Tim continued his "off-season" regimen of racing cyclocross, having yet another stellar cross season, including winning the US National Championship and ranking Top-25 in the world. For 2008, he'll continue as 'road captain' and super-domestique for the team.
Date of Birth/Location: 8.5.77; Middleton, MA
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 150 lbs
Current Residence: Beverly, MA
Education:
Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, KY (1 yr),
High school
Years Racing: 16
Years as a Pro: 8
Previous Teams:
Health Net pb Maxxis, 2006-07
Jittery Joe's/Kalahari, 2005
Saunier Duval-Prodir, 2004
Saturn, 2001-03
Strengths on the bike:
All-arounder; Pain and suffering
Strengths off the bike:
Snowmobiling, coffee making, washing our TeamLeer Tundra, working on the house, motorcycling, snowshoeing, igloo building and winter-survival techniques
Goals for 2008: Buffet building and expansion; seeing my teammates crush on a consistent basis
Nickname: Johnswah
Family Status: Married to Lyne Bessette; one dog, Vitesse
Favorite Movies: Rad, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Borat, Talladega Nights
Currently on my iPod: A bit of this and a bit of that. Reggae lately.
Little known fact about Tim: Powell Bones Brigade Member since 1986
Website/blog url: www.teamleer.com
Palmares
Career Highlights
3rd U23 World Cyclocross Championships, 1999
Five-time U.S. National Cyclocross Champion
10th Overall, BMC Software Points Series, 2001
Represented the United States at MTB, Cyclocross and Road World Championships
Collegiate MTB All-American, 1997
Inducted into the Lindsey Wilson College Sports Hall of Fame
Wins:
2008
2007
1st US National Cyclocross Championships
1st Granogue Cyclocross
1st US Gran Prix #2
1st US Gran Prix #5
2006
1st USA Cycling National 'Cross Racing Calendar Standings
1st California Giant Strawberry Cup Providence, RI
1st Vermont Grand Prix of Cyclocross
1st Whitmore's Southampton 'Cross #2
1st NECCS Round #7, Caster's Cross, Warwick, RI
1st NECCS Round #6, W.E. Stedman Grand Prix, South Kingston, RI
1st NECCS Round #5, Bay State Cyclocross, Sterling, MA
1st NECCS Round #2, Downeast Cyclocross #2, New Gloucester, ME
1st NECCS Round #1, Downeast Cyclocross #1, New Gloucester, ME
1st Crankbrothers USGP #6 Portland, OR
2005
1st Overall, Verge New England Cyclocross Series
1st USGP #3, Gloucester, MA
1st NECCS Farmington, CT;
1st NECCS Sterling,MA,
1st Aurora Cross UCI, Canada;
2004
2003
1st Overall, Two Stage Wins, Herald SunTour,
1st Points Competition, Nature Valley Grand Prix
1st KOM, International Tour de 'Toona,
1st la Classique Montreal-Quebec
1st Fort Collins Grand Prix
1st TT Stage, Multi-Laser Grand Prix
2002
1st KOM, Tour of Slovenia
1st Monkey Hill Cyclocross
2001
U.S. Cyclocross National Champion
1st KOM, Tour of Willamette
1st Mt. Washington Hill Climb
1st Cherry Blossom Classic
1st Amherst International Cyclocross
1st Chicago SuperCup Cyclocross
2000
1st Mt. Washington Hill Climb
1st Sterling Road Race
1st Harvard Road Race
Other Major Results:
2008
2007
2nd Gloucester Gran Prix #2
2nd Philly Cyclocross
2nd US Gran Prix #1
2nd Boulder Cup
2nd US Gran Prix #6
3rd US Gran Prix #3
3rd Sterling Cyclocross
3rd Warwick Cyclocross
4th Whitmore's Cyclocross #1
4th Whitmore's Cyclocross #2
6th Gloucester Gran Prix #1
8th Overall, Tour de Georgia
2006
2nd Overall, Crankbrothers USGP of Cyclocross Series
2nd Whitmore's Southampton, NY #1
2nd Crankbrothers USGP #5, Tacoma, WA
2nd Crankbrothers USGP #4, Boulder, CO
2nd Crankbrothers USGP #2, Gloucester, MA
2nd Crankbrothers USGP #1, Gloucester, MA
2nd Wissahickon Cross
3rd California Giant Cyclocross National Championships
3rd Overall, Bermuda Grand Prix (road)
3rd Overall, New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series (NECCS)
3rd XL Lighthouse Challenge Hillclimb, Bermuda Grand Prix (road)
3rd CD&P Hamilton Criterium, Bermuda Grand Prix (road)
4th Granogue 'Cross
4th Crankbrothers USGP #3, Longmont, CO
2005
2nd Stage. Cascade Classic
2nd Granogue Cyclocross
2nd Verge Series Finals R.I.
