Connor McCutcheon's Bike Racer Blog

Follow @Connor511

Age: 21   Height: 5’10″   Weight: 149 lbs.  Hometown: Big Bear Lake, CA

Growing up in Big Bear Lake, California, I always enjoyed outdoor sports. In high school, I started running cross country and got hooked on endurance sports. Living at 7000 ft. above sea-level in mountainous terrain, I feel has given me an aerobic advantage in some of my athletic pursuits!

In 2008 after some success mountain bike racing, and encouragement from my high school cross country coach, Mickey Hall, I decided it would be fun to try road racing. I won my very first race, a very hilly road race called Devil’s Punch Bowl, but got disqualified because I didn’t know I needed to use junior gears! The finish was a very steep hill, so the gears didn’t matter, but rules are rules!

I started out the 2010 season as a Category 3 and after four cold, wet races and three crashes, I got my upgrade to a Category 2. As a Category 2, I got involved in Mastermind Athletic Academy. Racing for Mastermind Athletic Academy was a real privilage. Coach and founder, Joe Wiley, created an atmosphere that allowed me to thrive by providing the opportunity to train with athletes stronger and more experienced than me, which was instrumental in my progress.

In September of 2010, I moved to Bend, Oregon to continue my racing career and study Fire Science at the Central Oregon Community College. I continued to race with out a team, but I had a great trainer and coach, former racer and owner of Rebound, Bart Bowen. I also started racing cyclocross in addition to road and mountain biking to stay in shape.

I was recently accepted to the Lees McRae College in South Carolina. Lees McRae is a renowned college for cycling. My intention was to race on their team while earning a degree in sports management with a cycling minor. I had hoped that Lees McRae would be the stepping stone I needed to launch a professional cycling career. However, it is an expensive private school with limited funds for scholarships and at this point I have to postpone my attendance. For now, I will continue training and racing.

The long winters in Bend were impeding my outdoor training, so I moved back to Southern California to train full time. As a result of the extra training I upgraded to Category 1 and started racing on a competitive club team called, Simple Green Bike Religion. With this team, I will have great experiences racing at a professional caliber. This team along with the opportunity to race in the Nature Valley Grad Prix may be another avenue to a professional racing career.

Other Interests/Accomplishments:

I am an Eagle Scout and a proud former member of Troop 49 in Big Bear Lake. I ran for coach Mickey Hall and Jonathan Styles as a member of the Big Bear High School 3-time State Champion cross country team for four years. When I’m not riding, I enjoy skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, playing the guitar, chainsaw carving, hunting, and fishing.

I can do more than just ride a bike!