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Jason McCartney
Olympic Cyclist |
The word “comeback” is
common to Jason McCartney’s vocabulary. The ’91
NOLS grad has spent the last year proving the critics,
media, and folks back home that he’s not a cycling
burnout. After winning a stage and the top climber
seat at the Tour de Georgia, sweeping the Olympic Team
Selection Race in Redlands, Calif., and lining up among
a quartet of top U.S. cyclists last summer in Athens,
McCartney’s cycling renaissance has begun.
McCartney
had a passion for cycling before he came to NOLS
for his Semester in the Rockies. During his course,
he managed to tweak a few skills he now uses daily. “I
think one of the keys to any NOLS course is group dynamics,
and working in a group is what cycling is all about,” says
McCartney. “The impact NOLS had on me was to
open up new ideas about trying new things and tackling
fears.”
Throughout his cycling frenzy, McCartney
has faced adversity and plenty of challenging moments
to prove these skills. “I think in every race
there is a moment in which you want to quit, but you
have to just struggle through it. You know everyone
is suffering just as much as you and you must not forget
that,” he says. “In the Olympic trials
this year I suffered back from cramps and mechanicals
to win the day. That doesn’t always happen, so
over the years I have learned not to let bad results
affect me too much. There is always another day.”
Success,
however, has not always been the story for Jason
McCartney. Following his quick ascent to the top 10
in the European amateur racing circuit, he dropped
completely out of the cycling scene. “Cycling is a sport where
everything has to work well physically and mentally,” he
says. “I was not 100% so I walked away.”
After
a two-year hiatus, the wheels started to spin again
and the rejuvenated cyclist reintroduced himself
to the sport. A mere two years later, McCartney turned
pro. He wore jerseys for NutraFig, Jelly Belly, 7-Up/Maxxis,
and finally Health Net, the turquoise team he led
to victory in the Olympic trials.
It’s nice to
know that in the midst of all this fanfare, McCartney
is still a small town boy. His interest in cycling
began when he sold a pair of shoes to Ken Lefler, a
bike shop owner in Iowa City. McCartney began work
at the bike shop, and soon, he was hooked. He purchased
an Italian raceback from his brother’s roommate,
and the rest, as they say, is history.
McCartney
has watched many miles pass by since that first night
on his NOLS course in the Rockies. “Hiking up
from the bus for the first night under the stars, it
snowed and in the morning I knew this was going to
be the start of a great adventure,” McCartney
says. The NOLS graduate took some time off following
his course to backpack and explore the West. From there,
the tale of our cycling hero only gets better. Next
year, McCartney plans to shift gears and will join
Lance Armstrong on the new Discovery Team and return
to Europe to race.
Aside from his cycling endeavors,
McCartney still upholds a reputation for serving
nature in his scarce moments of free time. The cyclist
has spent the past three off-seasons helping a friend
on his organic farm. This year, he hopes to help
at a forest preserve that also grooms cross-country
trails. “The
good thing is that my job in cycling is outdoors,” he
says. “When my cycling career is over, I look
forward to getting back to the wilderness.”
-Sarah
Smith
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