It’s no secret that Idaho attracts outdoor enthusiasts and world-class athletes. Its mountains, rivers, versatile terrain, and various elevations make it a natural year-round training and competition epicenter, especially for mountain and gravel biking. In a field where male athletes dominate, one woman stands alone—Rebecca Rusch.
Living in the Wood River and Sawtooth Valleys, Rebecca brings decades of wilderness wisdom to top trailblazers to reach the heights of human performance in leadership, business, and life. A professional endurance athlete, she is also a seven-time women’s World Champion in multiple sports who has spent the last four decades pushing her mind, body, and spirit to the absolute edge of her capabilities.
Rebecca possesses exceptional knowledge and experience in sports and leadership. She was nominated to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2019 and the inaugural class of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame in 2022. Endless races and wins around the globe, from 24-hour races to extreme endurance mountain challenges, and races like the Iditarod Trail in the dead of winter never cease to inspire Rebecca.
Rusch was a member of the US National Whitewater Rafting Team and several international adventure racing teams. In addition, she created Rebecca’s Private Idaho (RPI), one of the largest gravel bike races in the West in Sun Valley, which began in 2013 and continues to raise money for charity.
“I’ve thought about where grit comes from,” says Rebecca. “Having lost our father at the age of three and my sister at the age of six, my mom, in the 1970s and 1980s, had to raise two kids alone. She had to be a trailblazer, get a job, and figure it out because being a single parent was uncommon back then. She was a woman working in computer science, which was rare. We had to grow up knowing we needed to work hard and that a path for success was not clear or laid out for us.”
Learning independence with a positive role model of strength and resilience, Rebecca’s mother helped her forge her way. “I always think about the women who chose to live in Idaho and the strength required to live here,” she says. “Those from a long time ago and even now have to be strong and can handle Mother Nature. From a business perspective, the spaces I created did not exist. Sun Valley had no major bike event, so I started one. There was no nonprofit to suit my needs, so I created one. I love giving a voice to women and highlighting them because we need it. I don’t want to be known as a great female athlete or entrepreneur; I want to be known as a great athlete and entrepreneur—we don’t need the female qualifier.”
As Rebecca emulates, women have to work harder to stay on top. They do the lion’s share of the work and have only been in the workforce for the last 100 years. “For women to get ahead in business, we must be louder and handle the home while juggling everyone else. It’s a little outside of our comfort zone.”
For Rebecca, collaborating with other women makes it more accessible. She gravitates toward strong female energy, which gives her more energy, a larger platform with a group, confidence, and the sense of not feeling alone. In a very happy marriage with her husband Greg, Rebecca always finds confidant women and groups uplifting.
“Being the only woman in the room is changing,” says Rebecca. “We have more young women mountain biking, an Olympic sport. Women’s snowboarding is getting more attention, and things are happening. However, there is an old social etiquette that men come first. It’s so important for me and other women to use their voices. What is beautiful about elders and mentorship is showing the younger generation the new way, and the door is open for all and what they do.”
As a Hall of Famer, she had the grit and passion to push the door open and provide opportunities for other women. No one can dispute her championships as they only help her move further in her goals. “It is about winning, but what is your definition of winning,” says Rebecca. “With 1,500 people in RPI, winning is showing up, winning a category, and even winning the race. It’s how you perceive it.”
Outlined in her bestselling memoir, Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled, Rebecca shares her story, which continues to be told, especially when she became the first person to bike the entire 1,800-kilometer Ho Chi Minh Trail to discover where her father was shot down during the Vietnam War. It was another accomplishment and an experience leading to the Emmy Award-winning documentary Blood Road. However, this achievement led to something even more rewarding for Rebecca. It set the stage for her nonprofit, the Be Good Foundation. Using the bike as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution while creating opportunities for outdoor exploration, personal discovery, and humanitarian service at local, national, and global levels, the Be Good Foundation provides scholarships to inspire others to bike and ride. It’s an illuminating means to wellness and positive living.
“You have to be passionate and identify it,” she says. “For me, sports and the outdoors have been my themes, it’s why I live in Idaho. It will be hard work and reminding yourself it’s passion. The big key to any entrepreneurial endeavor is a community, gathering the people who help you learn and elevate you—passion, grit, and community make the difference.”
Join the Rusch!
May 29-30
Gravel Hall of Fame Induction
Emporia, Kansas
Rebecca will attend the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Induction to welcome good friend Selene Yeager into the Hall of Fame. She will also host a live podcast with Selene and Kristi Mohn to celebrate their accomplishments in the cycling industry and continue to pave the way for more women in the industry.
June 1-2
Outside Festival
Denver, Colorado
Rebecca will join the Outside Network team in Denver for the first-ever Outside Festival—a one-of-a-kind, everything outdoors festival.
June 20-23
Rusch Academy Camp
Sun Valley, Idaho
Rusch Academy In-Person camps are back. The new 2.0 version includes more holistic wellness centered around mindfulness and movement. Guest Coach Jay Petervary, Yuri Hauswald, and Dave Jones will accompany Rebecca on a weekend in Idaho.
August 28 - September 1
Rebecca’s Private Idaho (RPI)
Sun Valley, Idaho
Join us in Idaho for the 11th Rebecca’s Private Idaho event!
Learn more about Rebecca Rusch, her events, and training at rebeccarusch.com.