Jess Galatro: Community on Two Wheels — From Providence to the Podium 🇺🇸

From Providence, Rhode Island, Jess Galatro brings something beautifully simple to SISU Racing:

Ride your bike.
Support your people.
Do the best you can with the body you have today.

And maybe eat a few Thin Mints along the way.

The Basement That Never Sleeps

Jess’s pain cave is peak practicality.

A Craigslist aluminum Fuji frame mounted to a Wahoo KICKR. Next to her husband’s old Surly Cross-Check on an Elite trainer. Dual fans. Dual screens. A touch monitor for quick Zwift navigation. Washer and dryer within reach.

And most importantly?

A mat beside the bike where her dog, Goose, rests while she rides.

Her soundtrack depends on the mission:

• Podcasts (comedy and history) for training days

• 90s rock and alternative for race mode

Coffee? Not really her thing.
She’s “the Energizer Bunny even on decaf.”

A Life Measured in Pedals

Jess isn’t just a cyclist.

She’s a person who rides.

She commutes on a Brompton to the train. Picks up the kids on a tandem. Groceries go on a Big Dummy cargo bike. Date nights roll out on early 90s steel Waterfords. A bad day? That’s one with under 25km pedaled.

She grew up on a farm in Southern New Jersey. Long, flat rural roads were her refuge. At 12, she saved lawn mowing money to buy a 26” Huffy. She rode tractor paths, dirt bike trails, anywhere two wheels would take her.

Since age four, she’s never not had a bike.

For Jess, biking equals community.

On the bike path, she says hello.
On Zwift, she gives ride-ons.
In races, she wants everyone to feel supported.

Finding SISU

Zwift entered her world in 2019 as a winter solution. During the pandemic, it became a haven. In November 2022, a connection brought her to SISU Racing — and she hasn’t looked back.

Her favourite series?

The Zwift Racing League.

Because that’s where she gets to race alongside her Leippa (Bread) and Voita (Butter) teammates.

Yes, the squad chat is full of puns. Yes, it gets ridiculous. And yes, that’s exactly the point.

The Reigning Champion Who Races for the Squad

Jess is the reigning D Grade Club Champion in the iTT, Crit, and Climb disciplines.

But ask her about defending titles at the SISU Club Championships in New York, and she lights up for a different reason:

It’s about supporting the women she races with.

She loves racing the expansion NYC courses — from the comfort of her basement. (Although she wouldn’t mind grabbing waffles from Bryant Park after a race.)

Last year, she brought her trainer on a rental house anniversary trip so she wouldn’t miss championships. Her husband watched The Godfather and cheered her on from the couch.

That’s commitment.

Mindset: Gratitude and Granite

Jess rides with gratitude.

She’s deeply aware of how fortunate she is — in health, housing, relationships, career. She knows life is hard. She refuses to take it “for granite” (pun entirely intended).

Her guiding phrase:

“Do the best you can with the body you have today.”

She’s managed back pain and leg weakness for years due to a spinal defect. Some days are harder than others. When they are, she reframes, resets, and tries again tomorrow.

Humour helps.
Practice helps.
Community helps.

Lessons from the Solo Struggle Bus

Early on, she’d surge at the wrong time, get dropped, and ride alone to the finish.

Then USA cyclocross pro Adam Myerson gave her advice:

“Sometimes you have to go fast to go fast.”

So now she grabs wheels. She holds on. She races smarter.

Cycling, she says, is better in a group.

Life is too.

Building the Next Generation

Jess’s proudest achievements go beyond results.

She and her husband are helping start a youth mountain bike team for city kids in the New England league — focused on ensuring access regardless of socioeconomic background.

Make bikes accessible.
Build community.
Pass it forward.

That’s SISU in action.

Advancing Women in Cycling Esports

As a member of the SISU Women’s Leadership Team, Jess is proud to help push the sport forward.

She believes women’s advancement in sport requires constant tending — like a trail that must be maintained or it will become overgrown.

Progress isn’t permanent unless we protect and grow it.

She’s all-in for SISU’s International Women’s Day race on March 8 and encourages women across Zwift to join.

Save the date.
Show up.
Be seen.

And maybe hear a few stories about being a woman in construction management along the way.

2026 Goals: Ride Everywhere

Jess set a goal in 2021 to ride 355 days per year.

She’s achieved it every year since.

Her next missions:

• Ride in every US state (22 down)

• See a home game at every MLB stadium (3 left)

• Ride Copper Harbor in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

• Keep her daughter’s Rhode Island native garden alive

Because life, like cycling, is about momentum.

Finish This Sentence

“SISU Racing is…”

Jess keeps it simple:

A community.

And if you’ve ever been in the Leippa/Voita chat, grabbed a wheel beside her in a race, or received a ride-on when you needed it most…

You already know she’s right.