With the USA Cycling National Championship happening right now in Charleston, West Virginia, I am reminded of how special it is to become a national champion in any category. Wearing the stars and stripes jersey is a huge honor and a reward for all the hard work and sacrifice it takes to be the best.
Perhaps the best part of becoming a national champion is sharing that special moment with the people who helped you get there. It is a proud moment that should be celebrated, as it often takes a lot of help from many people over many years to achieve. Every national champion has a story of how they got there, and this one is mine.
When I started cycling, I knew nothing about the sport. I initially took up cycling as cross-training for downhill ski racing but quickly realized I could be a better cyclist than skier.
In the summer of 1985, I won the overall 12-13 boys’ category at the Red Zinger Mini Classic in Boulder, Colorado. It was an unlicensed junior event, but I didn’t even know what that meant at the time. For all I knew, I had already reached the pinnacle of the sport.
I had just watched Alexi Grewal and Connie Carpenter-Phinney win Olympic Gold medals in the road race at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, seen the movie American Flyers, and won the biggest bike race in the world, so in the eyes of a 14-year-old kid, I had it all figured out…or so I thought.
Winters can be quite cold in my hometown of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, so my dad and I would often jump in the car and drive 90 miles west on I-70 to warmer conditions in Grand Junction. My favorite ride was around Colorado National Monument, which was a stage of the Coors Classic and where some of the American Flyers movie was filmed. We did this many weekends, but then my dad suggested that instead of riding with him all the time, I should ride with kids my age.
A few weeks later, we again headed to Grand Junction for some warm weather riding, but this time it was to meet up with a bunch of local juniors for their weekend training ride which started at a mall parking lot. I was quite nervous because I was told that these kids were very serious and one of them rode for the 7-Eleven junior team.
As we rode out of town, the kid next to me turned and asked, “Do you race?” I confidently told him that I had won the Red Zinger Mini Classic the previous summer, but he wasn’t impressed. He explained to me the differences between licensed and unlicensed racing, which in hindsight was a nice way of telling me that I was just a beginner. His words stung a bit, but what he said next ignited a fire within me that would change everything.
“If you can get a license, you can enter the Colorado State Championship and if you win, you get to wear a jersey with the Colorado state flag on it for an entire year. If you don’t win, but still finish high in the standings, you qualify for nationals and if you win there, you get to wear the Stars and Stripes jersey for an entire year!”
I never would have expected a conversation like this would motivate me the way that it did, and am forever grateful to him, but sadly don’t remember his name. I set my sights on getting both of those jerseys one day. It turned out that I didn’t have to wait too long.
I wound up winning the national road race in the 14-15 age category on the Morgul Bismark circuit just outside of Boulder, Colorado in 1987. I was awarded the stars and stripes jersey and wore it proudly for the next year, but sadly it turned out to be the only national road race title that I ever won.
I used to dream about winning the national championship and then sporting that kit during the Tour de France, but it wasn’t meant to be. If I would have won it one year, I can guarantee that I would have had every bit of kit possible decked out in Stars and Stripes!
Congratulations to all the 2025 national champions. Enjoy your year in the Stars and Stripes and I hope your achievement will inspire more kids to race bikes and chase their dreams!