How USA Cycling grooms U23 men and women into success stories, with a look at Emma White, Adrien Costa and Greg Daniel
by Mary Topping
Adjusting to the Under 23 ranks may well constitute the toughest step up in a competitive road cycling career.
At a time of continuing physical and mental growth, young men and women jettison nearly all that’s familiar to live for months in Europe while racing as ages 19 to 22. They leave people who formed them and favorite places to hang out and regroup.
These riders are discovering themselves, as humans and as cyclists. They display dozens of junior medals at home yet can strive for years, often battling injury and illness, before U23 results appear. Without fully developed coping skills, they isolate. Depression can set in.
U23 athletes need mountains of support to survive that emotional blender and become some of the world’s best cyclists. The kind of support that enabled Adrien Costa to become the first American to win the Tour de Bretagne in its 50-year history, Emma White to jump from the junior field to confidently rubbing elbows with legends such as Marianne Vos, and Greg Daniel to pull on the American road champion’s jersey.
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