Jeremy Powers

Jeremy Powers

Powers at the 2013 Tour of Alberta
Personal information
Full name Jeremy Powers
Born June 29, 1983
Niantic, Connecticut
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 68 kg (150 lb)
Team information
Current team Jelly Belly-Maxxis (Road)
Rapha-FOCUS (Cyclocross)
Discipline cyclo-cross and road
Role Rider
Professional team(s)
2000–2002 Team Devo (Mountain/Cyclocross)
2003 NCC/Bikereg.Com (Road/Cyclocross)
2004–2006 Jelly Belly-Aramark (Road/Cyclocross)
2007–2010 Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com (Cyclocross)
2007–2013 Jelly Belly Cycling Team (Road)
2011– Rapha-FOCUS (Cyclocross)
Major wins
  • 1st, US Cyclocross National Championships – 2015
  • 1st, US Cyclocross National Championships – 2014
  • 1st, US Cyclocross National Championships – 2012
  • 1st, Overall US Gran Prix of Cyclocross – 2011
  • 1st, Overall US Gran Prix of Cyclocross – 2010
  • 1st, Overall Green Mountain Stage Race – 2010
  • 1st, Junior MTB World Cup, Napa Valley, CA – 2000
Infobox last updated on
December 25, 2013

Jeremy Powers (born June 29, 1983 in Niantic, Connecticut) is an American professional racing cyclist who has found success in cyclo-cross and road bicycle racing. Powers currently rides for his own Aspire Racing Cyclocross team.[1] Powers is one of America's most successful cyclocross riders in recent years, both in the United States and in Europe, netting 30 UCI victories since 2009. Powers broke into professional cycling with the Jelly Belly-Aramark team in 2004, initially riding both Road and Cyclocross, and has been an important member of the team ever since. At the end of the 2013 season, Powers announced that he would concentrate on cyclo-cross only.[2]

Starting in 2011, Powers moved to the Rapha-Focus professional cyclocross team where he continued to improve his results. Powers won his second straight USGP Overall championship, finished as the top ranked rider in USA Cycling's US International Cyclo-Cross Calendar standings, and won his first ever U.S. National Championship, making 2011 his most successful year in cyclocross to date. Powers is known for his attacking style of riding, frequently taking a race's holeshot and often establishing a winning gap on the first lap of a race. He is also well renowned for his abilities as a DJ.

Major accomplishments

2001–2013: Road

Powers achieved one of his most significant victories very early in his career, when he won the 2001 Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country event in the Junior division in Napa Valley, California. Powers continued to race competitively in the Junior and Senior divisions of Mountain Biking before turning his eyes to the road full-time in 2004. Powers has a number of strong results on the road to his name. A pair of top five time trial results in the 2006 Vuelta de Bisbie[3] propelled him to a sixth place overall finish. Powers rode to prominence on the final stage of the 2008 Tour of Missouri,[4] making half of the day's breakaway that was narrowly captured at the end of the stage.

In September 2010, Powers won his first career stage race, winning Vermont's Green Mountain Stage Race by over two minutes ahead of UnitedHealthcare's Tim Johnson, Powers' Cannondale prepared by Cyclocrossworld.com teammate, and Trek-Livestrong's Gavin Mannion.

Powers had a very successful 2011 road season with the Jelly Belly-Kenda team, participating in both of the United States' major tours – the Amgen Tour of California and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. At the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Powers got into the day's main break in stage 2,[5] eventually won by George Hincapie.

2004–2005: Cyclocross

Powers began his Cyclocross career racing in New England with the Northampton Cycling Club. Following his move to Jelly Belly in 2004, Powers made the decision to race an entire cyclocross campaign in Europe.[6] In the 2004 season, his last as a U23 rider, Powers returned briefly to the United States for the national championships, where he earned a silver medal. Powers returned to Europe to race full-time in 2005, his first year as an elite, again returning to the America to race the national championships.

2006: Cyclocross

In 2006, Powers returned to full-time racing in the United States. Powers' full-time racing in Europe had prepared him well for racing in America, and he started to achieve good results in American competitions. Powers had podiums at two US Gran Prix of Cyclocross events, the Xilinx Cup[7] and the Stumptown Cup.[8] Powers also had some good results in his home region of New England, finishing on three podiums and finishing 4th in the Verge New England Cyclocross Championship Series.

