MANILA, Philippines – Filipina-American Coryn Rivera is well on her way to becoming one of the top world tour cyclists of today. 

At 25 years old, Coryn has amassed 71 US National titles and earned a gold medal in the 2017 Tour of Flanders – the most prestigious spring classic in world tour cycling. 

Since turning pro at 16 years old, Coryn’s journey in the sport has led her to an opportunity of cycling within the European circuit – the standard of world cycling. She currently trains with Netherlands Pro Cycling club Team Sunweb. 

“If you want to make it to the top level of cycling you have to be in Europe,” said Rivera. “I made the move for the first time last year and it was hard it was the hardest racing that I have ever done in my life but I always love the challenge and I like the race being really difficult.” 

Born for cycling

It was not a surprise to many that Rivera would be drawn into the world of cycling. Coryn’s parents, Wally and Lina Rivera, enjoyed outdoor activies such as cycling with their friends. But it was Wally’s love for anything on two wheels that created a big impact on Coryn.

Coryn started riding at the back of Wally’s tandem bike and the family would join group rides with their friends in weekends around Orange County in California. 

“I wanted to join [them] so I got on the back of a tandem and eventually I got big enough to ride my own bike,” recalled Coryn. “The rest is kind of history. Everything just evolved from there and that’s how I kind of found the sport.” 

But group rides weren’t enough to satisfy Coryn’s hunger for adventure and her athletic nature. Coryn was yearning for more than regular casual rides around Orange County, as if something was drawing her towards the more exciting experiences that await her.

She wanted competition. 

“It was always something that I wanted to do. [Being] competitive too, I really like it. Always having a challenge,” said Coryn. 

When Coryn got her racing license, it allowed her to meet kids her age who shared the same passion for cycling. In her first few races, Coryn was forced to race with the boys because there weren’t enough girls her age to make up a category. 

“At her first race, she was crying because she finished second place racing against the boys,” recalled Wally. 

Coryn started winning race after race, beating boys and girls alike and eventually catching the attention of people who advised the Rivera family to enter her into the nationals. 

Since she was a teenager, Coryn was already fueled with the determination to succeed. She breezed through her first year of cycling in the junior nationals, bagging gold medals in two disciplines. 

But two wasn’t enough. “She wanted to win all!,” exclaimed Wally. “But I just told her: ‘then you just gotta train harder.” 

The bump on the road

Ever since she stepped foot into the nationals, each year had been a routine of kicking off the cycling season, regular training then going back to the off-season again. 

After the long day’s worth of training, the young Coryn would still be bursting with energy at home and she would spend the night watching the Tour de France on TV. This all the more inspired her in becoming a world tour cyclist in Europe. 

“I remember just staying up late at night watching the reruns of the race and thinking ‘Oh how cool would it be to race in Europe.’ So that’s kind of where the dream was born of racing full time in Europe,” said Coryn. 

In 2011, however, Coryn suffered a concussion from a crash in the Tour of Qatar, causing her to stop cycling for 8 months.

“I suffered a really bad concussion, I was knocked out for like two minutes and I don’t remember the next 4 hours so it was a really really bad crash,” recaled Coryn. 

This brought Coryn’s career to a crossroad and she chose the path of going to college. The injury that could have halted her career eventually became a blessing for Coryn, as it opened her to a life outside of cycling. Coryn took up a business degree in Marian University all the way in Indianapolis, where she had to juggle living on her own while recovering from her injury. 

“I think that let me to a decision to go to college. [because] I knew with any incident you know, the career could be over and I could have nothing. So I made sure to go to university, get an education just in case anything would happen and from there I learned that there’s a lot more to life than cycling.” 

During the 8-month period, Coryn was at peace with her thoughts. She had been in the sport for 10 years at that point and finally, she could go through college just like anyone else. But as the months passed, Coryn still knew that thought of getting on your bike, going on high speed while feeling the cool breeze on your face was still lingering within her. 

“I had already raced for 10 years when I was a junior, so it was really nice to take a break, kind of refresh and and realize how much the sport really means to me and opportunities that it has given to me and then I started racing again,” explained Coryn. 

“I guess you could say that I fell in love with a sport again and now this is where I am at. So I made my dreams come true.” 

Coryn graduated with a degree from Marian University in 2015, but also with a renewed passion for cycling. 

Tokyo 2020

From harnessing a talent to overcoming a devastating accident, Coryn has proved to the world that her accolades are more than just a product of the everyday grind of a cyclist. It was her self-motivated dream that pushed her to join the ranks of the world’s top cyclists. 

“If you really wanted something, it has to come from you. No one else is going to do it for you, so that’s how I kind of have been brought up by my parents,” explained Rivera.

“I found my own path. Everyone has a different path to be professional in the world tour. I mean, I knew that I wanted to finish college so I went ahead and did that and then I found my way to the world tour.”

With the 2020 Summer Olympics fast approaching in two years, Coryn hopes to be cycling here way to Tokyo. – Rappler.com