Todd Wells

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Todd Wells was born December 25, 1975 in Kingston, N.Y. He fell in love with the bicycle at an early age starting with BMX from the age of five through sixteen. After graduating high school he picked up his first mountain bike and has been on a tear ever since. He found his way out to Durango, CO where he attended Fort Lewis College and began a pursuit of his career in cycling.

Wells won two Cross Country Mountain Bike Collegiate titles for Fort Lewis College and the inaugural Semi Pro NORBA National Series title in 1996 before taking a break from his studies to become a full time professional cyclist with the Specialized Mountain Dew team.

His initial professional career was short lived as he decided to hang up his wheels at the end of the 1998 season and finish his collegiate studies at the University of Arizona. In 2000 he graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Management Information Systems and immediately started working for I.B.M., a company he interned with during his time as a student.

Wells quickly realized that being a bike racer was better then having a “real” job and started training once again with his sights set on returning to the professional ranks. Some good results landed him a contract with the Mongoose Hyundai team and he was back on the circuit full time by the end of 2001.

By 2008 he was back where he started with the Specialized team and his results seem to get better with age. He has won nine National Championship titles across four disciplines. In 2011 he took on some endurance races and racked up wins in both the Leadville 100 and La Ruta de Los Conquistadors.

2012 might have been his best season yet with his third trip to the Olympic Games where he placed a career best 10th. He also managed to win his second PROXCT series title, second Pan American Championship title and stood on the podium at the Windham World Cup.

When Todd isn’t racing all over the world you can find him in one of three places; hanging out with his wife Meg and dog Winston, grinding it out on the golf course or hitting the dirt jump trails around Durango or his winter home of Tucson, AZ.

Achievements

2012 Marathon National Champion
2012, 2010 PROXCT National Champion
2012, 2010 Continental Champion
2012, 2010, 2001 Short Track National Champion
2012 Olympic Games 10th
2012 Windham World Cup 4th
2011 US Cyclocross National Champion
2011 La Ruta de los Conquistadores Champion
2011 Leadville Trail 100 Champion
2011 US Cross Coutry Mountain Bike National Champion
2011 Sea Otter Classic XC 1st Place
2011 World Championships 7th
2004, 2008 Olympic Games Team Member

CO CX Classic/Boulder Cup

October 31, 2011

I was back on the CX circuit this weekend as it made its annual stop in my home state of Colorado. It’s so nice to drive to a race instead of fly, even if it is six hours away. Before the races kicked off we had a nice party at the Specialized Cycleton Bike shop in Denver on Friday night, what a great shop and group of people.

Saturday’s race was the traditional COCX Classic UCI C2 out at the Boulder Reservoir. The snow earlier in the week made it look like we might be in for a muddy race but by the time 4pm rolled around on Saturday and the 50 mph winds kicked up the course was just about perfect for our race. I thought the course was the best one yet at the reservoir with plenty of turns, quite a bit of sand and a few log/railroad tie barriers thrown in for good measure.

I had a great start and quickly found myself in a group with Trebon, Summerhill, Berden and Kabush. Kabush hit the deck midway through the first lap and Trebon attacked going into the 2nd lap. I managed to bridge across to him and we rode together for a lap or two before I got tangled with some course tape and had to change bikes. I lost contact with him and rode by myself in 2nd place for the rest of the race. It was a great way to start the weekend and I had high hopes going into Sunday.

Sunday was the Boulder Cup UCI C1 race and the one everyone wanted to win because it had 4 times as much prize money and points at the previous day’s C2. The Boulder Cup also draws a great crowd which is probably only bettered by Nationals and Cross Vegas. This year it was held in the new Valmont Bike Park in the middle of Boulder. The Boulder Cup course was 50% on a hill, 50% on the flats. The hill was dry and tacky but the flatter sections were boggy mud from the snow earlier in the week. There were multiple sand pits and a HUGE stair section.

I had another great start and found myself 2nd wheel behind Trebon around the first corner. Trebon rode off course towards the end of the 1st lap and I was in the lead. The race stayed together much more then the previous day and after two laps we were a lead group of about 15. The group got whittled down to about 10 by the midway point and that’s right when I crashed on a gravel road section before the mud pit. I was up quick but lost contact with the group and spent the next lap and a half chasing. I finally got back on when the group sat up and was able to grab a clean bike with 2 laps go.

I found myself off the front of the group by a few seconds going into the last lap with everyone watching each other. By the top of the climb I had been reeled back in and was clinging to fifth position in the group right behind Johnson. Berden and Kabush had a few seconds on the Trebon, Johnson and myself going into the bottom mud pit when I got bogged down, lost contact with them and was caught by Shouten.

Shouten out sprinted me and I settled for 6th.

The Boulder Cup was such a fun race with attacks going all the time, huge crowds and a blue bird day with temperatures in the low 60s. I’m hoping it was just what I needed to jump start the form as I’m in route to Costa Rica for the La Ruta MTB stage race right now. If the scrapes from my crash heal before I start hiking through the Jungle Rivers of tropical Costa Rica that would be even better. From La Ruta I’ll be back on the CX bike for the next round of the USGP in Louisville, KY.

Thanks for your support….

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