THE WHEEL DEAL

Beth Boyd’s wheels—either the ones on her sleek velobike or the figurative ones in her mind—are always turning.

In addition to being the founder and principal designer of Wiley Designs LLC in Highland Park and serving the final year of a three-year term as president of the board of trustees of the Lake Forest-based artists’ residency program, Ragdale, Boyd creates acrylic paintings and sells them.

“I feel so fortunate at this point in my life,” the Highland Park resident says. “I’m passionate about all of the things I’m doing. As an interior designer, I enjoy helping people find comfort in their environment, whatever that may be. Ragdale has a long history with writers, but we continue to lift other disciplines.

“Painting,” the 63-year-old adds, “is something I picked up about 15 years ago.”

But nothing stirs her quite like track cycling—an outlet she discovered five years ago—does.

“It continues to be exhilarating to me, that feeling of flying around the track on a bike,” Boyd says.

Boyd spins her velobike wheels as a cyclist for the eight-member Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union team, which trains at Northbrook’s Ed Rudolph Velodrome (the only velodrome in Illinois) and competes at local and national races. She took up bike touring after her future husband, Bruce—a former lawyer, like Beth—had given her a touring bicycle as an engagement gift in the late 1980s.

“I was a runner, not a rider, then,” recalls Boyd, whose two grown children with Bruce are Tyler, now living in Missouri, and Jessie, of Denver. “Then I did duathlons (running/ biking tests) before running started to be painful. Bruce has always loved traveling by bike because it’s such a great way to experience cultures. In 1990, a year after we got married, we spent a month biking together from Denver to Las Vegas.

“In track cycling,” she continues, “it typically takes three to five years to get up to speed and to the point where you’re ready to compete in masters races at the national level. I train 11 months per year. I’m pretty disciplined, and I love the benefits of fitness through cycling.”

In 2022, Boyd earned a silver medal at a national track cycling event (60-64 masters age division) in the 500 meters, a year after churning to a national bronze medal in the same division and same distance. Boyd plans to join her Polish & Slavic FCU teammates and vie for another shiny prize at a national masters competition August 5-10 in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

“The vibe about track cyclists who do timed events is, there’s an intensity and focus about what we’re doing, but at the same time, we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Boyd says. “One cyclist says, ‘We all do this to stay off the sofa.’”

But to do it well, you need a serious brand of stick-to-itiveness, along with a sound game plan for each race. And track cycling’s daunting mass starts have been known to swallow up all kinds of riders, not just the callow, unsure ones.

“You have to be decisive at the start,” Boyd says.

Growing up on a small horse farm in Petersburg in southeastern Michigan, Boyd showed quarter horses from ages 8-18. Two of her horses were named Riverbend Lady and Suzy Duke. Summerfield High School, home of the Bulldogs, did not have tennis courts or a swimming pool, but it hosted softball and girls’ basketball games. Beth played right field in softball and point guard in hoops. She also made the cheerleading squad and served as Student Council vice president.

Boyd majored in political science at the University of Michigan and attended law school at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

“I liked constitutional law,” says Boyd, who first met Bruce when they were opposing attorneys at a deposition. “When Bruce and I lived near DePaul University, I worked at a big law firm at a time when very few women were partners. Litigation didn’t suit my personality.”

Beth Boyd exited the field of law after five years and took time off to “look for a more meaningful line of work.” She found it right where she lived—while renovating her house with Bruce, who’s now on the board of the Lake County Community Foundation and the executive director of the Morrison Family Foundation, which supports champions of environmental justice.

“That’s when I got the design bug, spending all that time with my husband while changing our place in the Lincoln Park area,” says the highly organized Beth, who later attended Harrington Institute of Interior Design (now Harrington College of Design) in Chicago for three years. “Designing our home was challenging and super satisfying. The look of the place you live in, as well as work in, has a profound impact on you.”

The Boyd family moved from its first Highland Park house to its current abode— three blocks away—in 2017.

“The design of our house in Highland Park is so calm, super serene,” Boyd says. “There’s nothing too busy anywhere.”

Busy Boyd might be less busy, beginning August 1. Her term as president of the board of trustees of Ragdale ends later this month, but she will continue to serve as a board of trustees member until 2025. She had chaired Ragdale’s Property Committee before her presidency because of her background in design.

Ragdale’s mission is to steward an inspirational environment that fosters courageous creativity and inclusive community through residencies.

“There’s a lot to be excited about at Ragdale,” Boyd says. “We’re thrilled about what The Sybil Shearer Studio has meant to our dancers and other artists since it opened (in 2021), and the renovation of our communal gathering space, the Barnhouse, is projected to be completed by the second week in August.

“We’ve built such a healthy dynamic with nine new board members and a successful capital campaign in three years.”

A steady hand—it’s a good thing to have at the helm of an organization’s board. And in cycling.

Ragdale is located at 1260 North Green Bay Road in Lake Forest. For more information, visit ragdale.org or call 847-234-1063.