It’s hard not to be envious of the cycling opportunities open to kids here in the Seattle area. From the Major Taylor Project to Rad Racing, we have some great ways to get kids engaged with cycling. As a former high school teacher and someone who is passionate about both education and fitness, a couple things strike me about these programs:
1. As Conor Klupar noted in his profile, “Being a high school athlete is tough if your sport doesn’t involve a ball.” For kids who might not otherwise participate in the traditional sports offered in schools (and their often awkward social scenes), cycling offers an alternative that can serve as a foundation for lifelong fitness.
2. As most schools cut back or eliminate physical education programs (despite evidence showing a link between physical fitness and academic success), cycling is a way for kids to connect with their bodies and reap the academic benefits of regular physical activity.
Although we see reports that “cycling is the new golf,” we all know it’s just a tad outside the mainstream. So, it’s inspiring to watch young riders move against the prevailing social trends and develop their fitness and cycling skills. And those who advance to regional, national, and even international success are even more of an inspiration.
This year marks a fairly notable transition in Seattle’s youth ranks. Two of our more successful riders, Logan Owen and Max O’Neal have finished high school and are moving on, which puts the junior spotlight on Ballard High School senior Ben Peterson and Snohomish High School senior Thorsten Askervold.
I checked in with these riders to see what they have been up to and their plans for the future. First up is Logan Owen:
Logan’s recent successes at this year’s US Nationals is the culmination of a very successful junior racing career:
* Cyclocross: 1st Cat 1/2/3 – Junior – 17-18
* Criterium: 1st Men – Cat 1/2/3 – Junior – 17-18
* Road race: 1st Men – Cat 1/2/3 – Junior – 17-18
You raced in Europe earlier this year; what are your other big objectives for the rest of the road season?
Yes, I went to Europe with the national team in the spring and will be going over again for 3 weeks in the build-up for worlds in Florence, Italy. The other big objectives were to finish high up in the overall at Cascade and to podium at Road Worlds in late September.
According to Logan’s coach Joe Holmes of Tête de la Course Cycling, “Logan did really well at Cascade especially considering he was on junior gears. He was 23rd on GC which is phenomenal, and was 10th at the Aubrey Butte Circuit Race- the last stage of the event. Those are really good results for a junior in that field.”
Given that your strength is climbing, which races were you targeting?
Well, the team sent me to Mt. Hood and Cascade which have a lot of climbs in them; I won the queen stage at Hood and I did really well at Cascade even though the competition was much tougher than Hood.
On a personal level, which race were you most looking forward to?
I was really excited for Cascade this year because I did the NRC race two years ago when I was 16 and had great form but some bad luck so I wanted to come back this year and have a couple great rides on the climbing stages.
What kinds of pro options are opening up to you? As far as a pro cycling career, and given what you know about your athletic strengths and weaknesses, what would you ideally like to happen?
Eventually I would like to get on the pro tour, but as of right now I enjoy racing both cross and road as both disciplines have been offering me bigger and better opportunities as I exit the junior ranks.
You’ve just graduated from high school with honors. What are your post-high school plans?
I plan on taking a year off of school and focus on racing my bike professionally in road and cross but I will go to Marian University in two years to take advantage of a good cycling scholarship from them.
Looking ahead, how do you intend to balance cycling and academics?
I really hope to make a living out of cycling but I will definitely go to school that way I have a backup plan and a degree so I can maybe start my own company in the cycling industry eventually.
Logan recaps his win at this year’s US National Road Race Championship:
Coach Joe Holmes summed up his work with Logan: “Working with Logan has been great. We’ve been working together since he was 13 and it has been a very planned out development of slowly building year to year to year so that he has a very solid foundation for the future. A lot of times guys with “talent” (however you want to define what that really is) coast on that ability. Not Logan. He’s not afraid of hard work, in fact he embraces it. Add to that his competitive fire (which you either have or don’t) and his ability to read races and you have a pretty lethal combination.
Going into the future I believe he has the capacity to go as far as he wants to in the sport. The next few years will be really interesting as he enters into U23 ranks. Very soon we’ll be able to announce his road team for 2014 and we are both very excited about it.”
