Tim Johnson

As “road captain” and super-domestique, Tim once again helped lead the team to an NRC team championship in 2008. Tim is also coming off one of his most successful cyclocross seasons, which saw him win the overall title of the USGP of Cyclocross. He’ll continue putting his experience and work ethic toward helping the team succeed in 2009.

Date of Birth/Location: 8.5.77; Middleton, MA

Height: 5′ 9″

Weight: 150 lbs

Current Residence: Beverly, MA

Education:
High school and 1yr at Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, KY

Years Racing: 17

Years as a Pro: 9

Previous Teams:
Health Net pb Maxxis, 2006-08
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 Team Leer Tundra, working on the house, motorcycling, snowshoeing, XC Skiing and fishing. Some igloo building to keep the technique fresh.

Goals for 2009:
2009 is going to be a crucial year. We hope to build upon the success of the Health Net/Maxxis legacy by adding wins at America’s biggest races. Besides that, win one race myself!

Nickname: Johnswah

Family Status: Married to Lyne Bessette; one dog-child named Vitesse

Favorite Movies: Rad, Slap Shot, Talladega Nights and 9 Ball Diaries

Currently on my iPod: More of this and a bit of that.

Little known fact about Tim: Dancing with the Stars. Enough said.

Website/blog: www.timjohnson.missingsaddle.com

Palmares

Career Highlights
3rd U23 World Cyclocross Championships, 1999
Five-time U.S. National Cyclocross Champion
USGP of Cyclocross Overall title, 2008
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
Most Aggressive Rider, Stage 5, Tour de Georgia
1st Overall, US Gran Prix of Cyclocross
1st USPG Portland Cup Day 1
1st USPG Mercer Cup Day 1
1st USPG Derby City Cup Day 2
1st Toronto
1st Rad Racing GP

2007
US Cyclocross National Champion
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
2nd Gran Prix of Gloucester #1
2nd Gran Prix of Gloucester #2
2nd StarCrossed
2nd CrossVegas
2nd Wissahickon
2nd Toronto
3rd USPG Portland Cup Day 2
3rd Granogue
5th Stage 5, Cascade Classic
6th USPG Derby City Cup Day 1
20th Overall Tour of Missouri

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

Do you see anything different in your role as team captain with the addition of Floyd Landis to the squad?
I’d say that this year is going to be huge for Floyd. He’s coming back to the sport after a couple years away and his motivation is incredible. For me, and the rest of the squad, having a rider as talented as Floyd to lead the charge will be great.

You spent another successful “off-season” racing cross again. How big was it to win the USGP overall title?
I’d been trying to win that thing for so long now, to finally nail it feels great. Finishing the year off with that win sets me up great for the ‘09 road season with OUCH.

You cut your cross season off after U.S. Nationals in December instead of continuing on to race the Worlds. What was your reason for this change?
Continuing from a full road season to a full cross season is hard but entirely manageable as the fitness and power that I need during the road season is like gold during cross season. Going into a race as demanding as Tour of California with only 1-hr races and not much volume is a bit of recipe for disaster.

How do you apply your cyclocross skills to the road? Bike handling? Hammering on the front or time trials?
I wish it were as easy as picking where I want to be better! I think that riding a cross bike helps a great deal with bike handling. Road and cross are two different animals, but there’s a lot of crossover between them.

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 National Championships in cross will always top the list. Along with my U23 Worlds Medal in Slovakia as well. There are too many times where I’ve been a part of my teammates successes with Health Net and Saturn to even mention. Our records could speak for themselves.

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 - never mind 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.