For 18-year-old Samuel Fogel, a Denver Jewish Day School 2015 alumnus, the UCI Juniors Track Cycling World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan were the culmination of a five-year journey that transformed a hobby into participating on Team USA.
Born in New York and raised in London and New Jersey before joining the Denver community, Fogel has achieved success in both road and track cycling.
He has been on the podium more than a dozen times over the last five years, including his wins at the Junior and Cat 3 State Keirin Championships and his second place win at the Colorado State Pro-1-2 Championships.
Before heading to Kazakhstan in August, Samuel took gold to become a national champion in the Team Sprint and placed third in the Match Sprint at the US Junior National Track Championships.
Fogel began studying at the University of Indiana this month.
I love the gravity-fueled intensity and technical challenge of downhill mountain bike racing, Fogel says.
With such a short downhill racing season, Fogel also picked up cross-country mountain biking as part of East High Schools cycling team.
Coach Adam Zimmerman, who noticed his comfort with speed and a consistent desire to go faster, suggested he try out for the elite Prestige Imports road cycling team.
Says Zimmerman, Samuel started out unable to complete a practice without cramping up, but there was innate talent and I encouraged him to keep at it. By the end of his first season, he had taken third in the state criterium championship among other podium finishes.
Fogels road cycling coach saw him as a natural sprinter with a gift for power and speed. After just one year racing at the velodrome (indoor cycling track), the teenager held several local championship titles and was chosen to represent his country at the 2015 Junior World Championships in Kazakhstan.
This season has been a positive learning experience for me, says Fogel. Through the support of our development team and the guidance from my coach I have been able to race and compete against some of the best riders in the country.
Being chosen to represent Team USA Cycling and Prestige Imports at the Junior World Championships is a great honor.
