A scientist, a skier, a cyclist, an icon. Read about the life of Elle Anderson!
In Stowe, Vermont on March 29, 1988, a cyclist of the ages was born. Elle Anderson grew up in New England, loving the snowy mountains for her alpine skiing adventures. Her mother is Lyndell Heyer, a World Cup ski racer and her father is Scott Dorwatt, who was a cyclist for the U.S. Cycling Team. Elle Anderson attended Burke Mountain Academy, which was a ski-focused school. Anderson competed in multiple competitions, winning the Junior Nationals U19. But as exhilarating as skiing was, her career ended after an ACL injury. While studying at Dartmouth College, Anderson took up cycling as she rehabilitated herself after the injury. She studied Environmental Earth Science, earning her Bachelors of Science with honors.
She dove headfirst into cyclo-cross in 2012. Elle Anderson competed in the U.S. National Championships, soaring through with multiple top finishes. The next year, Anderson placed 12th at nationals and then in 2014, she earned a silver medal. Competing in Europe was Anderson’s feat for a spell. In 2015, she joined UCI Women’s Team BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental. Then, she joined Rally Cycling. In 2016 and 2017, Anderson took off. She won fourth overall in the Superprestige series, third place at Kermiscross, U.S. Team selection for UCI Cyclo-cross Worlds and eighth in Valkenburg in 2018.
As she self-managed her professional career, Elle Anderson worked part-time and continued to achieve milestones of her career. After her cycling time as a racer, she became a coach for the cycling program at Killington Mountain School in her home state of Vermont. She aimed to develop the skills of the young cyclists. Her knowledge of the sport and the mind and body helped her with her coaching.
Currently, Anderson is the coach at the Stowe Mountain Bike Academy. As a coach, she holds summer camps, practices, clinics and other opportunities for the athletes. She began working as the Program Coordinator at Mud City Adventures, which is a place where kids can attend adventure camps that has its own mountain biking program.
Elle Anderson has shown determination and a positive influence on her students and athletes. Throughout her life, Anderson has had quite the experience with different sports and organizations. She continues to join community events and she still has sponsorship connections. Her non-sport hobbies include trailblazing while managing a variety of moments of illness.
Elle Anderson is an iconic staple for the female cyclist community as well as the overall idea of how women can do anything they put their minds to.