Portraits of Adventure / Vultures Knob / Emily
Emily
Vultures Knob, Wooster OH
October | 2025
“You can join us if you want,” came a voice from the table a few feet away as I boiled tortellini for dinner that night. I had arrived at Vulture’s Knob Mountain Bike Trails earlier that day with no connections, just my tent and camera. New to Ohio, I’d found the Northern Ohio Mountain Bike Series on Facebook and decided to check it out. Little did I know, that simple invitation came from a race director.
Emily was one of the first to introduce herself and invite me into the community. It was a relief, I was already anxious about meeting new people in a sport where I didn’t even have a bike. Her warm, inclusive energy reflected exactly what I would come to know about her, a quiet strength and genuine care that make people feel they belong.
Once describing herself as “shy, insecure, uncoordinated, and non-athletic,” Emily has gone through a remarkable journey of self-discovery through mountain biking, a path that showed her the person she wanted to become mattered more than the accomplishments along the way. Through deep personal struggle, transformation, and resilience, she uncovered a fire burning bright inside her, an unstoppable force fueled by compassion, self acceptance, friendship, and love, even in her darkest moments.
After years of battling dizziness, fatigue, and food allergies, a diagnosis of Lyme disease finally brought clarity. Understanding why her body felt like it was working against her offered peace of mind and renewed direction. While the awards are a highlight in her journey, Emily cherishes and soaks in the time she spends in nature that mountain biking provides.
When she’s not inspiring others through racing, Emily supports the sport at a local bike shop, shares laughter with her husband Josiah, and occasionally hints at returning to photography, a reminder that her story, like her spirit, is still unfolding.
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