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Former Millbrook resident Jordan Cheyne is now making a living in the international sport of competitive cycling.
Ten years ago, former Millbrook Times owner and Editor Cathy Bond introduced readers to Jordan Cheyne, who picked up cycling at the age of 13 and by 17 was competing and winning long distance races across North America. Raised in Millbrook, Jordan was spending his summers cycling with the Peterborough Cycling Club. In 2009 in his second year of racing, he surprised his field of seasoned competitors at a race in Battenkill, NY when he stepped forward to receive the top prize in the 100km race. It seems he was built for racing.
Fast forward ten years: Jordan has completed a Kinesiology degree from UBC’s Okanagan campus. The school was selected in part because its terrain: surrounded by steep hills, the location was ideal for the training he was seeking to take his racing to the next level. Having consistently placed as one of the top amateur racers, after graduating, Jordan decided it was now or never. He wanted to parlay his amateur success into a professional career, and began by attending a slate of races hoping to get results that would earn him an invitation to a pro team. The strategy worked: he was picked up that fall by the now defunct Jelly Belly-Maxxis team.
In 2018, he signed on with the ten- member team Elevate-KHS, taking on a leadership role. That year the team had a very successful year, winning 50 races and 84 podium finishes. Jordan attributes the team’s success to how team members get along both on and off the saddle.
This season, Elevate-KHS went even further, becoming the top racing team in North America. Jordan’s results were not too shabby, either. In his fifth year as a professional, 2019 was his most successful season to date: he secured top spot in five races and hit the podium eight times.
In what Jordan describes as a “fringe” sport in Canada, the route to a professional career is challenging. Individual competitors find their own path to success which requires securing a spot in a competitive club. Funds are earned through team sponsors as well as prize money which is shared by team members. Jordan also continues a private coaching practice that he launched during his university days called Peak Performance. With clients ranging in age from teenagers to seniors, he is pleased to share his enthusiasm for the sport with anyone ready to put in the work and build their skills.
Jordan credits his success in part to the support of his family and Peterborough Cycling Club members whose encouragement helped plant the cycling bug in him during his teenage years. He hopes to inspire other young cyclists in a mentoring program for youth where he shares his expertise as well as the swag he accumulates each year from races and sponsors.
While the 2019 season has wrapped up, Jordan continues to train at his home near Kelowna, BC. A little snow on the road helps him build endurance which he will need in February when the 2020 season begins.
