The same friend said: “On the plane trip out to California we had a conversation about life that really affected me, and in retrospect it was a conversation that was important in our friendship. We spoke of how important it is to figure out things in life for yourself. We both agreed that this is one of life’s main purposes—to strive for self-knowledge and learn to understand yourself, through your own efforts and G-d’s. We talked about how easy it is to overly depend on others for your own happiness and how confusing that can make things. Nancy figured out things for herself more than almost any other person I’ve known. She was so independent and she did things her own way. She was consistent in her faith, her habits, and her beliefs.”

And from another friend: “The fact that Nancy is deeply religious impressed me early on in our relationship. I was impressed that this incredibly modern woman held very strict religious traditions. Wherever we went she would lug her kosher food. In an age when everyone is on the phone she refused to use the phone Friday night or Saturday—and forget the car altogether. She never made excuses or acted inconvenienced. She did these things because they were part of her. Nancy’s beliefs gave her a strong foundation and were present in her passion for racing. There was a confidence about her that could not be shaken, and an inner strength, which inspired others.”

The obstacles and difficulties that were particular to an Orthodox bike racer never intimidated Nancy. For out-of-town Sunday bike races, she would rent a car after the Sabbath and make the three to four-hour trip to, say, Massachusetts alone, while her friends and teammates had left much earlier in order to be rested for the next day’s race.

One Saturday night we got a call from Nancy, who was on her way to a race in Palmer, Massachusetts. She had not made motel reservations for the night, and asked us to find her a place to stay near the race because her cellphone battery was dying. We scrambled to find detailed maps of the area to locate the town and a motel near the race site—giving her directions to the motel, which was on a secondary road. The motel manager said he would keep the lights on since everything in that area shut down after 11 P.M. We were frantic, but she took it all in stride.