Meagan Alpha’s first trail ride left quite an impression on her.
Taking a wrong turn on her entry-level bike, Alpha found herself walking a majority of the difficult trail along Grapevine Lake.
“I think I walked my bike like 90 percent of the time, but I fell in love with it,” Alpha said.
Just four years later, the owner of Alpha Women’s Wellness is a champion pro cross-country mountain bike rider, with 14 victories. She’s also earned sponsorships from Intense Cycles, a nutrition company, PNG and cycling apparel company, Jakroo.
“In 2019, when I got my bike, and I was riding North Shore, if you would have told me that I’d be doing this, I’d be, ‘No way,’” Alpha said. “It’s crazy.”
Alpha, 40, has been in healthcare for 18 years. She is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse focused on women’s healthcare. She opened Alpha Women’s Wellness in June to provide individualized and compassionate care for her patients. She practices a more holistic, functional approach to healthcare to find the root cause for a range of issues from nutrition to sexual health.
“My big thing with my practice is I want to give the patients the time that they need,” Alpha said. “A lot of women go to the doctor, sit there for two hours, wait for a room, and then they see the provider for five to 10 minutes. They get the full-time with me — 45 minutes to an hour. They really have the time to sit and tell me things. It’s a personal relationship.”
Alpha started cycling during her own journey to living healthier while raising three children.
“I was not eating well or taking care of myself. I was busy caring for kids,” she recalled.
“I started going for hikes on the trails and I’d see the mountain bikers. I wanted to try that.”
Soon after that fateful first ride, she upgraded her bike and joined a local riding group. By the next year, she graduated to competing and winning.
While finding success on the trails, Alpha’s motivation is not winning, but inspiring others to push their limits.
“I don’t have that competitive drive. I’m more competitive with myself and want to do my best,” Alpha said. “I want to have fun and encourage people to do something new.”
As a busy health provider, riding has helped her find an outlet for stress. She hits the trainer in the morning at home and then finds time for long rides around her busy work schedule.
Her children, 11, 13, and 21, have supported her in her training and competition.
“They will come in the room when I’m on the trainer and look at the screen and give a thumbs up,” Alpha said. “They see how much I enjoy it and it’s good for me.”
Her youngest daughter has also started racing.
In April, Alpha will be heading to California to compete in the Sea Otter in Monterrey.
“I was able to go last year. It was pretty amazing,” Alpha said.
She will then continue with a busy racing season.
“I’ll just keep pushing forward to see what I can do,” Alpha said.
“I want to have fun and encourage people to do something new," Meagan Alpha.