Westborough Teen is Awarded Grant to Support her Cyclocross Racing
Photo by Janice Checchio
Anna Savage of Westborough, Massachusetts is an active 15 year old. She plays volleyball and softball, does gymnastics, is member of the Girl Scouts and races cyclocross.
“My parents raced a lot when I was younger,” Savage said. “I learned to ride when I was little and started racing when I was eight.”
This month, Savage was awarded a JAM Fund Grant. She is one of 13 grant recipients who will receive financial or equipment assistance to help support them in racing cyclocross this year.
“My dad called me after I finished a final and told me that I won the grant,” she said. “I didn’t believe it for the first half hour, and someone said it was on Facebook. I looked and saw my name, and then I knew it was true!”
She says her favorite cross race was last year’s Cycle-Smart International, where she won the Verge New England Cyclocross Series overall ranking for junior women 15 to 18 year olds.
“I just love that race and the Verge jersey,” she said. “It’s officially the first time I had it and it was cool. Ellen Noble had given me one of her Verge jerseys when I was younger, maybe my first year racing. I’ve known her for a while. Our dads went to high school together.”
Anna Savage with her mentor, U23 Cyclocross National Champion Ellen Noble at the Verge New England Cycle-Smart International in November 2015.
When she first started racing in 2010, Savage raced on the same team as her dad, the Minutemen Road Club. But riding for a team named for men didn’t satisfy her. So she eventually did something about it.
“I made a team called Girls First to encourage girls to ride,” she said. “I raced with them for two years, and then one of the other girls won a national championship and I got an offer to join the Cannondale team. And now I’m here.”
Savage raced for Girls First p/b Milton Cat from 2012 to 2104. She joined Cannondale Sports New England last year and raced for it at Cyclocross National Championships in Asheville, North Carolina in January. She says the JAM Grant will help her achieve her goals this coming cross season.
“I’m going to do a lot more training this year than I’ve done in the past because I want to be competitive at nationals,” she said. “I’m also going to do all the Verge races this year and hopefully upgrade to Cat. 2.”
Savage is in the 10th grade at Westborough High School. This past year she took Honors Algebra, Honors Biology, English, History and Spanish.
“I got mostly A’s but foreign language and English I struggle a little bit,” she said.
All that, and she still manages to enjoy her favorite sport.
“What I like about cycling is I get to play with my friends,” she said.
The grant that Savage received is largely funded by supporters and the JAM Fund’s biggest fundraiser, the Grand Fundo, which is a one-day scenic ride in Western Massachusetts. This year’s ride is on July 16, where grant recipients will find out details of their award. The public is invited to join the Grand Fundo ride and barbecue by registering at bikereg.com.
For media inquiries, email JAM Fund Media Coordinator Vicky Sama at jamcycling@gmail.com.