Where are they NOW? Shonny Vanlandingham

Passing through Durango during the Ironhorse Classic earlier this spring, we were lucky enough to celebrate Shonny Vanlandingham’s birthday with her, riding the “test tracks” near her home in Durango, CO.  We don’t need to discuss numbers here, but Shonny has won her fair share of mountain bike and Xterra Off road triathlon races in this incredibly short amount of time she has been on this planet. Accumulating 15 NORBA National race wins and three NORBA Series Championship titles, Vanlandingham is the most successful rider in NORBA history. A 7-time U.S. National Mountain Bike Team Member, 3x (2004-06) NORBA National Series X-Country Champ & 2005 U.S. National Short Track Champ as well as World Xterra Champion in 2010, Shonny has had a very exciting and busy professional career.

It is safe to say that anything that Shonny does, she does with passion, vigor and goes full in.  From real estate to coffee, travel and philanthropy, Shonny has not slowed down since her retirement from sport.  I am excited to be involved in an amazing volunteer project with an amazing group of women, that includes Shonny, called Endure Nepal.  In addition to that, here are some things that we learned…

CJ:  Tell us a little bit about what’s been occupying your time since you’ve retired from racing.

SV:  I built two homes (General Contractor) in Texas last summer. One has been sold the other is currently on the market.  So give me a call if you’re interested in a four bedroom home on a golf course….in Texas.  :-)

CJ:  What do you envision the next year or so to bring?

SV:  In the next year, I plan to travel and mountain bike in some places that I didn’t have time to visit while I was training and racing full-time.  Plans for the rest of this summer include:  Idaho, Oregon, Nepal and New Zealand.  Beyond that, I’m open to suggestions and invites for adventure!

CJ:  How did you become so passionate about coffee?

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SV:  I bought a small coffee farm on the big island of Hawaii in 2005 and was fortunate enough to learn and appreciate the craft of cultivating the coffee bean, processing and roasting.  I eventually branded Wahini Farms 100% Kona coffee.
This led to my coffee snobbery and I have since become a “barista In training” in an attempt to perfect the art of a bicycle in my cappuccino froth.
If you are in Durango area, stop by for a homemade cappuccino from my old school La Pavoni Europiccola or my semi automatic Anita espresso.

 CJ:  Why did you get involved in the Endure Nepal project?

SV:  I have always wanted to be a part of a mission team to help touch the lives of people who are in need.
The EN project is an avenue to use my cycling background as a platform to raise awareness (through the film) about the needs of the Nepalese people since the major earthquake in 2015.  Since then, many quakes have continued to rock Nepal.  So the work we will be doing in Nepal to help rebuild schools, homes, and other structures is so desperately needed.

CJ:  What are your favorite rides NOW and where do you see your athletic competitiveness manifesting in the future?

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