Defining the Ineffable with Ashley Hendershot
'A Turbo Smile is a Real Thing'
The media company I work for rents an office space on the main drag in downtown Ashland, Ohio. It’s a shared office area and it provides a good, quiet spot to get work done. The owners are down to earth, and they know how to brew a good pot of coffee. My editors and co-workers are all located in Mansfield, though — about 25 minutes away, so the office space gets lonely sometimes. There are days I’m the only person in the building.
But it’s right next to a bike shop. And so I walk down there often.
I’ve gotten to know the crew there. Friendly. Knowledgeable. Solid people. Always willing to help and answer questions.
The more I’ve hung out, the more I found out about the bike shop’s mission. Sure, they’re trying to sell as many bikes as possible. But they’re also building trails, running a NICA league and spreading the joys of mountain biking to young kids through a nonprofit, Ashland Bike Project. And Ashley Hendershot is steering that part of the ship.
She’s doing a great job, especially in a part of the country where mountain biking isn’t exactly the first sport kids think about when deciding what they’d like to play as an extracurricular.
She also happens to be an adept cyclist, having become the fastest woman on an e-MTB in America last September.
Hendershot lives in Ashland, OH with her husband, Erin, and their 11-year-old son, Caleb, and two dogs, Choco and Oreo.
What do you do for a living?
I am the Director of the Ashland Bike Project and the Sales Manager at Ashland Bike Company.
How did you get into racing e-MTBs?
When my husband returned from a deployment about 4 years ago, we headed to his ATV race in Georgia with the Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC). At this race, they kept announcing that they would be hosting the first eMTB race and I was intrigued. Once my husband finished his race, I asked if we could walk over and watch this eMTB race for a bit before we started our journey home. So we did and I was completely fascinated with it. On our very long drive home, I started the conversation with my husband about getting an eMTB and doing the races, since we were there anyway for his races. Now keep in mind, at this point in my biking career, I had only participated in one race at Vulture’s Knob for their Grassroot series. As we are traveling, we message (Tony Bunt, owner) at Ashland Bike Company to see what an eMTB would cost. He had a used eMTB for me in 5 minutes and once my husband made me agree that I would finish the series no matter what for this year, we had a bike and my eMTB racing career began.
I actually received the bike two days before what would be my first race. I rode it around the yard, then in the trailer it went. My first time actually on the trail was during my first race. It was such a fun race. I surprised my brother-in-law and family with the fact I was racing and the support from them and my family made it so much better. I fell over, smacked trees, and wrecked so many times, but I was completely hooked. I have now just finished my 4th season racing the GNCC series and it has been great to see it grow to now having a Women’s Pro Class, which I advocated for since that first season. I have also represented the USA at the UCI eMTB World Championship Race for two years now and am looking forward to my third year in 2023.
What do you say to the so-called purist cyclist who detests the idea of an electric bike?
This is an obstacle that is hard to approach because some people are just set in their opinion and do not want to hear anything else. An eMTB is just simply an opportunity to get more people on bikes. It gives people the opportunity to go farther, ride with a spouse or faster group they normally maybe want to ride with but can’t keep the faster pace, and also enables people to ride more often or up hills or obstacles that they normally can’t.
I know people say you aren’t exercising or it’s cheating, but I am happy to show you my heart rate data from training or races on my eMTB. A lot of what I have found in my experiences with group rides and just general interactions is just a lack of knowledge or experiences. Once I can get them on the bike, they usually come around and just have a blast. A Turbo Smile is a real thing.
As a fellow cyclist, I know you have bikes. Can you list off your steeds?
1. 2019 Specialized Tarmac, who’s name is Mac
2. 2022 Specialized StumpJumper, who’s name is Penny
3. 2022 Specialized Turbo Levo, who’s name is Smokey
4. 2022 SWorks Epic, who’s name is Maverick
5. 2022 Specialized Diverge, who’s name is Wild Thing
6. 2022 Specialized Roll, who’s name is Daisy
Yes I name all my bikes and yes I have a bike problem! LOL (Follow me on Instagram at @ashhendershot713 for all things bikes!)
How old were you when you started riding bikes without training wheels?
I actually had to call my mom and ask her. LOL. According to my mom, I was 5 or 6. I really don’t remember, but I trust her judgment.
Describe the feeling that cycling gives you.
I have always been an athlete, from track and cross country in high school to Rugby in college, then to Crossfit and powerlifting, to end up becoming a cyclist. Cycling, or even any sport that I have encountered over my life, has just been an escape for me. Being on my bike, whether it is road, gravel, or mountain biking, allows me to just breathe and be free for just a little while. It helps me to refocus and come back to whatever it is that is frustrating me. Cycling is my happy place. I love cycling and I love sharing it with others. It is so amazing to have the opportunity to share my passion with youth and to help them become better cyclists. I am truly blessed and grateful that God has put me on this path with bikes.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Ashley. Best wishes heading into the 2023 season. See ya at the shop!
Next week we’ll talk with Ryan O’Dell, race director of the National Ultra Endurance Series and the Ohio Mountain Bike Championship.