JAM Fund

Age: 21

Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina

Trent received a JAM Fund Grant in 2015 and moved up to the JAM Fund Development Team in 2016. 

Age: 22

Hometown: Morgantown, West Virginia

Cyclocross category: Cat 2

Road Category: Cat 3

Mountain bike category: Cat 1

Tell us about yourself: "I started cycling in middle school on a BMX bike. During high school, I starting hanging out at the local bike shop, which lead me to start mountain biking. After graduating high school I started working at Wamsley Cycles in Morgantown. My co-workers convinced me to do my first mountain bike race in 2011. After two years in the sport class I moved up to the expert class in the WVMBA series. I raced two years in single speed expert and now race expert open. In 2013, I got to the end of the WVMBA series and wanted to continue racing so I decided to try cross. I raced in the local ABRA series where I competed in the single speed and cat 3/4 categories. I continued these to classes last year in 2014 until the end of the season where I decided to move to the cat 1/2/3 field. Even working a full time job, it is financially hard to take enough time off to be able to chase my dream of being a professional cyclist. With help from a JAM Fund grant I could afford the travel, food, and entry fees necessary to qualify for the 2015/16 cyclocross nationals."

Results

• 2015 31st Collegiate Cyclocross Div. A National Championship • 2015 26th Single Speed Cyclocross National Championship • 2015 1st Cat 1 WV MTB State Champion • 2015 1st overall Big Bear Ultra • 2015 2nd place Single Speed Hilly Billy Roubaix • 2015 3rd place Expert/Pro Big Bear 2x12 • 2015 4th place Single Speed Mohican 100 • 2014 9th MTB Single Speed National Championship • 2014 1st place Cat 3/4 WV Cyclocross state champion • 2014 1st place Single Speed WV Cyclocross State champion • 2014 MTB Single Speed WV state champion • 2013 1st place Cat 3/4 WV Cyclocross State Champion • 2013 2nd place Single Speed WV Cyclocross State Champion

Goals

• Qualify for the Pro 1/2 2016 Cross Nationals race

• Top ten in Single Speed 2016 Cross Nationals

• upgrade to Cat 1 in cyclocross and Cat 2 in road

Age: 12

Hometown: Florence, Massachusetts

Age: 22

Hometown: Gilsum, New Hampshire

Ian Gielar received a JAM Fund Grant in 2015 and was selected for the JAM Fund Development Team in 2016. You can read more about Ian on the Team page.

Age: 29

Hometown: Barkhamsted, CT

Cyclocross category: Cat 1

Road Category: Cat 1

Mountain bike category: Pro

Tell us about yourself: “It's Jena Greaser (aka Grease-Lightnin’). Anthony's friend who came to hang out with ya'll after the JAM Fund ride and lift some sooty, hot cinder blocks! Whooop! I want to permanently reside in western mass. I absolutely love the area for so many reasons! Couldn’t be in a better spot for all of my passions and life long dreams. I have some pretty big goals for CX---after an entire season out of racing due to a serious knee injury that required me to have surgery this past December, I am back riding stronger and faster than ever! I race pro XC and had a really strong start to the season at Sea Otter last year and crushing two local root 66 races once I moved back east from Idaho, but then I had 5 DNFs in a row (Castle Rock Pro XCT, Keene, Nationals) due to my knee. Anyway, all is well now and I'll have a full calendar this fall. However, I really need full financial support in order to get in to the races and show everyone what I am capable of.

I SIMPLY love riding and racing my bike. I am extremely enthusiastic and passionate about the sport. I have worked at Benidorm Bike Shop in Canton, volunteered my time to cycling organizations such as Liveable Streets Coalition, coached youth at summer camps with Rebecca Rusch in Ketchum-Sun Valley, Idaho and for CCAP-CT Cycling Advancement Program working in communities to bring about commuting by bike awareness. In 2011, I helped to create the Newton Massachusetts Bike Map as a member of the Bike Newton Steering Committee in addition to volunteering 10 hours a week for 4 months to coordinate and run the Kids Pan Mass Challenge. I have coordinated and lead a few bike rodeos in Idaho. Long story short, I will forever be a part of the cycling community racing my heart out and always going by bike, being positive and making progressive change for the world to be a better place. 

