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

Sea Otter Classic 2009

April 22, 2009

I never thought they would shorten the Sea Otter cross country because of heat but that’s exactly what happened this year. We arrived back in the U.S. on Tuesday evening after horrendous travel from South Africa back to Northern California. Our first stop was Morgan Hill to tour the Specialized factory and try to hang on to the famous “lunch ride”. The office visit was awesome but the lunch ride hurt. I don’t think there is an easy group ride anywhere in the world.

Thursday was our first ride in Monterey and it was typical Sea Otter weather, super windy and cool but luckily no rain. Friday wasn’t much better but we did get to participate in the Stumpjumper 29er launch. I think that was the day that the wind was pumping so hard Susi got blown over at a traffic light.

By the time the short track rolled around on Saturday the winds died down and the temperature was on the rise. We managed to get Burry, Susi and I all off the front and were just riding a team trial when Susi burped a tire and it was just Burry and I left. Burry pulled most of the race and I was able to gap him at the end to take my first victory of the season in the Specialized colors and on the new 29er that just launched the day before to boot.

Sunday we were told about an hour before the race that we would only be doing one and half laps instead of the traditional two full laps because of the heat. It was warm for Sea Otter, upper eighties but minimal humidity, still much cooler temperature then the previous week in South Africa where we had ninety-degree temps and ninety percent humidity.  

Burry rode on the front for most of the first 19 mile loop and whittled our lead group down to seven before he decided he wasn’t feeling well enough to continue. Susi attacked toward the end of the first lap and I waited to see if anyone was going to chase. No one did or could so I tried to punch it across to him just before the track. I couldn’t get any closer then about forty five seconds and managed to flat half way through the shortened second lap. By the time I wasted my Big Air, put a tube in and walked part of the way to the tech zone Conrad came by and gave me another Big Air. I was able to air up the wheel and get riding again and was still in eighth place. I managed to make it back up to sixth by the finish, which was enough to win the overall Sea Otter title and Susi won the XC.

It was a great weekend for the whole Specialized team and made the long travel back from South Africa worth it. As I write this we are already back in Europe for this weekend’s World Cup in Germany.

Thanks for all your support. 

Stats for Todd Wells are coming soon.
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