In early January the new Hagens Berman U-23 Cycling Program met for the first time at Herriott Sports Performance (HSP), and I got the opportunity to spend time with the managers and two of the athletes.
The second athlete interview was with 17 year old (race age 18) San Franciscan Zeke Mostov. Zeke was introduced to bicycle racing at a skate park he frequented as a youngster. The skate instructors rode fixed gear bikes and he instantly felt an attraction. As his affinity for the bicycle grew, he learned that people actually raced them, and that he actually could try it out at Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose. He joined a Saturday novice training program and his foundation for racing bikes was laid. Later that year he competed at track nationals on bike that didn’t fit, and even though he finished next to last, he had so much fun that he started riding every day.
Despite that lackluster initial race experience, Zeke’s athletic talent quickly became apparent. And, as it turns out, Zeke’s athleticism was a complete surprise to his decidedly un-athletic parents and family. His parents didn’t understand it at first, and Zeke quoted his mom as saying “I never could have imagined having an athletic child, let alone one who is a world class athlete.” Zeke sees an up-side to their lack of understanding about bicycle racing in that they don’t push athletics in their home; academics is more highly valued (his dad is a professor at SF State). Zeke’s attitude about racing bikes and academics seems similar to that of Ballard native Max O’Neal who was part of the USA Cycling development program, but has put competitive cycling on the back burner as he pursues a computer science degree at UW. Zeke is a high school senior and is interested in economics and biology. He doesn’t want to take a gap year, and is still deliberating how he will blend college with bicycle competition after high school.
After nationals that year, his passion for cycling grew, and Zeke began to ride longer distances from his starting point in San Francisco’s Sunset District north to Marin County and the Peninsula, where he told me he blazes the classic Old La Honda climb.
Just like every other junior and U23 I’ve chatted with, Zeke emphasized the importance of competing in Europe to get a reality check. As he told me: “The bike racing dynamic in Europe is aggressive. They are on the gas all the time and it takes time to get used to that kind of racing. It’s attack, attack, attack, and a ton of fun.”
Zeke was 15 (2011) on his first trip with to Europe with the USA Cycling Development team. During that trip he competed in a number of kermesse races, finished 3, and of those his best result was 25th. He told me that trip was an eye-opener, and his results since then prove that he learned from the experience. In 2012 he won the US national junior time trial in his age group. During his next trip to Europe Zeke raced six kermesses and his worst finish was third.
Fast forward to September 24, 2013 and Florence, Italy where Zeke took the bronze medal in the junior men’s time trial world championship. That’s quite a progression from his start as skate-park kid to competing on the world stage!
Zeke talks through his 3rd place finish at the 2013 Junior World Time Trial Championships:
What’s next?
Zeke currently plans to make two trips to Europe in 2014–one national team trip plus the world championships. Zeke’s big objective for 2014 is the world championship time trial in Ponferrada, Spain. He will once again be facing Belgian Igor Decraene who won the 2013 worlds.
Zeke’s current forte is the time trial which appeals to him because it is a “mental game that requires precise preparation.” Zeke says that the strengths he brings to the TT are pain management and focus. Although the TT is Zeke’s strength now he recognizes that is likely to change as his body matures. He told me that at the junior level the best riders tend to win but when those same riders turn pro there tends to be “more of a silo of specialization.”
Another 2014 objective for Zeke is the Course de la Paix Junior stage race (aka “The Peace Race”) held in the Czech Republic in early May. Last year Zeke finished 30-something overall (Bremerton’s Logan Owen finished 3rd); this year his objective is to podium.
Keep an eye out for Zeke and teammate Eamon Lucas; I expect we will be seeing their names in the professional ranks very soon.
