Todd Wells
Local 2-time US Olympian
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In preparing for his 2011 mountain bike racing season,
Todd says, “Yeah, last year went really well for me,”
in the biggest understatement of the year.
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In 2010, Todd won:
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The U.S. Cross Country National Championship
The U.S. Short Track National Championship
The U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championship
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What constitutes a “heavy training week” for a professional mountain biker? “I’m doing 31 hours this week, and 35 hours next week,” explains Wells, “6 days on, with one day off per week.” He’s entering his sixth week of base training, riding long miles at a steady pace. Even though his focus is mountain biking, he rides 65% of the time on the road.
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In addition to riding, Wells puts in a couple hours at the gym twice a week. On his blog he comments: “My body transforms with tons of long miles and hard gym work outs. I'm in the middle of digging a big hole but it all works out later on in the year.”
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“My focus is on the Pro XCT series, World Cup races, and the World Championship,” says Todd Wells looking forward to the race season that starts in March.
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The London 2012 Olympics are another major goal for Wells. “I want to earn enough UCI points this year to make the long team—ten riders that the committee will choose from for the final team.” Wells raced for the U.S. team at the Athens and Beijing Olympics, but admits, “I didn’t do so well.” He wants another chance for Olympic glory, saying, “The London Olympics would be a dream for me.” The U.S. will send two mountain bikers to the Olympics, possibly three if Americans do well in international competition this year.
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In his college days in Durango, Wells was lucky enough to meet mountain biking legend Ned Overend. “He’s the most down-to-earth, humble guy, he’s happy to talk to anyone,” says Wells of his good friend. “Ned helped the young riders a lot, and helped me get on the Specialized team back in the ‘90s. Back then, the U.S. riders were dominating internationally, and he was the best American, it was just awesome to have him show me the ropes.”
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Like Wells, Overend is still part of the Specialized team, working in Research and Development and he’s captain of the cross-country squad. Now in his 50s, Overend continues to compete and will most likely join Wells at the Leadville 100.
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Wells' mountain bike race season will culminate in the World Championships in the first weekend of September, in Champéry, Switzerland. Then it’s back to the short, cold, brutal races of cyclo-cross season in the fall and winter. “The cyclo-cross community in the U.S. is super-passionate about their sport,” says Wells, who will be wearing the stars and stripes as National Champion.
From Mary Reynolds' interview with Todd Wells in http://www.facebook.com/l/71033i0VcNlyNnX1dxMu9p3ad1g/Examiner.com
Thank You Mary!
From Mary Reynolds' interview with Todd Wells in http://www.facebook.com/l/71033i0VcNlyNnX1dxMu9p3ad1g/Examiner.com
Thank You Mary!