Amber Neben

Amber Neben

Amber Neben at stage 8 of the 2001 Women's Challenge
Personal information
Full name	Amber Neben
Born	(1975-02-18) February 18, 1975 Irvine, California, United States of America
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight	48 kg (106 lb) (2008)[1]
Team information
Current team	Visit Dallas-Noise
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Allround [2]
Amateur team(s)
2015	Visit Dallas-Noise
Professional team(s)
2002	Cannondale
2003-2004	T-Mobile Team
2005-2008	Team Flexpoint[2]
2009	Nurnberger[3][4]
2010	Webcor Builders Cycling Team
2011	HTC-Highroad Women
2012	Team Specialized–lululemon
2013	Pasta Zara-Cogeas[5]
Major wins
2008 UCI Woman's World Time Trial Champion
Medal record Competitor for  United States Road bicycle racing UCI Road World Championships 2008 Varese Time Trial Competitor for Team Specialized–lululemon World Championships 2012 Valkenburg Team Time Trial
Infobox last updated on June 10, 2012

Amber Neben (born February 18, 1975)^[2] is an American racing cyclist who won the UCI world time trial championship in 2008 and the U.S. national road race championship in 2003. She is the only active American female cyclist to win multiple UCI category 1 stage races, having won the Gracia Tour in 2002, the Tour du Montreal in 2003 and the Tour de l'Aude in 2005 and again in 2006. In 2012 Neben rode for Velocio–SRAM Pro Cycling.

Biography

Age the age of four Neben survived a bout of spinal meningitis, which left her in a coma for three days. Doctors told her parents that she was unlikely to survive, and that if she did, she would probably have endured brain damage and have lost her hearing.^[6] Neben played soccer and ran cross-country in junior high and high school. She attended the University of Nebraska on a track and cross-country scholarship,. Stress fractures stopped her running and she became an undergraduate assistant coach in distance running. She took up cycling after graduating from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. She then obtained a master's degree in biology from the University of California, Irvine, having originally commenced studies for a PhD. Whilst she was at UC Irvine she scored a top 10 finish at the national collegiate cycling championships, which persuaded her to exit with her master's degree and focus on professional cycling.^[6]

She concentrated first on mountain biking but her greatest success was on the road. She won the Rupert to Pomerelle stage of the 2001 Women's Challenge race with its long, steep climb to the finish, the fourth American to win a stage at the Women's Challenge since it became a UCI event. She then concentrated on road cycling and was picked for the road world championship team in 2001 and 2002.

Neben tested positive for the banned substance 19-norandrosterone in 2003, after the Montreal World Cup race. The results were not confirmed until after the Tour du Montreal, which she won. Neben appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] and accepted a provisional suspension from mid-July 2003. Neben said the positive test came from contaminated supplements. The North American CAS ruled in October 2003 that doping had occurred but that it was not intentional. Neben was suspended, in a split decision, for six months, starting from the provisional ban. She would have to be tested for drugs regularly for the following 18 months.

Neben raced again in 2004. She missed placing first by eight seconds in the time trial selection race for the Olympic Games. In spring 2005, she won the Tour de l'Aude in France. She won again in 2006. She was picked for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and came 33rd in the road race event in Beijing.^[7] Later in 2008 she became the World TT Champion.^[8]

In 2007 she underwent a successful program of treatment for melanoma.^[6]

Neben made the 2012 U.S. Olympic team for the Women's road race, along with Kristin Armstrong, Shelley Olds and Evelyn Stevens. In the Women's time trial she finished 7th.

She is married to Jason, an assistant professor of education at Concordia University Irvine.^[6]

Palmarès

Gallery

• 

  2002 Women's Challenge

• 

  Stanley TT (2002 Women's Challenge)

• 

  Neben competing in the 2012 Olympics time trial in London]]

See also

• List of doping cases in cycling

References

External links

• Amber Neben's official web site
• Amber Neben's team (Dutch/English language)
• CAS arbitration ruling in Amber Neben case (pdf file)
• Daily Peloton interview
• Amber Neben profile at Cycling Archives

UCI Road World Champions – Women's team time trial National teams 1987: Soviet Union (Kibardina, Jakovleva, Poliakova, Pogovitchaikova) 1988: Italy (Bandini, Bonanomi, Canins, Galli) 1989: Soviet Union (Kibardina, Poliakova, Zilporytė, Melekhina) 1990: Netherlands (Van Moorsel, Knol, Westland, Schop) 1991: France (Clignet, Gendron, Odin, Marsal) 1992: United States (Stephenson, Golay, Bolland, Bankaitis-Davis) 1993–1994: Russia (Sokolova, Bubnenkova, Polkhanova, Koliaseva) Trade teams 2012: Team Specialized–lululemon (Van Dijk, Becker, Neben, Stevens, Teutenberg, Worrack) 2013: Specialized–lululemon (Van Dijk, Brennauer, Stevens, Small, Colclough, Worrack) 2014: Specialized–lululemon (Blaak, Brennauer, Canuel, Small, Stevens, Worrack) 2015: Velocio–SRAM (Amialiusik, Brennauer, Canuel, Guarischi, Kröger, Worrack)

UCI Road World Champions – Women's time trial 1994: Karen Kurreck 1995: Jeannie Longo 1996: Jeannie Longo 1997: Jeannie Longo 1998: Leontien van Moorsel 1999: Leontien van Moorsel 2000: Mari Holden 2001: Jeannie Longo 2002: Zulfiya Zabirova 2003: Joane Somarriba 2004: Karin Thürig 2005: Karin Thürig 2006: Kristin Armstrong 2007: Hanka Kupfernagel 2008: Amber Neben 2009: Kristin Armstrong 2010: Emma Pooley 2011: Judith Arndt 2012: Judith Arndt 2013: Ellen van Dijk 2014: Lisa Brennauer