I cannot wait to crush it out there this season and in the many years to come. It would be an honor to be a supported JAM fund athlete. In order to make my dreams come true, this is the level of support that I know I deserve to get me there.”

Results

· 2014 Sea Otter Classic STXC 15th out of 30; XC 17th out of 46; CX 6th ·  2014 Bear Creek Challenge Triple Crown XC 1st, STCX 1st, SD 2nd ·  2014 Pat's Peak XC 1st

Age: 13

Hometown: Southwick, Massachusetts

Tell us about yourself: “Hello, my name is Aiden Mapel and I would like to be considered for a rider position on the JAM Fund Team. I have been a part of NCC for the past few years. This year will be my last year as a Cub Junior and I would like to finish this season riding and racing my best. 

I first started biking when I was 2 and I loved riding bikes ever since I hopped on one. My first race was on a BMX track and I was three years old. I have been racing BMX for 10 years and have been my age group MA State Champion the past three years. I love racing my BMX bikes, but would also like to focus more on cyclocross. 

The first cyclocross race I saw was one my dad entered back in 2006. I just turned four years old and knew I wanted to try it! Since I wasn’t old enough to race the full course, we would look for races that held “kid races” and I would enter those. In between the regular races, I couldn’t wait to practice on the “real” course! I couldn’t wait to be old enough to race and I trained at home while watching Nine Ball, Transition and other cyclocross movies. The year I turned nine, racing age 10, I asked “Can I race cyclocross on the full course?". My first big race was Gloucester and I loved it! My first year was the most fun because of all the deep mud. I also rode half way across the beach sand!  

I have been part of NCC and volunteered for different events, including assisting and leading groups during the Junior CX Clinics at Look Park. My dad sometimes talks to Al Donahue to get training advice. And my dad has been helping me with training, but I don’t have anyone else to ride with and train. This year I am getting stronger and I need more help getting better to make podiums. The adult racers are great at encouraging and pushing me, like at the Montague crit or on any other course. I know I am younger but I would really like to learn more about how train better for cyclocross. Thank you for your time.”

Results

·  Rapha Super Cross Gloucester Day 1 Junior 9-14 Open 8th out of 29, Sept. 27, 2014 · Rapha Super Cross Gloucester Day 2 Junior 9-14 Open 7th out of 36, Sept. 28, 2014 · Minuteman Road Club Cyclocross Race Men Junior 9-14 5th out of 22, Oct. 12, 2014 · Keene Pumpkin Cross Race Junior Boys 12-14 1st out of 9, Oct. 19, 2014 · Cycle-Smart International Junior 9-14 7th out of 32, Nov. 1, 2014 · Cycle-Smart International - Day 2 Junior 9-14 6th out of 36, Nov. 2, 2014 · West Hill Shop Cyclocross Race Junior 9-14 1st out of 26, Nov. 9, 2014 ·  Competed in 15 races in 2013 (and for the first time had to run to the pits to get a wheel changed) · 2nd place U18, 2012 CT state series · 2011 first full season and I was 9 years old. It was really hard and I still loved doing every race and trying to learn more about the sport.

