Winning the women's pro at the 2022 Big Sugar Gravel was a bonanza for Paige Onweller. The Michigan native won the Mazda-sponsored Lifetime Grand Prix, and along with her victory over a stellar field of pro riders, she also won name recognition and a lot of money.

The win at Big Sugar moved Onweller from 12th to 9th in the six-race series.

"Two things happened today. My main goal was to finish in the top three in Big Sugar. To get into the top 10 [in the series], you have to have a good race.

"So I wanted to have a race where I could say, 'I gave it my all. And I was able to win.

Her new foray into cycling began only two years ago. In the winter, she was selected from a field of 30 professional women to compete in the inaugural Grand Prix Off-Road Series in Bentonville, Arkansas, on Saturday.

Only the top 10 finishers will win the $250,000 prize money, which will be split evenly with the pro men. She won the 104-mile course single-handedly, beating out Emily Newsom, Alexis Skarda, Rose Grant, and Lauren De Crescenzo.

"I'm new to the sport. Gravel Worlds last August was my first mass start bike race. Before that I was a runner. So I don't think I was on the radar, to be honest. I heard the media car next to me talking about, 'Who is that?' I just laughed and said, 'Oh, nobody knows my name. That's okay. I think they will now."

Plagued by injuries during her time as a runner, she turned to cycling to maintain her competitive drive, and the 32-year-old admitted that she is dedicated to studying and learning about the sport and its equipment, especially "trying to learn how to ride a bike."

She made her first attempt at bicycle racing last year through esports with the Twenty24 development team, and later entered the USA Cycling Pro Road Nationals individual time trial as a single entry.

"I entered the USA Pro Road Nationals TT last year as a coach's exception, and it was my first race that was like a "real life race" because I was doing eSports on Zwift. It just didn't go a bit well. I had raw power. I just didn't have the skill."

So Onweller hired her own coach to help her develop these skills. She also videotaped herself riding the bike and spent countless hours studying techniques such as cornering. She also spent an entire month learning how to fix a flat tire and change a tire, timing herself like a stock car pit crew.

"I knew that to compete at the highest level, raw power wasn't enough; I needed other skills as well. I literally set up my camera, went to the corners, and spent two hours just cornering." I would change tire pressure, I would change my body position. I became a student of the sport and tried to learn as fast as I could. That's how I learned."

Onweller is a multitasker and perfectionist: "I really hate to lose. I like to win and I like to get better." When she's not working on her motorcycle, she works as a physician's assistant in a hospital emergency room, which she admits is "very stressful and has a lot of weird hours. She also doubles as a coach, which gives her a flexible schedule. She took up cycling to avoid running injuries, but injuries are still part of the game.

"This year I fell in a crosswind in April and had mid-season surgery. I had gravel in my knee and had to get consent for surgery. So this year I was off the bike for a month before Unbound. Yes, so today is a special day.

In the Grand Prix Series, he finished 18th in his first MTB race, the Sea Otter Classic Fuego 80K MTB. He then ended up retiring in Unbound, but returned to the Crusher in Tushar, finishing 16th. In the final three rounds of the series, he finished in the top 10 in each, including a win in the finale.

"I knew I had a rough start to this series. I wanted to get a result that would show what I can do this season," she told Cycling News. [So next year I'm going to be partial to the road calendar and do some gravel and mountain bike racing.

She said that after Big Sugar Gravel she will end her stint with the Avs team and join the Women's Pro Road Cycling Team, but is not ready to make a formal announcement at this time.

"I'm just joining a road team. I'll just do a very limited road schedule, Redlands, Gila, Pro Road Nationals, etc... I'll be back in 2023 for the TT to get my revenge, so look forward to that."