Hi there!

I’m Emily O’Brien, also know here as the Unlikely Mountain Biker.

Colorado born, I currently live and shred in Ohio with my little family of one wonderful husband and two perfect cats. Formerly a professional photographer and horse farm hand, I’m now learning to wrench on bikes at the best local shop, and I delight in capturing beauty still. I dabble in cross country racing but truly revel in just sharing the joy of bikes out on the trails with good souls as well as exploring all over the country with the bike, climbing up any mountain I can find. Check out my Instagram below to see what joyful nonsense I’m getting into, both on and off the bike.

If I wait long enough, will my mecatnics service my fork for me? 🤔
It was 70 degrees today so I decided to ride one mile for every glorious degree of warmth. My legs are tired but my face was full of sunshine and I am content with the day’s work. ☀️
I spend a lot of time questioning the decisions I’ve made in life thus far, but deciding to work on a horse ranch in Colorado 8 years ago is one thing I’ve never questioned. Every time I go back is both a welcome home and a new adventure.
Things we are good at: riding bikes, not taking ourselves too seriously, and having a ridiculously good time. Things we are not good at: group pictures. Middle school class photo much? 😂 I love being a part of the @spin_medina crew. Great morning p
So often my head feels like a swarm of bees is living inside. Priorities, dreams, responsibilities, fears, ideas, uncertainties, everything vying for my attention at once. Pedaling calms the clamor and settles a humbling stillness deep within, more s
It was a glorious, mysterious day for an adventure. The Emerald Necklace made for the perfect route to take advantage of 45 degrees in January. ✨ Not pictured: much tomfoolery and nonsense and whining about how damp everything was. But absolutely a
These are just a bunch of numbers that ultimately don’t matter, but the moments behind them mattered oh so much. It was my first year breaking a thousand miles, my first year racing, my first year riding a gravel bike or single speed. But mostl
A corpse can’t climb.
 That’s the thought that lives in my head on the bike as I grind my way uphill, or push through vicious intervals on the indoor trainer. It might sound a little morbid, but it’s rooted in a deep, defiant gratit