Kelsey Brennan participates in Tour of the Gila every year. She’s missed only a couple editions of the race since 2004. But she hasn’t even owned a bicycle in a decade.

The daughter of Race Director Jack Brennan, Kelsey is going on 22 years of playing a critical role in the Tour of the Gila as a support driver. She’s one of the dozens who volunteer their time and their cars to ensure the wheels keep turning on this world-class bike race.

In the car labeled “COMM 1,” Kelsey’s job involves carrying the head official (or commissaire) of the UCI men’s race and following the main group of riders for the duration of each stage. “The official has the best picture of the race. We are managing the riders all around us and also communicating with the team cars behind us about the situation on the road,” she says. “There’s a lot of chaos there at our vehicle.”

She was a senior in high school the first time she got behind the wheel to support the race. “Someone who was lined up to be the driver canceled. My dad just told me I was going to do it,” remembers Kelsey, who had ridden in a support vehicle for one stage of the 2003 race. “I wasn’t naïve to it. I grew up doing different things for Tour of the Gila. I’d known my passenger, Tom Simonson, forever. He was good at giving direction and didn’t put much pressure on me.”

Kelsey appreciates her dad’s passion for Tour of the Gila. “It’s something he’s very committed to, so being just a little part of the race is nice as his daughter. And I just love Silver City. The race is good for Silver City, so being helpful is a good contribution to the place that raised me.”

She learned to drive on the streets that make up Tour of the Gila racecourses. So, while she can’t rattle off cycling stats or even tell you the exact mileage of each stage, Kelsey knows every curve of the road. Her favorite stage is the Inner Loop Road Race which crests into Pinos Altos before heading into the Gila National Forest. “That descent by Bear Creek Cabins is really fast and rolling. It shows off my skills. Passengers who’ve never been with me are pretty impressed at that point,” she says. “I’m amendable for anybody’s style. We’ve had tons of different officials from all over the world. I mold to what they’re wanting and what I feel they’ll be comfortable with.”

A Tucson resident since graduating high school, Kelsey works in property management but takes time away from her job to participate in the event that’s so important to her family. “A lot of people in my world don’t understand what the sport is. They don’t understand what it means to me and our community.”