing Bicycle World gear and supporting them as much as they support me!"
"Hi! I’m SarahAnn Vroman. I’m a mom and a triathlete. I haven’t always been a triathlete, in fact, three years ago I was wondering how I could measure my fitness without running a specific distance. I enjoyed riding a bike as a way to continue losing weight, but running was something I had never tried before. Fast forward to being stuck at baseball practices! I can’t bike there. So I decided running. It was hard, but I have never been a quitter. I kept at it. I also kept cycling, challenging myself to go further. How did that change me into a triathlete? Bicycle World is actually a central part of that story.
After several rally rides, I notices gadgets and gizmos that my fellow riders had and thought I should check it out. I wandered into Bicycle World and one of the helpful guys there showed me what I wanted, but also guided me towards what I needed. While there, I casually mentioned swimming things. I had been a swimmer in high school, that didn’t scare me and since I had started running and cycling, why not try all three. It turns out the store was hosting a local Tri Club meeting later that week. I went and met all of these crazy friends I now have. In the fall of 2014 I was considering a triathlon. In the spring of 2017, I’m going to compete in Ironman Texas. I never back down from a challenge.
I’m a middle-aged mom who was sedentary for more of her adult life than not. I’m never going to set any speed records. However, I’m going to work hard and prove to myself that the next seemingly out of reach goal is attainable with some hard work. It takes some creative training and some perseverance. I put a 26.2 sticker on my car the other day in celebration of my first marathon (BCS – 12/11/16) and had the feeling of “I can’t believe I did this”. That is the best feeling and nothing can replace it. I will continue to work hard and pursue all my goals for this year. I’m thankful for my community, the Waco Triathlon Club, and the wonderful folks at Bicycle World!"
Hi I'm Adam! I have a passion for all things multisport. Swim, bike, run, paddle, trail run, mountain bike, open water swim... you name it, I love it all. My story began in 2010 when I watched my brother compete in the Tri Waco Triathlon. I remember thinking how crazy he and the other 1000 competitors must be! I also saw kayaks working water support for the event and thought how I would've loved to help out, I did after all already have a kayak. So I jumped on the first chance I found to volunteer for the Waco Triathlon Club as kayak support at their open water swims. I also had a hunch that if I put myself around these healthy athletic people, some of their positive traits would wear off on me. Boy was I right!
In two years I went from an overweight, out of shape couch potato to the OWS director for the Triathlon Club with a passion for cycling. I competed my first multisport event, Du Waco Duathlon in April 2012 and by the end of the year I did a total of 4 multisport races, 2 duathlons and 2 triathlons, along with a handful of 5 & 10K's. In 2013 I podiumed for the first time in a mountain bike, kayak, trail run race in Waco (The Human Race) it was exhilarating and stirred the thrill of real competition in my blood. My first Xterra Cameron Park Triathlon and Tri Waco Triathlons soon followed and for the next couple years I trained and competed fiercely. The payoff was standing on the podium at the last triathlon of that season, Xterra Cameron Park. That medal is extra special because you have to podium at Xterra triathlons to even get a medal.
In 2015 I backed off the racing. I was nursing an ankle injury that started becoming a problem the year before, but I hadn't checked out yet. Without being able to swim train I doubled down on my OWS director duties and jumped into more volunteer opportunities. That year I volunteered as kayak support for Ironman Texas 140.6 and my life and view towards the sport has never been the same. I never felt more honored to be in that supportive role than ever before. For the remainder of 2015 I focused solely on enabling new athletes in achieving their multisport goals regardless of how big or small it may be. It was incredibly validating. That year ended in ankle surgery and a very successful rehabilitation.
Thanks to the incredible support shown to me by my club mates I bounced back into the racing scene competing in another Tri Waco and Xterra Cameron Park. Being back into the competing scene was great, but instead of it wiping out my desire to volunteer, it complemented it. This put me out there on the training grounds with a lead by example mentality that eventually lead to me taking the reigns as the President of the Waco Triathlon Club. And that's where I'm at now in 2017. I have a strong desire to enable people, especially "newbies" to achieve their multisport goals. Doing that is in and of itself a goal of mine, so it won't interfere with my own goals. Instead I've found myself, and the people around me more dedicated than ever to training and the passion we share for the love of this sport has drawn in folks to take on challenges they never dreamed they would accomplish.
I owe a big thank you to Bicycle World for being such a huge supporter for the Waco Triathlon Club and for giving me the opportunity to step into the role of BW Ambassador. It's an honor to be given the chance to represent Bicycle World as I welcome people into the sport and introduce them to my go-to bicycle & multisport shop. If you're interested in catching up with me or the Waco Triathlon Club ask the guys at the Waco store and they'll get you in touch. See you out there!
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