2nd DownEast Cross
3rd WE Stedman Grand Prix
3rd Liberty Cup
3rd USGP # 6 Golden Gate Park
3rd CycleSmart Invitational
3rd USGP # 2Rad Racing GP
4th USGP #2 Gloucester
4th Wissahickon Cross
5th USGP #1 StumptownClassic
5th USGP #5 SurfCity
5th US Nationals Providence
14th San Francisco Grand Prix
2004
2003
2nd Overall, Multi-Laser Grand Prix
3rd Stage International Tour de Toona
3rd Two Stages, Green Mtn. Stage Race
4th Stage, Green Mtn Stage Race
5th TT Stage 1, Pomona Valley Stage Race
5th Overall, Pomona Valley Stage Race
5th Stage, Nature Valley Grand Prix
6th Overall Nature Valley Grand Prix
2002
2nd Granogue Cyclocross
2nd Mt. Washington Hill Climb
2nd Stage 2, Fitchburg Stage Race
3rd Green Mtn. Stage Race
3rd Amherst Intl. Cyclocross
3rd Stage, Cascade Classic
5th Overall, Cascade Classic
5th Mt. Evans Hillclimb
7th Overall, Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic
11th San Francisco Grand Prix
11th Saturn Cycling Classic
2001
2nd Overall, SuperCup Cyclocross
2nd Boulder SuperCup Cyclocross
3rd Boston SuperCup Cyclocross
3rd Another Dam Race
In his own words
2007 was your first year as official team captain, a role you'll continue with in 2008. Has assuming that role changed the way you ride at all?
I don't think it's changed much.
You spent another "off-season" racing cross all over the U.S. and in Europe. Did you actually take a break at some point after the Tour of Missouri last year?
Racing Cross is something I love doing and my time traveling to the races is actually a great chance for Lyne and I to spend time together. I generally take mini-breaks during my cross season to keep myself from going too far with fatigue.
For the most part, during the road season, you're riding on the front burying yourself for teammates. Do you see cross season as the opportunity to ride for yourself?
You could look at it like that in some ways. I have a lot of respect for my teammates and am always willing to put myself in the mix to help the team have a chance to win.
Does all that time on the front in the road season help prepare you for the rigours of cross racing?
It can't hurt! I can get going well in the cross season with all of my miles in my legs.
What are your goals or expectations for the 2008 season?
I'm looking forward to keeping Health Net pb Maxxis at the front of the peloton and helping my teammates land on the podium!
When did you start racing, and why?
I did my first mtb race the spring of '92. It was a beginner junior race at Lynn Woods. I wore a sweet pair of sweatpants and a windproof-jacket. I nailed a puddle right away and gained 20lbs and started sweating like a pig. But, for some reason I thought it was a blast and I was hooked right away.
Who were/are your cycling mentors and/or influences?
I've been lucky to have a couple. I started racing with a few guys who became really good friends. John and Andrew Mahoney and I traveled to races all over the U.S. in an old VW van. Camping and racing all the way. After a couple of years, I met Steve Pucci. Pooch became a great friend and advisor throughout my career. Also, in 'Cross I have the best support ever with Stu Thorne of Cyclocrossworld.com.
What was your first bike? When/how did you get it?
My first bike was a shiny red Lotus mtb from Sears. It was hammered on a lot, and took me farther and farther out into the woods.
What was your first win?
Loon Mtn., New Hampshire, 1992. Beginner Junior MTB race; it was my third race.
What would you consider your finest moment on the bike?
I've been lucky to have a few times that I would put on an equal level. My '98 U23 Nationals win at home, my U23 Worlds Medal in Slovakia, '00 Nationals in Kansas City. Winning the overall at the Sun Tour in Australia. Just this past year when I won in the USGP in Gloucester was just unreal. For me it was a huge win in front of everyone at home.
What was your worst or most embarrassing moment on the bike?
Without a doubt the most embarrassing moment was the time I crashed as I finished a SuperPrestige 'Cross race in Belgium - as I was wheelie-ing across the finish line I lost control and ate it hard on the pavement in front of thousands of fans. Of course, now that I just wrote it here, it hasn't exactly died. I think the worst moment would have been in '04 when Christian VandeVelde and I were caught in a snowstorm in the mountains of Spain. We weren't prepared for anything other than sun and we were hammered with snow, rain and sleet. We wound up holing up in a bar for a few hours while we waited for a taxi to take us back to town. Never again, we both swore.
What's the strangest thing you've seen on a bike ride?
The time that a chicken flew across my handlebars and was caught in my friends lap to my side, it was stuck there flipping around, spewing feathers and screaming! We both started laughing uncontrollably and waited for the chicken to disentangle itself as we rolled down the road.
What's the one thing you've done on a ride (training or race) that you will absolutely never do again?
Even though it was an epic race, if I had my choice I'd probably pass on the old Saturn Cycling Classic. That race was a killer and anyone who finished - nevermind the winners - was amazing. 10-mile dirt road descents on a road bike are not recommended for any sane person.
When you're not on your bike, what do you like to do?
I like to spend a lot of time with my wife Lyne. Because we are on the road a lot, me with the team and Lyne with her team, when we finally get together...we are psyched!
If you weren't a pro cyclist, what would you be doing?
I have asked myself that question a lot over the years. I'm interested in lots of things, but surprisingly enough, I think I'd still be involved in cycling. I'd like to be able to contribute to the growth and maturity of professional cycling here in the US. Cycling has grown so much in the last 10 years, but I believe that we still have some way to go.
