Dotsie Bausch

Dorothy Lee "Dotsie" Bausch (née Cowden; born March 6, 1973 in Lexington, Kentucky) is an American cyclist, advocate, speaker, and the executive director of the nonprofit, Switch4Good. She is a seven-time USA Cycling National Champion, a two-time Pan American Champion, and an Olympic silver medalist (women's track cycling, London 2012). She is also the founder of two nonprofits, a featured athlete in two documentaries, and a speaker and mentor for the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).

Dotsie Bausch
Bausch in 2011
Personal information
Birth nameDorothy Lee Cowden
BornMarch 6, 1973 (1973-03-06) (age 47)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
WebsiteDotsieBauschUSA.com
Medal record
Women's track cycling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
2012 LondonTeam pursuit
World Championships
2011 Apeldoorn Team pursuit

Early life

Bausch grew up in Kentucky and later graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Journalism.[1] She moved to New York City and continued a runway modeling career after realizing she did not ultimately want to pursue journalism. In college, she had developed an eating disorder (anorexia) as well as a recreational cocaine habit. She moved to Los Angeles, dropped cocaine, and after years of struggling and two years of therapy, she successfully overcame her eating disorder.

At 26 years old, toward the end of her therapy work, her therapist encouraged her to move her body again, choosing a physical activity that was not attached to a goal of fitness or weight loss. She chose cycling, [2] entered a few charity races, and discovered she had a natural talent and love for the sport.

Careers

During her 14-year cycling career, Bausch became a 7-time US National Champion and a 2-time Pan American Champion. She retired in 2012 after earning a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games in women's track cycling.

Bausch was featured in the 2015 documentary, "Personal Gold: An Underdog Story" and the 2017 documentary, "The Game Changers."[3] She also gave a TEDx Talk titled, "Olympic Level Compassion." She founded her first nonprofit, Compassion Champs, and later founded Switch4Good in January, 2018.

Switch4Good is an athlete-driven nonprofit working toward a dairy-free future. The organization employs athlete stories with scientific research and outreach to help others "live better and do more" by ditching dairy[4]. Bausch is the both the founder and Executive Director.

Plant-based athlete

Bausch went vegan three years prior to the 2012 Olympic Games after watching a slaughterhouse video. After realizing the cruelty she saw was the norm—instead of a one-off occasion—she gave up eating all animal products. She now helps other athletes realize their full athletic potential by going plant-based.

References
  1. "Dotsie Bausch". USA Cycling. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  2. Glassner, Jacob (July 25, 2012). "Dotsie Bausch sees God's hand in Olympic dream". The Southeast Outlook. Middletown, Kentucky: Southeast Christian Church. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  3. "Dotsie Bausch".
  4. "Our Story".
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