INTRODUCING OUR WOMEN'S TEAM LEADER: MEGAN KELLY

Q&A with our new Women's Cycling Team Leader: Megan Kelly

We’re proud to introduce our friend and shop ambassador, Megan Kelly, as the new leader of Signature's Women’s Cycling Team. Megan is a dedicated mother of three, a passionate athlete, coach and advocate for women in sport. With an impressive background in competitive swimming, triathlon, and endurance racing, Megan brings elite-level experience and a deep commitment to fostering inclusive, empowering spaces for women in cycling. We've we asked Megan a few questions about her journey, her goals for the team, and what drives her as a leader in the sport. Welcome aboard Megan!

How long have you been cycling for, and how did you originally get into cycling? What is your experience with other sports?

I started cycling competitively for Triathlon around 2005, I dabbled in a few road races to train for draft legal events between 2010 – 2012 but did not focus on road racing specifically until after the COVID lockdown and falling in love with Zwift racing. 

I grew up as a competitive swimmer starting at age 8 and swam for a D1 program at UC Santa Barbara. After moving back to the NYC area I joined a local Masters swim team and won multiple USA Swimming Masters National titles (and an American record)  in the pool and earned a USA Swimming National Title in the Women's 5K Open Water women's team competition with NYAC. After giving birth to triplets in 2011, I also earned a USA Triathlon Masters National Title in Sprint Triathlon in 2012 and was 6th in my age group at Age Group World Championships the same year. In 2021 I earned a Masters National Championship title in Aquabike (no run), and most recently a USA Cycling Masters National title in Criterium in 2024. 

How would you describe the place of sport in your life?

Sport has always been a huge part of my life, I've always been very "sporty" even as a young girl. I find I'm happier when I'm pushing myself and love the process of training and helping others push themselves to be better too. I have also been coaching on and off for over 25 years and am a certified USA Cycling, Triathlon and Swim coach. I founded STEAM Train Endurance Coaching in 2024 to introduce girls to endurance sports through the lens of science, tech, engineering, arts, and math. In addition to private coaching, I'm also the head coach of Greenwich Academy's Varsity swim team and an assistant swim coach and head open water coach for the Greenwich YMCA Marlins.

What inspired you to take on the role of organising a women’s cycling team, and what are its main aims?

I noticed that there was a large disparity between men and women's competitive cycling participation – when looking at race signups, it's overwhelmed by men. I think some of this is caused by access/pathways and the fact that cycling can be a bit intimidating. Even walking into a bike shop can feel overwhelming when first starting out! I wanted to create a supportive space where women feel welcome and encouraged to explore and realize their strengths on the bike. I've also realized that as much as racing is about performance, it's also about community, connections, and challenging yourself to try new and sometimes daunting things. The feeling of accomplishment, especially doing something that gets you out of your comfort zone, and when completed with others aiming to achieve similar goals is so rewarding.

How do you see the current state of women’s cycling — both domestically and internationally?

I think women's cycling in the US is ripe for growth, given the current participation levels, but more could be done to encourage women's participation. I think Signature Cycles has done a great job highlighting women racers in the area and providing a platform and support to engage more women's participation. Locally, I think race directors are doing a pretty good job with including women's specific fields and prize purses on par with men but there is always an opportunity for improvement. Internationally, I think women's racing is often more dynamic and exciting to watch than the men's racing! I think there have been some significant strides, but even more could be done.

Could you give a brief overview of the current members of the team, their experience and what brought them to the team?

We have a broad range of women on the team this season – from Kate Condra who is a 26 year old med student in her second year of racing, to Linda Brown our 65 year old TT superstar (and local superstar Barre instructor) who is mixing it up with a stage race and crit already under her belt this season!  Paula Valderrama is one of our most seasoned racers, she's a Cat 2 allrounder who works in the bike industry and owns Cafe Duo, a coffee shop in Bethel, CT. Denise Esposito is a multi-time Masters National Champion and gravel guru looking for another top 10 World championship finish this season – she's also a proud mom to 3 girls and grandmother! Ana Salles (another mom) is a former Brazilian champion of the national ranking with extensive racing experience. Ilona Miller, a former professional horseback rider (dressage) is fearless on downhills and leads many local rides around the area. Jane Vigneau (our newest mom), was named NEBRAs Cat 4 cyclist of the year in 2023 and is working her way towards Cat 2. Alexanda Morss, a former lightweight rowing Olympic hopeful who competed at U23 World Championships is newest to racing (just started group riding in Sept) but has already had success winning the Cat 4/5 Garden State Stage Race this spring. Maria Chatman, a mom of two, former triathlete, and punchy climber, who just participated in her first road race at Bear Mountain a few weeks ago.

What are your aspirations for the team?

My goal for the team is for members to have fun first and foremost, learn from each other and realize their potential. I'd love to have members work their way up through the USA Cycling Category structure to be able to field a full team of Cat 1/2/3 riders as well supporting strong masters and a development team for new riders. I'd also love to introduce the sport to younger girls through my STEAM Train Program.

How was the recent Colombia trip?

Over 1/2 of our team was able to take a cycling trip to Colombia this spring. It was an amazing opportunity to get to know each other more, do a ton of biking, some altitude training and work on our cycling skills. Riding was a beautiful way to see Medellin and its surrounding areas and experience the culture of this beautiful country.

What’s the best way for someone to get involved with the women’s team?

Reach out to me at megan.griffis@gmail.com or Abe at Signature (or anyone on the team). Join on of our Friday morning women's rides or Saturday Signature shop rides.

See our recent work on Megan's Parlee RZ7 here!