Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

If this story sounds familiar, it should, because for the second year in a row, Mike Olheiser, formerly of Wyoming, has won the Masters 30-34 National Road Race.

However, what is new, is the fact that Olheiser will compete in the World Championships in Salsburg, Austria. Not too shabby for a 1993 graduate of Forest Lake High School.

Olheiser rides for the Memphis Motor Works Carve Amateur Cycling Team, and with their generous support as well as a successful fundraiser thrown in Huntsville, AL in his honor, Olheiser will be making his way to Europe on Friday, August 18.

All of this is rather hard for Olheiser to believe.

He is the only person from his team that will ride in the championships, and after he lands in Munich, Germany, Olheiser will make his way to Austria where he will battle through three different races.

ìIt should be fun and interesting,î he says.

Olheiser is so used to racing against the same people in the United States that he is looking forward to riding against the best that Europe has to offer.

With the long tradition and passion of cycling overseas, Olheiser sounds ready to prove himself. The thought of being intimidated doesnít really cross his mind, but he knows some of that will change when itís time to race.

ìI think the butterflies may come in a little bit when Iím over there,î he says. ìBut Iíve told a lot of people that when those butterflies go away when I step up to the starting line, Iím going to quit racing anyway.î

Olheiser counts on that adrenaline rush to keep him going, and that has helped propel him into the Category 1 level of cycling.

Besides the professional teams like Discovery Channel, or T-Mobile, or Phonak, what Olheiser is accomplishing is against the very best of the rest. And while he gives so much credit to his team that they might have a monthly minimum payment, there is little doubt that Olheiser is really good at what he does in his ìspare time.î

In the national championships he finished more than a minute over his next closest competitor, and that is a significant amount of time when racing against these athletes.

ìYeah, that was fun,î Olheiser says. ìThat was a pretty good gap on him.î

When Olheiserís 10 days in Austria are over, heíll make his way back to the States and contemplate taking an end of season break from cycling.

Heís been training since last November, and with competitions taking him from Tennessee to Oregon to New Mexico and Minnesota, Olheiser is starting to listen to a little voice inside his head.

ìMy body is kind of telling me it needs some rest,î he admits.

That break probably wonít last too long because the enjoyment Olheiser gets from riding is obvious.

He loves his team, which he describes as a family, and he even sounds enthusiastic while talking about a grueling mountain stage.

ìSo thereís only nine guys climbing up the side of the mountain, itís pretty awesome,î he says. ìItís an awesome, awesome feeling.î

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