2007: Cyclocross

In 2007, Powers joined Canadian Cyclocross Champion Lyne Bessette on the Cyclocrossworld.com cyclocross team and continued his improvement. Powers took his first USGP victory, the Derby City Cup[9] in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as wins at three Verge NECCS events.

2008: Cyclocross

2008 was Powers' first year with the Cannondale prepared by Cyclocrossworld.com team, and his first year teamed up with Tim Johnson. While Powers missed out on wins in the USGP series, he did stand on the podium at four of their events, and won the first race of the inaugural North American Cyclocross Trophy Series – Star Crossed[10] in Redmond, Washington. Powers won six races in 2008, including his first back-to-back-to-back wins at the UCI3 Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio.[11][12][13]

2009: Cyclocross

Powers' career was truly in the ascendency in 2009, his second year with the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com program. Powers accounted for nine of the team's 22 UCI victories in the 2009 cyclocross season, winning the first and last stops in the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series – the Planet Bike Cup[14] in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and the Stanley Portland Cup[15] in Portland, Oregon. Powers finished up the season ranked second in the North American Cyclocross Trophy standings, behind teammate Tim Johnson, after winning day two of the Toronto International Cyclocross[16] and finishing on the podium at a further seven races. Thanks to his consistency and some big wins, Powers finished up the 2009 season as the #1 ranked rider on USA Cycling's Cyclocross Rankings.

2010: Cyclocross

Powers' 2010 cyclocross season was full of even more firsts. Powers continued his career progression, winning 10 UCI races in the United States, and secured victories in both the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series and the North American Cyclocross Trophy Series, the first time this had ever happened. In the NACT series, Powers won four events, including a wire-to-wire victory at the first day of the Gran Prix of Gloucester[17] to take home his first ever elite series title.

In the USGP, Powers won the series, his first ever victory in the USGP at any level, in highly dramatic fashion. Powers trailed Johnson by 16 points entering the series final weekend in Portland, Oregon, but pulled even with his teammate following his win on the first day of the Stanley Portland Cup.[18] With the title on the line, Powers proceeded to outsprint Johnson on the second day to win his first ever series title.[19]

At the U.S. National Championships, Powers was part of the leading duo, when he was the victim of an untimely crash that saw him drop from the race lead to his eventual finishing spot of third.[20] Despite the disappointment, Powers rebounded to finish 16th at the World Championships in St. Wendel in January, his best-ever finish as an elite rider.[21] Powers again finished the season ranked #1 on the USA Cycling Cyclocross Rankings and finished 15th on the season's final UCI rankings.[22]

2011: Cyclocross

2011 was Powers' first season with the Rapha-Focus professional cyclocross team. Powers joined Chris Jones, Zach McDonald and, later, Julie Krasniak to create one of the most successful teams of the season in American cyclocross. The biggest of Powers' 11 UCI wins was his first ever U.S. Cyclocross National Championship, which he won by 17 seconds over former national Champion Ryan Trebon.[23]

In the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross, Powers completed consecutive overall victories, winning the series' final five races, and standing on all but one of the series' podiums. At the Deschutes Brewery Cup[24] in Bend, Oregon, Powers finally got his first victory on a course where he had had some bad luck in the past. 2011 saw Powers stand on 18 UCI podiums in the United States, making it onto all but two of the races that he entered. Internationally, Powers had his best ever finish at a UCI World Cup when he finished 10th at the World Cup in Plzeň, Czech Republic.[25] Powers was named Velonews's 2011 North American Cyclocross Rider of the Year.[26]

2012: Cyclocross

2012 started very successfully, as Powers won his first Cyclocross National Championship at Madison, Wisconsin.[27]

Jeremy Powers en route to his first CX National Championship

2014: Cyclocross

Powers won his second Cyclocross National Championship at Boulder, Colorado.[28]

2015: Cyclocross

Powers won his third Cyclocross National Championship at Austin, Texas.[29]

J.A.M. Fund

In 2010, Powers got together with his longtime friends Al Donahue and Mukunda Feldman to form the J.A.M. Fund. The J.A.M. Fund is an organization based in Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley whose goal is to promote and develop the area's young cyclists. The J.A.M. Fund and the local Northampton Cycling Club teamed up to form the J.A.M./NCC team, which allows cyclists younger than 25 to grow and develop as cyclists and as individuals.

