This month we meet:

JOSH CHRISTENSEN

Tell Us a Little About Yourself

 Josh Christensen, 33, Full time dad. I grew up in Louisiana and hated it most of the time. I was an active and outdoor oriented kid but in LA outdoors means hunting and fishing and that isn’t my cup of tea.

Cycling info (your category, disciplines)

 I am a cat 3 on the road and should have enough points to earn my cat 3 upgrade in cyclocross as well.

Josh leading through the barriers

Favorite race(s) or event(s)

 My favorite races are all cyclocross races because of the intensity and added challenge involved. Tulsa Tough stands out as fantastic road event for me. It is incredibly well put on and attended.  The courses are in populated areas so there are always people cheering and enjoying themselves even if they know nothing about cycling.

When you started cycling

 I do not remember be unable to ride a bike. As a kid we rode everywhere we went. My first big introduction to road riding was a Mothers Against Drugs trip down the Natchez Trace in Mississippi that lasted 4 days. We camped out and rode everyday and it was pure freedom.

When you started racing

 I began racing mountain bikes at 16 and and soon got a road bike. Road races were few and far between in the deep south so I raced on the dirt
 until I moved to Arizona in 2000. The first road race I ever did was Tortilla Flat and it was tough. A storm rolled in when we were climbing out of the lake and it was terrible. I loved it though and came back the next week.

Josh showing that Cyclocross is a team effort

Notable Results

 I have never won a weekend race but have enough second and third places to fill a small truck! I am most proud of the efforts that have helped my teammates get wins though. Yuma stands out as I have been a part of 2 winning squads there and as a 4 we dominated the state crit to get a guy the win. It is a feat that will not soon be repeated.

What have you learned from cycling?

 How to suffer and have delayed satisfaction due to the time horizon involved in training and racing.

Other hobbies/activities

 I enjoy woodworking and remodeling my house.

What helps keep you motivated?

 I have always been a competitive person and this is just a perfect outlet. I really enjoy feeling totally gutted after a race and knowing that I gave everything I had. I also really enjoy the camaraderie that goes with having teammates and racing with them.

What else?

 I would like to see a number of events in our state on par with events like Tulsa Tough. I would also like to see more cyclocross races. I work to promote the ones that we have and I would like to once just show up and race one and not have anything else to do with it.