Age: 24

Hometown: Morgantown, West Virginia

Cyclocross category: Cat 3

Road Category: Cat 5

Mountain bike category: Cat 1

Tell us about yourself: “Years ago my step-father told me that I needed to start riding mountain bikes. I figured he wanted me out of the house, but he insisted that I would fall in love with it. Eight years later, he seems to have been right. On top of just riding mountain bikes, I now find myself racing mtb's, cross bikes, and dabbling in road racing some; enjoying every single moment of it! A grant would help ease the cost of racing (traveling, food, parts, etc), therefore making things less stressful come this upcoming cx season. At this point in my racing, I am at a spot in life where I can pull training and working full time (close enough at least). Yeah, things are really tight financially, but due to my work situation and lack of responsibilities I am able train hard. In this past year alone I feel that I've come a long way, and I'd like to maintain this lifestyle. So any bit of help would just make it easier to not have to get another job and forfeit training.  Racing has come to consume my life fully. I'd like to continue to progress and see how far I can take myself with racing. I realize I have this opportunity to dive into the hole as far as I want, what the hell do I got to lose? I should also add that I am planning to move to Mass ASAP so I can grow in a structured scene."

Results

WVMBA MTB Series:

· 3rd pro/ex Mountwood 2015 ·  2nd Chief Logan 2015 · 2nd pro/ex Dobbin House Classic 2015 · 3rd o/v pro/ex men 2014 · 4th o/v pro/ex men 2013  

USAC racing:

· 11th Cat 1 19-29 2013 Iceman Cometh · 3rd Cat 1 19-39 2015 H2H Bulldog Rump · 4th Cat 1/2/3 2015 White Park Throwdown · 4 official USAC cyclocross races · 3rd 3/4 White Park CX 2014

Age: 17

Hometown: Somers, Connecticut

Cyclocross category: Cat 3

Road Category: Cat 5

Mountain bike category: Cat 3

Tell us about yourself: “I am writing to you in application to be considered as a recipient of a grant from the JAM Fund. I welcome the opportunity to be part of the JAM community as a passionate, committed cyclist. My parents are both avid cyclists so cycling has always been a very big part of my life. I was introduced to the sport by participating in cyclocross training at Look Park. In 2011, I started to race, and every year after I have improved my results. Last year, I started racing in more challenging categories like 3 / 4 men instead of the 10-18 junior races. Competing in other disciplines like mountain biking and road racing was beneficial to improving my cyclocross racing. I enjoy the challenges of competitive cycling and I am unafraid to work hard and improve myself. For example, in the time since school has got out, I have been riding about 100 miles every week along with gym workouts, criteriums, and running. A grant from the JAM Fund would pay for traveling and race entry fees so I can participate in more races this year. Also, I realize that to significantly elevate my cycling ability, I need a specific training program and coaching to build on my strengths and overcome my weaknesses. A grant would be very beneficial to obtain this help. Ever since I joined the Northampton Cycling Club, I have looked up the JAM team racers, especially when I met Jeremy Powers in the cyclocross training at Look Park. Since then, I asked many JAM team athletes, like Al Donahue and Jeremy Powers, for advice and tips. The JAM Fund will help me bring my cycling to the next level and support my goal of being a collegiate cyclocross athlete. I sincerely appreciate this opportunity and am grateful for all the great work the JAM team do to promote cycling in New England. Thank you for your time and please feel free to contact me if you have any further inquiries.”

Results

· 1st  Juniors CompEdge Cross @ Forest Park 8/23/14 · 1st Juniors CompEdge Cross @ Blunt Park 8/24/14 ·  2nd Cat 3/4/5 Big Elm Brewery Cyclocross 9/6/4 ·  3rd Junior 10-18 Cat 1/2/3/4 Silk City Cyclocross 9/13/14 ·  41st Cat 2/3 men KMC Cross Fest, day 3, 10/1/14 ·  40th Master men, 35+/Junior, Cycle-Smart International 11/1/14 · 16th Cat 3/4 Cheshire Cross 11/15/14 · 13thCat 4/5 Keith Berger Memorial Criterium 6/21/15 · 20thCat 4/5 Longsjo Classic, day 3, 6/28/15 · 10th Cat 5 NCC 16thAnnual Tour of the Hilltowns 7/26/14 · 16th Cat 4/5 Cyclonauts Racers Criterium 5/24/14