TULSA, Okla. — For the last ten years, clipping into her bike has become as fundamental as tying her shoes.
“I love racing," said Rylee McMullen. "I love being on the road with my friends."
McMullen lives on her bike.
The New Zealand native is back in Tulsa this weekend for her sixth Tulsa Tough.
2 News Oklahoma's Stef Manchen asked McMullen how she got into cycling.
“I actually did triathlons, and I was really bad at swimming and running, so I dropped those, and now I’m riding full time.”
In 2025, McMullen won Cry Baby Hill on day 3 and placed third overall. She's back to ride her favorite event, tackling the hill full of the most spirited spectators around.
“You literally can’t hear yourself think," McMullen said. "There’s so many people up on the hill, and they’re all screaming and cheering, it’s really motivating.”
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Of all the places she's raced across the world, McMullen said racing in Tulsa Tough is her all-time favorite competition.
For twenty years, Saint Francis Tulsa Tough has drawn cyclists from all over the world to shred Green Country roads. 2 News has covered the race weekend phenomenon since year one in 2006.
2,540 riders are registered for the anniversary weekend of racing, with another thousand taking on the lawn course.
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Event, city leaders kick off 20th annual Tulsa Tough
"I think the event feels like it gets bigger and bigger every year, so I’m excited to see how big it is in its 20th year," said McMullen.
It's the culmination of the course, the energy, and familiar, friendly faces that keep McMullen coming back.
20 hours of training every week, all season long, comes down to this weekend.
"I don’t love training, but I do love racing, so if you want to race well, you have to keep training," she said.
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