Jeremy Powers facts for kids
Powers at the 2013 Tour of Alberta
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Jeremy Powers | ||
| Born | June 29, 1983 Niantic, Connecticut |
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Jeremy Powers (born June 29, 1983) is a retired American professional cyclist. He is famous for his success in Cyclo-cross, a type of bicycle racing. Jeremy won over 90 international races recognized by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). This is more than any other American male cyclo-cross rider.
He also won four USA Cyclocross national championships. In 2015, he became the Pan American Champion. After his racing career, Jeremy worked for Global Cycling Network. He later joined the company WHOOP.
Jeremy has always worked to make cyclo-cross more popular in the United States. He did this through his non-profit group, the JAM Fund. He also created a video company called Behind THE Barriers. He organized cycling camps and made instructional DVDs. Jeremy even helped write books about cyclo-cross. These books include Skills Drills and Bellyaches and Mud Snow and Cyclocross.
Contents
Jeremy Powers' Cycling Journey
Starting Out in Cycling
Jeremy Powers grew up in Niantic, Connecticut. He loved riding bikes from a very young age. He started by riding his BMX bike around his house. Soon, he began to impress people at local mountain bike races.
He joined the Team Devo junior mountain bike program. With their help, he won his first big race in 2000. This was the Junior World Cup in Napa Valley, California. Jeremy first learned about cyclo-cross as a way to stay fit. This was at the end of the mountain bike season. Cyclo-cross races are short, fast, and need good bike handling skills. Jeremy quickly became very good at them. He found that the exciting pace and friendly atmosphere of cyclo-cross suited his personality.
Jeremy became known as a strong rider. His success in New England led him to race internationally. He competed in the junior race at the 2001 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in the Czech Republic. In his first international cyclo-cross race, he finished 17th.
Jeremy later focused on road racing while attending Westfield State University. He quickly moved up through the ranks. He also continued to race mountain biking and cyclo-cross.
Racing with Jelly Belly
From 2004, Jeremy raced with the Jelly Belly team. He competed in major U.S. road races. These included the Tour of Georgia and the Tour of California. Even with his success in road racing, he always returned to cyclo-cross in the fall.
In 2004, Jeremy decided to race a full cyclo-cross season in Europe. He briefly returned to the U.S. for the national championships. There, he won a silver medal. He continued to race in Europe in 2005. By 2006, he returned to full-time racing in the United States. His time racing in Europe helped him a lot. He started getting great results in American competitions.
Jeremy had strong performances in road races too. In 2010, he won his first stage race, the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont. He also competed in the Amgen Tour of California and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
Joining Cyclocrossworld.com
A New Team in 2007
In 2007, Jeremy joined the Cyclocrossworld.com team. This was one of the first professional cyclo-cross teams in the U.S. This support helped him focus on the U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclocross. He won his first major event, the Derby City Cup, that fall.
Success in 2008 and 2009
In 2008, Jeremy joined the Cannondale prepared by Cyclocrossworld.com team. He teamed up with fellow rider Tim Johnson. Jeremy won six races that year. This included three wins in a row at the UCI3 Festival in Ohio.
His career really took off in 2009. He won nine international races for his team. He won the first and last races in the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series. Jeremy finished the 2009 season ranked second in another major series, the North American Cyclocross Trophy. He was also ranked number 11 in USA Cycling's Cyclocross Rankings.
Winning Big in 2010
The 2010 cyclo-cross season brought even more firsts for Jeremy. He won 10 international races in the U.S. He also won both the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series and the North American Cyclocross Trophy Series. This was the first time anyone had done that.
At the United States National Cyclo-cross Championships, Jeremy was in the lead. However, an unfortunate crash caused him to finish third. Despite this, he bounced back. He finished 16th at the 2011 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Germany. He ended the season ranked number 1 in USA Cycling's Cyclocross Rankings.
