Cole 
Lewis

Date of Birth : 2/18/2000

Height : 172cm

Weight : 67kg

Education: University of Southern California

Top results

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• 9th National Championships United States U23 - ITT  ('21)

• 20th National Championships United States U23 - Road Race  ('21)

Age started riding bikes: 7

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Age started racing bikes: 19

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Previous teams (club/collegiate count): USC Triathlon, USC Cycling, Subaru Santa Monica Racing

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Rider type: Climber

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Strengths: Long and short climbs, time trials

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Area most eager to improve: Fast finishing

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What or who inspired you to start riding?

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Watching Phil Gaimon, the Williams brothers, and EF Education Nippo’s content on social media and YouTube are what really inspired me to get out on my bike more and start racing. I knew that I already loved riding and exploring, but as I became more interested in the characters of cycling—more so than with any other sport in my life—the more I aspired to be able to race and train like them. Seeing what it takes to be at the top really inspired me to give the life a shot.

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What’s your biggest goal for the season?

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To win a race outside of the US.  

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Where is your favorite place to train and why?

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Los Angeles is by far my favorite place to train. The area is so diverse, between the Santa Monica Mountains, the Hollywood Hills, and the Glendora foothills, there is no shortage of roads and scenery. Its home, and whenever I leave, I always realize how lucky I am to live in such an amazing place.

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What’s one lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way and/or beginner mistake you made and now laugh about?

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To eat while riding. Since I started endurance sport as a runner in high school, where we never ate or drank anything during runs, the idea of taking in food and drink while riding was very strange to me at first. It took me a long time and many many bonks to understand how much I actually needed to eat to fuel my workouts and be able to recover. 

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What has been the biggest adventure you’ve had on a bike to date?

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My first long ride ever in summer 2019 was easily the biggest adventure I’ve ever had on a bike. At the time, my longest ride had been 45 miles or so (VERY far for me at the time). When I found out my friends were doing a 90 mile ride, I decided that it would be a great idea to join, just wanting to hang out with the gang. That day was likely the hardest day I’ve ever had on the bike, I barely finished. But I was able to see so much of what LA county’s roads had to offer, and could hardly believe where I was and where my bike was able to take me. It was 100% worth it. 

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What race are you most looking forward to this year and why?

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Pro Road Race Nationals. Since I started racing bikes I’ve been incredibly eager to be able to test myself against a true national-class field and world-class athletes. I need to know what it means to be at the top level, and to compare my own ability to those who are already there. 

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What is your dream race to win and why?

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Probably Liège-Bastone-Liège, I am a big fan of hard races where the strongest rider wins, and Liege is one of the big classics where a climber can perform well.

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Which pro rider would you love to have as a teammate?

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I would love to be teammates with Michael Woods. He is always incredibly motivated and in an optimistic, relaxed mood. His approach to life and sport is something I am drawn to, and I would love to have him as a team leader.