Finding Home on the Trail: How Two Puerto Rican Coaches Found Belonging in Colorado Through The Cycle Effect

For two coaches, mountain biking became more than a sport. It became a way to create belonging for the girls and women they coach and, unexpectedly, for themselves.

For coaches Yanitza (R) and Ernesto (L), their stories intersect thousands of miles from Puerto Rico in the mountains of Colorado through The Cycle Effect.

Yanitza arrived in Colorado after falling in love with her husband, Brett, whom she met during one of his surfing trips to Puerto Rico. Ernesto came years later, seeking a fresh start after Hurricane Maria and a place where he could immerse himself in the outdoors he loved. 

Though their paths were different, both carried Puerto Rico with them in the language they speak, the food they cook, the music they love, and the deep sense of community that shaped them.

They just never expected to find a piece of Puerto Rico here in Colorado.

Building Community on Two Wheels

Yanitza joined The Cycle Effect in Summit County 2019 after discovering mountain biking and wanting something more than exercise.

"I would see groups of women riding together," she says. "I wanted that community but with my Latina friends."

Ernesto joined The Cycle Effect in Eagle County in 2025. A special education teacher, he saw coaching as another way to help young people discover confidence in themselves.

"The most rewarding moments are seeing the girls overcome a fear or accomplish something they once thought was impossible."

An Unexpected Connection

With so few Puerto Ricans living in the Rockies, neither imagined they'd meet another Puerto Rican coaching for The Cycle Effect. They met at the infamous annual Hotdogger ride in Eagle County.

"The first thing that stood out to me was hearing her Puerto Rican accent," Ernesto says. "When you live far away from home, hearing someone speak like you creates an instant connection."

Yanitza felt it too.
"He makes me Puerto Rican proud," she says. "He has a good heart, likes to help people, is resilient, and he's a great biker."

Then they discovered their connection ran even deeper.

While swapping stories, Yanitza showed Ernesto a photo of a Puerto Rican family she'd met years earlier on a Colorado trail. Ernesto immediately recognized them. They had raced together back on the island.
When Yanitza texted the selfie to friends in Puerto Rico, the reply came back instantly:

"That's 29."

It was Ernesto's longtime nickname in Puerto Rico, earned as one of the first riders racing 29-inch mountain bikes.

In that moment, Colorado suddenly felt a little smaller and Puerto Rico a little closer.

Their friendship grew on the trail.

During one ride, Yanitza stopped before two technical features she had never been able to clean.

Ernesto didn't ride ahead.

Instead, he smiled and said, "Try it as many times as you need until you make it."

Attempt after attempt, he cheered from the side of the trail, offering encouragement and small adjustments until she finally rode through.

"He gave me tips that I now use when I coach," Yanitza says.

It's the same approach both bring to every ride with The Cycle Effect: patience over pressure, encouragement over perfection, and the belief that confidence is built one small victory at a time.

Coach Yanitza from Summit County (L), Coach Ernesto from Eagle County (C), and Yanitza’s Husband Brett (R) all enjoy a ride together.

More Than a Team

For Yanitza, meeting Ernesto made Colorado feel a little more like home.

"Having another Puerto Rican around that I can trust is priceless."

For Ernesto, the friendship has been a reminder that belonging often appears where you least expect it.

"Meeting another Puerto Rican here in Colorado reminds you that you're not alone."

The Cycle Effect exists to empower girls through mountain biking, but its impact extends beyond the riders. It creates a community with coaches, volunteers, parents and supporters who grow into friends and feel a deep sense of belonging off the bike. 

For Yanitza and Ernesto, that may be the greatest gift of all: finding a piece of home right here in Colorado.