Stacy has been riding bikes most of her adult life. As a native New Yorker she started using bikes for commuting, but after discovering mountain biking her life changed forever. Riding bikes in the woods gave her an escape from the hustle and bustle of New York while allowing her to enjoy nature in a new way. Like with many of us, Stacy’s recreational riding soon turned into competitive racing. As a strong technical rider her focus became cross country, but she was always the kind of rider that didn’t mind suffering through the climbs to savor the downhills.

When competitive downhill became a legitimate discipline in the early 1990’s Stacy was all in. She started racing regional events before expanding to nationals which eventually led to World Cups. She even had the privilege of competing in 2 UCI World Championships. Stacy had to find a profession that would work with her racing schedule, so she started a career as a freelance makeup and hair stylist. She quickly gained notoriety in the highly competitive area of makeup and hair styling in New York while maintaining the flexibility to ride and race.  

Stacy met her husband (and fellow JAMIS ambassador) Jurgen Beneke at the Mt. Snow World Cup in 1993. He won that race while Stacy finished in the top 20. Speed on bikes was clearly the catalyst and their romance blossomed quickly. 

After achieving success at downhill Stacy started exploring other disciplines of cycling, namely cyclocross and more recently gravel racing. With large, open courses gravel racing allowed Stacy to experience new places and new challenges. 

In 2023 Stacy qualified for the UCI Gravel World Championships, which was a humbling experience for her. Next year she will have three opportunities to qualify for the 2024 Gravel World Championship to be held in Belgium. To say that Stacy’s hooked on gravel would be putting it lightly. 

25 years after they met Stacy and Jurgen are still having a blast riding, racing, and all kinds of adventuring. Her love for riding and racing bikes is infectious and we couldn’t be more stoked to have her as part of our team!