HILARY KAY ANDREWS BIO 

The spring of 2013 Hilary walked from her office in downtown Tulsa to Lee’s Bicycles, bought an entry level bike and changed her life. She discovered the cycling community that day and became friends with Carol Bush, one of the Diva founders. Carol encouraged Hilary to join this new all women’s cycling club that would be focused on group rides building up to the Saint Francis Tulsa Tough Gran Fondo. They also learned bike handling skills and simple bike maintenance but most importantly, they met and learned to love other women cyclists. Starting out, ten miles was plenty but by the time Saint Francis Tulsa Tough came around she and others finished the medio ride (55-62 miles). By the following year, she rode in another event for a hundred miles, or a ‘century’ as it’s called in the cycling world. Going to other local cycling events and seeing other pink Diva shirts was both comforting and encouraging to those early Divas and they stuck together. They learned the lingo and began calling each other for weekend rides. By the end of year one, she was enthusiastically recruiting the next class of Divas with her stories of accomplishment, camaraderie and Wednesday night rides that came complete with ‘manbassador’ stories. Those were the local bike shop mechanics who showed up every week to help with the newbie’s bikes because in the early days, most didn’t know how to even air a tire. Now there are plenty of Diva pros that can help the new women become self-sufficient and are no longer reliant on the weekly mechanic assistance. When they finished the ride, they had snacks, beer and wine for after-ride socializing. Having men cater to the women made an impression and added to the festiveness.

Hilary was 35 years old when she passed away suddenly on Christmas Day, 2014 from a brain aneurism. She had been a Diva for only two short years but put her heavy mark on the Tulsa cycling community in that short time. Her memory carries on in Diva hearts and she’s been called the mother of the Festlig cycling club. The founder of the Festligs created a Sunday morning ride called No Hills for Hilary (because she got whiney on hills sometimes), which has become an annual animal rescue fundraiser following her passing. Her life was enhanced through her association with Divas, both physically and socially. She was a fun person to ride with, had a big laugh and smile and has been described as never having met a stranger. Hilary encouraged others, calling them ‘rock stars’ and would be so proud to know that this grant will help new women become Divas.