Oklahoma Woman Competing In Cycling Competition In Italy

One of Oklahoma's Own is helping represent the United States in a cycling championship in Italy.

After cycling for just six years, Gabby Henry is getting ready for the biggest race of her career.

"I'm definitely just an amateur; I'm not a pro,” Henry said. “I'm not sponsored by anyone. But it's really cool to still have this opportunity and get to wear the USA colors."

She is competing in the UCI Gravel World Championship, the first of its kind for the international cycling community.

She will be racing 140km, which is about 87 miles, on gravel.

"It's not as smooth. There's a lot more bumps. So it's a little bit more technical than just like typical road riding or riding on the trail,” she said.

After Henry earned first place in the qualifying race for her age group earlier this year in Fayetteville, she is packing her bags and her bike for Italy.

“I'll pack it up in the bag and there's different little compartments to secure like the wheels and the frame,” she said. “And then I’ll have a set of tools I’m taking with me so that I can get it all back together like this once I'm over in Italy."

A big part of the 22-year-old's love for the sport is the community. She has competed in Tulsa Tough and makes new friends everywhere else she goes.

"I just love getting to meet so many people, just from different backgrounds and then getting to ride in so many different places," Henry explained.

And she's getting to all those places with a lot of determination and two wheels.

Another Oklahoman, Kindler Chase, qualified for his age group too. You can stream the races online here.