Two-year Co-Captain Emily Wu ’25 inspires camaraderie and community in the Andover Cycling team. With 13 players, the program is intentionally small, which Wu believes fosters a greater sense of bonding and intimacy between teammates.
Wu explained her journey as a cyclist from the bike-friendly city of Beijing to the road courses of Andover. Originally introduced to the sport by her father, she remembered how a fellow cross-country runner at Andover helped convince Wu to join the Cycling team as a new Lower.
“I started road cycling with my dad because he was an avid road cyclist. I’m from Beijing, and since Beijing is a great bike city, I did casual road cycling all the time. When I came to Andover, I realized there was a competitive team… Last year’s captain was my cross country teammate, and she was the one who persuaded me, saying, ‘Hey, cycling is a great sport, and it’s super tight-knit.’ Everyone [on the team] has a lot of fun, and it’s a very inclusive and intimate community,” said Wu.
Wu prioritizes the physical well-being of her teammates as much as team community. Matt Robinson ’27 recalled how, when newer team members were still adapting to biking and struggling to keep up, Wu intervened with the coaches to reduce the length of their workout to ease the recovery process.
“She’s not afraid to go talk to the coaches or even politely criticize them to help the team. There was an instance a few weeks ago, where some new team members were having a hard time with the amount of biking, and their legs were really tired. We were supposed to do a workout, but Emily went and talked to our coaches to ask if we could have a lighter workout to ensure they recovered well,” said Robinson.
Robinson continued, “Building off that story, I joined the team last year as a Junior. I was one of two Juniors, and the only person I knew on the team was Emily. She was really nice, introducing me to [the team]. During training sessions, even before she was captain, she ensured we always went around and told each other our names and everything.”
Eddy Marrero ’28 spoke about his experience as a new biker on the team and how Wu has supported him socially and technically. While Wu contributes to the team’s camaraderie, she also gives helpful pointers on the bike.
Marrero said, “[Emily has welcomed me] with her kindness and by being so supportive and saying ‘Hey, how are you?’ every day. There is a sense of community that she inspires and brings to the team, and it has helped me feel more connected with my teammates. There is some joking around, making everything funny and being able to laugh together. When we are riding around the Andover course, we split up into groups of three. I was in her group one day, and I was lagging behind, and she was following behind me and gave me tips that really helped me out, so it made me feel better about my biking.”
Wu talked about how to deal with the risks of the race course, a lesson which she learned the hard way. During her first season on the team, speeding into a downhill turn caused Wu and a teammate to crash, breaking Wu’s collarbone and ending her season prematurely. The takeaway: hit the brakes before you hit the pavement.
“I learned [how to manage risks on the race course] the hard way. My first year, I broke my collarbone during a race because I didn’t hit the brakes during a tight turn. It was downhill, and it was a rainy day… It was the fourth or fifth lap, and I crashed, and a teammate crashed into me. I was out for the season. That’s when I realized brakes are really important… The sport has an inherent risk to it, so the emphasis is on taking care of each other and making sure each other [is] safe on the road… This makes the team very collaborative [and] it feels like a family,” said Wu.
