Welcome Liza Ray to Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24!

Turning the Tide: Liza Ray Swaps Strokes for Spokes

ROANOKE, Virginia — August 23, 2024 — We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our roster, Liza Ray! Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and raised in Finland, Liza moved to the United States at the age of 10, where she quickly became a standout athlete. She started as a cross-country runner and soon became a rowing sensation at the Miami Rowing Club, breaking all known erg records and earning the titles of captain and Oarswoman of the Year for all four years of high school. Liza continued her rowing career at Columbia University, where she competed in the first varsity 8, earned First Team All-Ivy League honors in 2018, and achieved A-final placements at the Under-23 World Championships in 2018 and 2019. She graduated with a degree in psychology.

After graduation, Liza (pronounced Leeza) dominated in lightweight single sculling from 2021 to 2023, but her competitive spirit soon led her to a new challenge—cycling. While training in Miami, she quickly transitioned from the water to the road. Within just two months of group riding, Liza entered and won her first cycling event, the Hincapie Gran Fondo - Lehigh Valley, even as she was still primarily training for rowing. Solutions Cycling, a local club team, recognized her talent and helped her progress from a category 4 racer to a category 2 in just a few months. USA Cycling Foundations's Mari Holden and Leah Roberts connected Liza with us.

"Liza first caught my attention when she shattered three uphill TT QOMs in a single ride, leaving me wondering, ‘Who the heck is this?’ After some digging, I discovered we both rowed at Columbia and lived just 10 minutes apart—leading to a wonderful friendship and admiration for her next-level cycling talent," said Roberts, an ER/primary care physician with a passion for working with and educating female endurance athletes.

Last week, Liza drove to Roanoke, VA for an assessment, where we were immediately impressed by her competitive nature, quick learning ability, and focus on becoming a top performer. Despite her short time in the cycling world, Liza set new personal best power numbers during the field testing, showcasing her incredible potential.

Photo above: Mel at the finish line by LifeTime

We believe Liza will bring a unique blend of raw athletic talent, mental toughness, and relentless drive for excellence to our squad. Her background in elite-level rowing has equipped her with the discipline and endurance necessary for success in cycling. As she continues to develop her skills on the bike, we have no doubt that Liza will make a significant impact on our team. Her goal is to represent Team USA at the highest level.

Please join us in welcoming Liza Ray to Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24! We can't wait to see what she will achieve. Her first race with the team will be GP Gatineau, a UCI race in Canada next month.

Thanks for reading Nicola

Rowing Highlights

Head of the Charles 2023 LW1x, 3rd

Senior Trials 2023 LW1x, 3rd

Head of the Charles 2022 LW1x, 2nd

Head of the Hooch 2022 LW1x, 1st

Senior Trials 2022, LW1x, 2nd

U23 World Championships 2019 LW2x, 6th

U23 World Championships 2018 LW4x, 6th

Cycling Highlights



2024 Result Highlights (5 best results)

New Jersey State Road Race Champion

2x Fondo Weekend Win at Hincapie Lehigh Valley & Highlands Gran Fondo

1st Bear Mountain Classic 

8th at Killington Stage Race

1st at Garden State Stage Race

More About Liza Ray

Favorite quote: “Don’t Panic” - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams  

Name: Liza Ray

D.O.B.: June 5, 1997

Birth city and state: St. Petersburg, Russia

Current City: Hillsborough, NJ

Height: 5’6”

Previous sports: Rowing 

Years racing: 1

Colleges attended: Columbia University 

Degree: Psychology

Who has inspired you in your life?

My novice year rowing coach, Paul Scheller, who seems to believe that I can do anything and makes me unafraid to try.  

Favorite meal on a training day?

Bread, butter, and cheese with black tea. 

The best thing about being a bike racer is?

Vroom. Vroom. Speed. 

Favorite event and why?

The Hincapie Gran Fondo in Lehigh Valley is my favorite race. I love the fondo structure and both of the times I did this one I have had the opportunity to meet some really cool people. It is also a challenging race with punchy climbs and gravel. Really you get a bit of everything. I love it. 

Favorite cross training or off-season activity?

Open-water swimming. I am relatively new to this form of exercises as well, but had a ton of fun swimming along the Miami South Beach coast line last winter. 

Best tip for a new bike racer?

Find friends. Friends teach you things you didn’t know you needed to be taught. 

What are one of two things that you do daily that are the key to your success?

1. Do not do the same thing two days in a row. 

If you could spend 10 days anywhere, where would it be?

I would go back to Finland and spend time exploring the areas I knew as a kid. 

Favorite things to do off the bike:

1. Read (classical lit + sci-fi)
2. Draw/paint/embroider something (strictly in the 2nd dimension) 
3. Hike with the gang (Kamantha + Barthometer her dogs)
4. Watch C-Drama’s with my best friend 
5. Road-tripping 

Top 5 warmup/pre-race songs on your iPod: 

 I really mostly listen to Russian music, top artists/bands:

1. Valery Meladze (total legend)
2. Animal Jazz
3. Piknik 
4. Nautilus Pompilius 
5. Agatha Christie (the Russian band, not the English author)

Tell us something about yourself that people may not know  

I have a difficult time throwing away jars/tins/boxes of any kind. It just always seems like they could one day become useful. And you know… a lot of the times they have. 

Our weekly Zwift Community Ride

in Richmond, Virginia is in it's fifth year! 



Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 are now in our 19th year of operation developing high-performance athletes and the next generation of competitive cyclists. Success in aligning student-athletes with college scholarships through cycling. Support of the multi-discipline athlete. Adaptive, dynamic, versatile, resilient, and committed to growing diversity in the landscape of women’s cycling. Our weekly Zwift group ride is in its 5th year and is led by Ultra-cyclist Amanda Coker. Richmond, Fan Flats. 



We would love for you to join us on this good vibe, fun social ride! 

7:00am MDT / 9:00am EST / 2:00pm CET  Join our ride here!

Gratitude to our 2024 Partners

Virginia's Blue Ridge, Virginia is for Mountain Lovers, Zwift, FELT Bicycles, Zipp, SRAM, Quarq, Violich Farms, Berglund Automotive, Atlantic Union Bank, Carilion Hospital, GroundForce IT, Wild Health, Domestique Foundation, Roanoke College, Velotec, Kenda Tire, Oakley, Speedplay, KASK helmets, PACE Ranch, Wahoo, Velo Saddles, Training Peaks, Arundel Cages, Camelbak, KX3 Sports, DZ Chamois Cream, Hyperice, Park Tool, Seasucker Racks, Sock Guy, McNeil Roofing, Karen Malkin Health, NormaTec, The Original Stick, USA Cycling Foundation, Victory Circle Graphix, Cardinal Bicycle, Bauer Haus, KX3 Lifestyle and Coaching, Barbara Kreisle Photography, Roanoke Gas, Gentry Locke, Lab Sports Performance, The Original Stick.