Young cyclists in the area are encouraged to apply to the J.A.M./NCC team, which, if selected, will provide the rider with the tools to become a better cyclists, and ease some of the financial burden that comes with bike racing. The program was inspired by Powers' own experience growing up in the area, as he rose from a young novice rider to a national level professional thanks to the help he received from the local cycling community, and it is Powers' way to give back to the local youth.

Behind THE Barriers

During the 2010 cyclocross season, Powers teamed up with famed cyclocross documentarian Sam Smith to produce a mini-documentary series known as Behind THE Barriers. The 14-part series followed Powers' 2010 cyclocross season from his first race in Las Vegas to his bronze medal winning performance at the National Championships in Bend, Oregon. The documentary series garnered rave reviews and was seen in more than 150 countries. In 2010, Behind THE Barriers was produced with assistance from Lake Shoes and Boa Technology.

In 2011, the series expanded its coverage, producing episodes from the U.S. Cyclocross National Championships, all eight stops of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross, CrossVegas, the Gran Prix of Gloucester and the Chicago New Year's Resolution. For the first time ever, Behind THE Barriers produced episodes from Powers' European racing experiences at the UCI World Cups in Plzeň, Czech Republic and Hoogerheide, The Netherlands as well as the UCI World Championships in Koksijde, Belgium. Behind THE Barriers produced a special episode from the headquarters of Easton and Giro, two of the series' 2011–2012 sponsors, as Powers toured the facility.

Palmares

2000 – Team Devo
2001 – Team Devo
2004 – Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team
2005 – Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team
2006 – Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team (Road)
2006 – Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team (Cyclocross)
2006 – Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team (Road)
2007 – Cyclocrossworld.com
2008 – Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com
2009 Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team
2009 – Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com
2010 – Jelly Belly Pro Cycling
2010 – Cannondale prepared by Cyclocrossworld.com
2011 – Rapha-FOCUS
2012 - Rapha-FOCUS
2014 - Rapha-FOCUS
2015 - Rapha-FOCUS

References

  1. ↑ "Jeremy Powers announces new cyclocross team, Aspire Racing". Velonews.com (Competitor Group, Inc.). August 11, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ Burns, Ted (December 4, 2013). "Jeremy Powers gives up road to focus on cyclo-cross". Cyclingnews.com (Future plc). Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  3. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2006/apr06/bisbee06/bisbee062
  4. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/sep08/missouri08/?id=results/missouri087
  5. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-pro-cycling-challenge-2-1/stage-2/results
  6. ↑ http://velonews.competitor.com/2004/12/news/cyclocross/jeremy-powers-international-man-of-mystery-2_7282
  7. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2006/nov06/xilinxcup06
  8. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2006/nov06/scionstumptown06
  9. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2007/oct07/derbycitycup07
  10. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2008/sep08/starcrossed08
  11. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2008/oct08/ohio08/ohio081
  12. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2008/oct08/ohio08/ohio082
  13. ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2008/oct08/ohio08/ohio083
  14. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usgp-of-cyclocross-planet-bike-cup-c1/elite-men/results
  15. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usgp-of-cyclocross-round-8-stanley-portland-cup-c2/elite-men/results
  16. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/toronto-international-cyclo-cross-day-2-c2/elite-men/results
  17. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/gran-prix-of-gloucester-1-c2-1/men/results
  18. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usgp-of-cyclo-cross-round-7-portland-cup-c1/elite-men/results
  19. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usgp-of-cyclo-cross-round-8-portland-cup-c2
  20. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-cycling-cyclo-cross-national-championships-cn-1/elite-men/results
  21. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cyclo-cross-world-championships-cm-1/elite-men/results
  22. ↑ http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template3/layout.asp?MenuId=MTU2MTc&LangId=1
  23. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/american-national-championships-2012/elite-men/results
  24. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usgp-of-cyclocross-2011/elite-men/results
  25. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-cyclo-cross-world-cup-1-2011/elite-men/results
  26. ↑ http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/12/news/cyclocross/from-the-pages-of-velo-the-2011-velo-awards-north-american-cyclocross-rider-of-the-year-men_200147
  27. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/american-national-championships-2012/elite-men/results
  28. ↑ http://www.bicycling.com/cyclocross/compton-powers-take-2014-national-cyclocross-titles
  29. ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-cycling-cyclo-cross-national-championships-2015/elite-men/results

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Todd Wells		 US Cyclocross Elite Men's National Champion
2012 		Succeeded by
Incumbent