Cycling Helped This Rider Grieve the Loss of Her Mother and Connect With Her Indigenous Community
Name: Kiya Leah Helen Kelley
Age: 41
Hometown: I'm Diné (also referred to as Navajo), and I grew up on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I left in 2016 looking for sunshine and a change of pace. I now call Golden, Colorado home.
Occupation: Architecture
Time Cycling: 12 years
Reason for Cycling: Because it feels so darn good!
I spent a few years in my late 20s traveling around the world surfing, and when I returned home to British Columbia, I didn’t have a car, and I didn’t have the money to buy one, so I got a bike instead. For seven years, I rode everywhere.
Cycling began as a means to get around, but quickly became a passion that I fell in love with. It started with commuting, then evolving into all styles of riding!
In 2014, I met a group in Campbell River, British Columbia, and they introduced me to gravel riding, bikepacking, and cyclocross—that’s when I started doing really long endurance rides. I joined them in September 2014 for a grassroots event called the Oregon Stampede, a 126-mile ride with about 12,000 feet of climbing (my longest ride at that time). It was tough, but I was hooked on those big days.
Then in 2016, I left Vancouver Island in search of sunshine, and landed in Golden, Colorado. I started mountain biking more, and fell in love again—still with bikes, just a different discipline.
I was biking a lot to get around and just for fun. I never did any formal coaching until 2020 when I applied and was selected to represent Go4Graham (a nonprofit organization that works to promote community connection and break down the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide) at Leadboat, a two-day 240-mile racing event.
While the race was canceled due to COVID, I stuck to my training plan and was blown away by how strong I became that year. Since then, I continue to work and train with a coaching program called Waite Endurance during the winter months to build a base, so I’m ready for spring riding.
Besides staying fit, cycling has also helped me grieve the loss of my mom, who I lost 10 years ago when I was just 32 years old. My mother’s life shaped me in many ways—her easy laugh, sense of humor and kindness, easy going demeanor, strength, and the generosity she showed to everyone around her. Her death shaped me, too, and taught me that I am resilient.
I think about her when I ride, and miss her a lot. When I am out on those long, hard, trying days on the bike I remember how grateful I am to move, and I remember how strong I am. I am strong enough to get through the hard things life throws me. Those things aren’t the hills, headwinds, or hail storms at the top of a mountain pass—the hard things are heartbreak and deep loss, and if I can get through those, the hills and hail storms are easy.
Today, I train roughly 11 hours a week: four days of cycling and two days of strength work. This year, I’ve been making a conscious effort to take stock of my day-to-day stress levels and resting when I need to, even if it means modifying or skipping a workout here and there.
My first event of 2023 was in April, a self supported one-day ride of the rugged 100-mile White Rim Trail through Canyonlands National Park, near Moab, Utah. It was an amazing day, really tough at times, but my bestie and I had some laughs and enjoyed the beautiful views.
My second event for the year was in May, a 12-hour mountain bike race that I did as a duo with a friend I met last year at Rezduro, the first Indigenous-led mountain bike enduro race held on the Navajo Nation. It was a big day on the bike. I felt nervous going into it, but the training paid off. I was focused on my ride, and felt strong on the bike, even during the violent rainstorm that happened during my last lap.
I am currently registered for Rezduro again, and excited for the event. Rezduro opened up a whole new world of riding to me, specifically a new connection to my Diné roots. And this year, I’ve already taken two trips to clinics in Arizona to help coach mountain bike skills on the Navajo Nation.
One clinic was held in March in Kayenta and hosted by SiiHasin Bike Program and Dzil Ta’ah Adventures in the Navajo Nation, the other was hosted in May by Rezduro, in Hard Rock, Arizona, in partnership with Every Pedal MTB. Most of the participants were women and girls.
These trips filled my heart. To be surrounded and inspired by other Indigenous female riders and spend time on my ancestral homelands was so special. I like racing bikes, but I’m ready to shift the focus, with hopes to build more connections, more community, and to inspire and be inspired by other Indigenous riders and communities.
Riding bikes builds confidence, when we tackle that really gnarly feature we once dragged our bike down, or when we ride 190 miles across the desert in a day, we show ourselves what we are made of, physically and mentally.
People sometimes try to put me in a specific rider category, but the truth is I love it all. You can find me on my gravel bike exploring, riding to my office in Denver for work, bikepacking, practicing slow speed tech in a sequin shirt at Dakota Ridge in Golden, dabbling in some XC racing, or doing some big high-country rides and racing a bit of enduro. I love it all.
Cycling has instilled in me the idea that I can do anything. When I do tough things on the bike, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. When something that once seemed unimaginable, suddenly becomes attainable, the possibilities become endless.
These tips have helped make my cycling journey a success:
1. Work with what you have
The best bike to ride is the one you have. My first bike as an adult was a 1981 Norco road bike. I would ride that bike 50 miles in tennis shoes and jean shorts to go see my family—it was the best! It was black with yellow bar tape and yellow cables. I called her the Queen Bee. So try not to worry about the gear or other people’s judgements or comments. I know that isn’t always easy and cycling can seem intimidating, but it’s worth it.
2. Be consistent
If you want to improve your skills or fitness, be consistent with your riding, because consistency is queen! My passion and love for bikes is endless, and I’ve done some pretty long rides and I’ve surprised myself with how far I’ve come as a technical mountain biker in the past seven years. This does not happen overnight by simply rolling off the couch and onto a bike. It takes practice, determination, and being consistent to get better. Keep at it!
3. Go easy on yourself
Not every ride is going to feel like bliss, and you have to try not to compare yourself to others—I know that is hard for most of us. Ride your ride. Sometimes we feel like a million bucks on the bike, and sometimes we experience those demoralizing days when we just can’t make things connect. Shake it off, the next ride will be better, and each ride is an opportunity to learn something new, or challenge ourselves.
4. Get out and ride
I always say all bikes are sacred, and it’s not very often we regret a ride. Whether it’s around the block on your old cruiser or a challenging mountain bike ride—get out and pedal! You might be surprised where your bike takes you and who you meet along the way.
Kiya Leah Helen’s Must-Have Gear
→ King Cage Bottle Cage: They are the best! They keep those bottles safe and they are handmade in Durango, Colorado.
→ Shredly Mountain Biking Shorts: They’re women-owned and made in the United States. I love the fit of these shorts and I don’t feel like I’m wearing my big brother’s clothes when I wear them.
We want to hear how cycling changed you! Send your story and submit your photos to us via this web form. We’ll pick one each week to highlight on the site.
You Might Also Like
