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 former professional cyclist from the United States. He is famous for his success in Cyclo-cross, a type of bike racing. During his career, Jeremy won over 90 international races. He also earned four USA Cyclocross national championships and the 2015 Pan American Championship. After retiring from racing, he worked as a presenter for Global Cycling Network.
Jeremy has also worked hard to make cyclo-cross more popular in the U.S. He started a non-profit group called the JAM Fund. He also created a video company called Behind THE Barriers. He has even helped write books about cyclo-cross, like Skills Drills and Bellyaches.
Contents
Jeremy Powers: A Cycling Star
His Early Days in Cycling
Jeremy Powers grew up in Niantic, Connecticut. From a young age, he loved riding his BMX bike. He soon started racing mountain bikes and quickly became very good. In 2000, he won his first big race, the Junior World Cup in Napa Valley, California.
Jeremy discovered cyclo-cross as a way to stay fit. This sport combines road cycling and mountain biking skills. It was a perfect fit for his energetic personality. He quickly became known as a strong rider. In 2001, he raced in his first international cyclo-cross event. He finished 17th at the 2001 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in the Czech Republic.
While attending college, Jeremy also raced road bikes. He quickly moved up the ranks, showing his talent. But his true passion always remained cyclo-cross.
Becoming a Pro Cyclo-cross Racer
Jeremy joined the Jelly Belly–Aramark team in 2004. He decided to race a full cyclo-cross season in Europe. This experience helped him become a much stronger rider. When he returned to the U.S., he started getting great results. He earned podium finishes at major events like the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross.
In 2007, Jeremy joined the Cyclocrossworld.com team. This was one of the first professional cyclo-cross teams in the U.S. With their support, he won his first major event, the Derby City Cup.
Winning Big: The 2010-2011 Season
The 2010-2011 season was a huge year for Jeremy. He won 10 international races in the U.S. He also made history by winning both the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series and the North American Cyclocross Trophy Series. No one had done this before!
At the United States National Cyclo-cross Championships, Jeremy was leading the race. But an unlucky crash caused him to finish third. Despite this, he bounced back to finish 16th at the 2011 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. He ended the season as the number one ranked rider in the USA Cycling Cyclocross Rankings.
Joining Rapha–Focus
In 2011, Jeremy joined the Rapha–Focus team. This team quickly 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, showing his dominance.
He also won the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series for the second year in a row. He finished on the podium in almost every race he entered in the U.S. Internationally, he had his best finish at a World Cup race, coming in 10th place. For his amazing year, Velonews magazine named him the North American Cyclocross Rider of the Year.
Jeremy continued his success in 2012 and 2013. He won more races and another US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series. He also won the CrossVegas race. He consistently ranked among the top riders in the world. In 2014, he won his second United States National Cyclo-cross Championships title in Boulder, Colorado.
Starting Aspire Racing
After the 2014 season, Jeremy decided to start 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 Austin, Texas. He also finished the season ranked ninth in the world.
In 2016, Jeremy signed Ellen Noble to his team. Ellen was a talented young rider who had come through Jeremy's 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.
Aspire Racing continued to support young talent. In 2017, they signed Spencer Petrov, another promising rider. However, in 2018, Aspire Racing closed down. Jeremy explained that their main sponsors were ending their partnerships. He was grateful for their support and had no hard feelings. In 2019, Jeremy raced under the Aspire Racing name with new sponsors.
Beyond Racing: Jeremy's Other Projects
Behind the Barriers
In 2010, Jeremy started "Behind the Barriers." This was a video series that showed what a professional cyclo-cross racer's daily life was like. It quickly became popular, with over 80,000 viewers.
In 2014, it grew into Behind the Barriers TV (BTB-TV). This became a major source for American cyclo-cross media. BTB-TV created five different shows and gained over 400,000 viewers from 179 countries. They even live-streamed the USA National Cyclocross Championships. BTB-TV stopped in 2015, but Jeremy was proud of what they had achieved.
The JAM Fund
Jeremy, along with his friends Alec Donahue and Mukunda Feldman, created The JAM Fund. The name JAM comes from their first names. This non-profit organization helps young cyclists get into the sport. It also supports the cycling community in Western Massachusetts.
The JAM Fund gives grants to riders each year. These grants help young cyclists develop their skills both on and off the bike. The fund raises money through events like its yearly Grand FUNdo. The Grand FUNdo celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019. Many talented cyclists have been part of the JAM Fund, including Ellen Noble and Stephen Hyde (cyclist).
Major Achievements
Jeremy Powers had many important wins throughout his career. Here are some of his biggest achievements:
- 2001: Won the Junior cross-country at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
- 2010: Won the overall US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series.
- 2010: Won the overall North American Cyclocross Trophy series.
- 2011: Won his first
National Cyclo-cross Championships title. - 2011: Won the overall US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series again.
- 2012: Won his second National Cyclo-cross Championships title.
- 2012: Won CrossVegas.
- 2014: Won his third National Cyclo-cross Championships title.
- 2015: Won the
Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships. - 2015: Won his fourth National Cyclo-cross Championships title.
- 2016: Won his fifth National Cyclo-cross Championships title.
