Today we’d like to introduce you to Tish Kelly.
Hi Tish, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It’s a long story! I come from high-end tennis background and athletics all my life. I started riding bikes in our Naples Velo group 16 years ago and was hooked on the sport! I totally immersed myself in the cycling culture and everything bikes. I raced for 8 years in both criterium, road and time trial. It is a very social sport and awesome exercise. Really fun! 7 years ago, my college-age daughter Madison Kelly decided she would like to cycle. She did and started racing and arrived at the cat 1 pro level quickly.( I was category 3, not as fast!) We set off for the summer to race and had a blast!
Long story short, back in Naples, Fl people were intrigued and we caught the attention of some local businesses and people we rode with. Stradalli bikes, friend and neighbor Papa John, Safetti wear, Lipman farms and Capital Wealth Advisors all suggested I start a team. Stradalli/Papa John’s race team was born.
A few years later, Capital Wealth Advisors ‘CWA” stepped up as title sponsor and more funds were raised, TREK bikes took over, Boyd Cycling (out of Greenville) and Goldman Sachs ETFs joined in to create what is today “CWA Racing p/b Goldman Sachs ETFs. Flamingo Racing LLC is our company that presents.
We have ladies from all over the world like Venezuela, Chile, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA. We like to find little-known criterium racers ( our genre of racing) and make them stars…although we have also the regulars on our team.
We are one of the top criterium teams in the USA now and have been for a few years.
Our fabulous director Ben Renkema (many-time national champion) and assistant director Dennis Ramirez, both reside in Greenville S.C., so we are based there during the season. Now TIME bikes are moving its operation to Greenville from France, and they are our new bike sponsor. So the Greenville connections.
Recently we had the honor to ring the opening bell on the New York stock Exchange with our sponsor Goldman Sachs ETFs. We are the first team ever and second from the cycling world. Lance Armstrong was the first.
We also introduced a gravel team and did very well this year. We raced and supported the local series in the Carolina’s ‘Southeast Gravel Series”.
Now we take a breather in off-season and star up again next spring!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Not always smooth. When you start a team, there is really no one to help you, and the sport is tough to break into. I just ran it like a tennis team and forged ahead doing my own thing and it worked. It is also a struggle to pick the right group of ladies to team up. So much goes into that. You are always struggling to raise money to power the team. Every year after year. I am lucky my gear sponsors have stayed with me all through.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I was married for 30 years to a top 10 professional tennis player so holding down a regular job didn’t work with international travel 40 weeks a year. So I modeled a bit and was heavy into raising funds for charity and volunteering a lot. Most of it is for the animal, environmental, and children’s charities which I have gotten several awards for. Well, my then-husband retired I started working for my friend’ fine art gallery as a consultant for 10 years.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If anyone out there would like to help me help women in sports, we are always looking for more sponsors! Most of them would not be able to race like this if not for teams like mine. We need more of them!
I reside in Naples, Fl and arrived there from Buffalo, NY in 1979. I grew up riding horses, swimming competitively, and playing tennis competitively.
I ride my bike 200-plus miles a week with our club Naples Velo.
I love to go on bike trips, especially over seas with Thompson Travel.
I am an avid skier.
I am a leader in my community
Grass does not grow under my feet!
Contact Info:
- Website: flamingoracingllc.com
- Instagram: cwa_racing
- Facebook: CWA Racing p/b Goldman Sachs ETFs
