Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A graduate student at George Washington University will compete as part of a six-person all-star team at the Nature Valley Grand Prix this week in central Minnesota.

Jennifer Bodine of North Bethesda earned a spot on the Ryan Collegiate All-Star Team after finishing second overall at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships on May 13 in Lawrence, Kan. She will be one of six female cyclists from around the nation competing on the squad.

"The whole reason I went [to the national championships] was that I really wanted an opportunity to race at the Grand Prix," said Bodine, a graduate of Walter Johnson High School. The all-star team "seemed as if it would be a good step toward becoming a professional cyclist."

After earning a degree in chemistry from Columbia University, Bodine began competing in triathlons (swimming, cycling and running) and eventually just "dropped the other two sports," she said.

Two years after taking up cycling, she is earning a graduate degree in microbiology at GW.

"If I can finish this race after five days, I will have learned a lot about stage racing," Bodine said. "I would like to race my bike for the next 15-20 years, and I would like to do it at the highest level possible. This is a start."

The Grand Prix runs tomorrow through Sunday.

-- Steve Yanda