A St. Luke’s University Health Network nurse and mother of two has become a world champion cyclist after returning to the sport following a nearly two-decade break.
Cindy Sitler, 37, a triage nurse for St. Luke’s women’s health services, won a gold medal Oct. 8 at the UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in London, England, just over a year after returning to competitive cycling.
Sitler and her teammates, Andrea Villaroman and Felice Beitzel, captured the women’s team sprint title at Lee Valley Velodrome, the cycling venue used during the 2012 Olympic Games. The trio also broke the U.S. national record twice, first during qualifying and again in the championship final.
“I always wanted to win a rainbow jersey,” Sitler said of the special jersey awarded to world champions. “It was an unbelievable feeling to actually win one.”
Sitler, a graduate of St. Luke’s School of Nursing, first discovered cycling at age 9 at the velodrome in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, commonly known as T-town. She went on to become one of the nation’s top junior cyclists, winning 10 national championships before stepping away from the sport at age 18.
A broken collarbone, college and other life commitments contributed to her decision to stop competing. She remained away from competitive cycling for approximately 19 years while building her nursing career and raising a family.
Sitler lives in Fogelsville with her husband, Michael, and their two teenage daughters, Madison and Sophia.
Her return to cycling began last year when she joined a former cycling friend for a casual ride to a coffee shop. That experience eventually led her back to the Trexlertown velodrome, where she began participating in Women’s Wednesdays, a program offering free use of track bicycles.
The program helped Sitler rediscover her passion for racing, and within nine months of returning to the sport, she captured her first national title in nearly two decades.
At the 2026 USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships, Sitler won gold medals in the scratch race and team pursuit, a silver medal in the individual sprint and a bronze medal in another event.
Six weeks before the UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships, Sitler’s coach, Missy Erickson, was approached about the possibility of Sitler competing for Team USA in the women’s team sprint.
Sitler accepted the opportunity, which ultimately led to her first world championship title.
“Since I first started riding and did my first nationals, being a world champion was the coolest thing you could do,” she said. “Standing on the podium, wearing the gold medal and rainbow jersey, and then hearing the national anthem is an almost surreal moment.”
According to St. Luke’s, Sitler balances her competitive cycling schedule with her responsibilities as a nurse and mother, including supporting her daughters’ activities.
Her world championship victory came approximately 19 years after she stepped away from the sport as a teenager, fulfilling a goal she had pursued since childhood.
