Evan Huffman
Evan Lukas Huffman (born January 7, 1990) is an American former professional cyclist,[4] who rode professionally between 2013 and 2019 for the Astana, Team SmartStop and Rally UHC Cycling teams. His notable wins include the mountains classification at the 2016 Tour of California, and overall wins at the 2017 editions of the Tour of Alberta and the Tour of the Gila.
Huffman at the 2016 Tour of Alberta | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Evan Lukas Huffman |
| Born | January 7, 1990 Elk Grove, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1] |
| Weight | 156 lb (71 kg)[1] |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type |
|
| Amateur teams | |
| 2008 | California Polytechnic State University |
| 2011–2012 | California Giant Berry–Specialized |
| Professional teams | |
| 2013–2014 | Astana |
| 2015 | Team SmartStop |
| 2016–2019 | Rally Cycling[2][3] |
Career
Early career
Huffman, a multi-sport athlete at Elk Grove High School in California, first competed in cycling in 2007 and rode for California Polytechnic State University the following year.[1] He first attracted international attention with several time-trial victories and an under-age-23 national championship in 2012 while riding for the Cal-Giant team.[1]
2013–2015
Greatly increasing his international experience, Huffman joined Astana, then the sport's No. 1-ranked WorldTour team, in 2013.[1] His placement on the team was due in great part to the efforts of Specialized Bicycle Components.[5] Going to Astana as the lone American and living in Europe while away from his home and family was difficult for him. Additionally, getting lost in the shuffle of a large team[5] led to infrequent racing, few notable results, and returning to California without a contract for 2015. He then joined Team SmartStop which folded the same year.[5]
2016–2017
Huffman rode for Rally Cycling in 2016 and had a breakthrough year culminating with earning the King of the Mountains jersey at the 2016 Tour of California. For Huffman, 2017 was a season unparalleled success for himself and for his team.[6] He took first overall in the Tour of Alberta and the Tour of the Gila road races. In addition to winning stages 4 and 7 in the Tour of California, Huffman was twice awarded the Blue Jersey given to the most courageous rider at the end of each stage.[7]
After the Tour of Alberta win, Huffman commented about his success: "I don't know what's better, two wins in California or the overall here. Earlier this year Tour of the Gila was the biggest before this, so I've just really shown a lot of progression in a short amount of time over the last two years with this team."[8]
Personal life
Huffman dons a tattoo on his inner forearms and another across his chest, all designations of his Christianity. On Huffman's left forearm is a tattoo that says "Truth" and on his right, "Grace." He added the tattoos at the end of 2014 when he returned to the United States from Europe; they remind him of why he rides, races and sacrifices.[1][5] He married his wife Heather in October 2017,[1] and resides in Northern California.
Major results
- 2008
- 1st Road race, National Junior Road Championships
- 2011
- 2nd Nevada Classic
- 3rd Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships
- 2012
- 1st Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships
- 1st Stage 3 (ITT) Tour of the Gila
- 1st Stage 2 (ITT) McLane Pacific Classic
- 2015
- Vuelta a la Independencia Nacional
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 3
- 8th Winston-Salem Cycling Classic
- 2016
- 1st Mountains classification Tour of California
- 3rd Overall Tour of Alberta
- 1st Stage 4
- 3rd Winston-Salem Cycling Classic
- 6th The Reading 120
- 2017
- 1st Overall Tour of Alberta
- 1st Stage 1
- 1st Overall Tour of the Gila
- 1st Stage 3 (ITT)
- Tour of California
- 1st Stages 4 & 7
- 3rd Overall Cascade Cycling Classic[9]
- 1st Stage 2 (ITT)
- 5th Overall Joe Martin Stage Race
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Raia James (May 3, 2015). "Cyclist Evan Huffman tries to climb back". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- ^ "A mix of old and new for Rally Cycling in 2018". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. December 18, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ Soladay, Tom. . Rally UHC Cycling. Circuit Sport. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ Hood, Andrew (October 21, 2019). "Retirements in 2019 — goodbye to the peloton's working class heroes". VeloNews. Pocket Outdoor Media, LLC. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
American Evan Hoffman [sic], 29, also calls an end to a career that included WorldTour and U.S. racing success.
- ^ a b c d "Evan Huffman: To Astana and back". Velonews. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ "George Bennet Rides To Victory In Pasadena At The 2017 Amgen Tour Of California". Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ "Evan Huffman Wins Stage Seven of Amgen Tour of California". Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ "Tour of Alberta: Huffman wins the overall as Wippert takes final stage". Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ "Carpenter seizes Cascade Classic victory on final day". cyclingnews.com. July 23, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.