Racing with Rapha–Focus
In 2011, Jeremy joined the Rapha–Focus professional cyclo-cross team. This team became one of the most successful in American cyclo-cross. Jeremy won 11 international races that year. His biggest win was his first United States National Cyclo-cross Championships title. He won by 17 seconds over a former national champion.
He also won the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross for the second year in a row. He won the last five races of the series. Jeremy finished on the podium in almost every race he entered in the U.S. He also had his best finish at a UCI World Cup, placing 10th in the Czech Republic. Velonews magazine named him the North American Cyclocross Rider of the Year for 2011.
In 2012, Jeremy won 14 international races. He won another US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series. He also won the CrossVegas race again. He had success in Europe too, finishing 7th in a World Cup race. He ended the season ranked 12th in the world. In 2013, he won 12 international races and was ranked 11th in the world. He also won the USA Cycling PROCX Series.
In 2014, Jeremy won his second United States National Cyclo-cross Championships title in Colorado. He won 13 international races that year. He finished the year ranked 15th in the world.
Starting Aspire Racing
After the 2014 season, Jeremy started his own team called Aspire Racing. This team focused only on cyclo-cross. The 2014-2015 season was one of his best. He won his third United States National Cyclo-cross Championships title in Texas. He finished that season ranked ninth in the world.
In 2016, Jeremy signed Ellen Noble to his Aspire Racing team. Ellen had come from his development program, The JAM Fund. While riding for Aspire Racing, Ellen won a silver medal at the 2017 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. She also won national and Pan American championships in her age group.
In 2017, Jeremy extended Ellen's contract. He also signed another young rider, Spencer Petrov. In 2018, Aspire Racing stopped operating. Jeremy explained that the team's main sponsors had ended their partnerships. He was grateful for their support. In 2019, Jeremy raced under the Aspire Racing name with new sponsors.
Other Projects
Behind the Barriers Videos
In 2010, Jeremy started "Behind the Barriers." This was a video series on the internet. It showed what a professional cyclo-cross racer's daily life was like. In its first year, over 80,000 people watched the series.
In 2014, "Behind the Barriers" became "Behind the Barriers TV." It became a main source for American cyclo-cross media. BTB-TV created five different shows. Over two years, more than 400,000 people from 179 countries watched. BTB-TV also live-streamed several events. This included the USA National Cyclocross Championships. BTB-TV stopped being a media company after the 2015 season. Jeremy explained that he couldn't keep it going, but he was thankful for all the support.
The JAM Fund
Jeremy created the JAM Fund with his friends, Alec Donahue and Mukunda Feldman. JAM stands for Jeremy, Alec, and Mukunda. They started it to help more people get into cycling. They also wanted to support their local cycling community in Western Massachusetts.
The JAM Fund helps young cyclists in all parts of their lives. This includes both on and off the bike. The fund raises money in different ways. Each year, it gives grants to riders who apply. These riders must show commitment and excitement for cycling. The JAM Fund has given up to 40 grants each year. The fund holds its main fundraiser, the Grand FUNdo, every July. In 2019, the Grand FUNdo celebrated its 10th anniversary. Many talented American cyclo-cross riders have been part of the JAM Fund. These include Ellen Noble, Stephen Hyde (cyclist), and Rebecca Fahringer.
Major Achievements
- 2001
- 1st Junior cross-country, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
- 2010
- 1st Overall US Gran Prix of Cyclocross
- 1st Overall North American Cyclocross Trophy
- 1st Overall Green Mountain Stage Race
- 2011
- 1st
National Cyclo-cross Championships - 1st Overall US Gran Prix of Cyclocross
- 1st
- 2012
- 1st National Cyclo-cross Championships
- 1st CrossVegas
- 1st Overall US Gran Prix of Cyclocross
- 1st
- 2013
- 1st USA Cycling PROCX Series
- 2014
- 1st National Cyclo-cross Championships
- 1st
- 2015
- 1st
Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships - 1st National Cyclo-cross Championships
- 1st
- 2016
- 1st National Cyclo-cross Championships
- 2nd Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships
- 1st
- 2018
- 2nd National Cyclo-cross Championships
