Today, four-time U.S. cyclocross national champion Jeremy Powers announced his retirement from professional cyclocross racing via a post on his Facebook page.
Powers leaves behind a rich legacy in the sport of cyclocross. Inside the tape, he won cyclocross nationals in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and treated us to one of the best Nationals races ever against Stephen Hyde in Reno in 2018. Powers finished sixth at the 2015 CrossVegas World Cup and was a regular on Team USA at the World Championships.
Powers retires from the sport tied with Jonathan Page and Don Myrah with four Elite Men’s Nationals wins, one short of Lawrence Malone for the Men’s record. (Well short of Katie Compton’s 15, obviously).
Behind the Barriers, Jeremy Powers put considerable time and money into the Behind the Barriers video channel. Powers helped elevate the profile of the sport and provide an enthusiastic ambassador for the sport of cyclocross as it grew to new levels of popularity.
The announcement does not mean Powers is leaving the sport of cycling; in June, he will be starting as a presenter with the Global Cycling Network. Powers was a frequent commentator on GCN’s cyclocross broadcasts during the past season.
The text of Powers’ announcement is below. Stay tuned for more on the retirement of one of the sport’s all-time greats.
The time has come – my life as a pro racer is ending, and in June I’m taking a role with the Global Cycling Network as a presenter. I’m extremely excited to work with their amazing crew! When I started out I never envisioned my ability as a cyclist would carry me as far as it did. I fell in love with the bike as a 12 year old, wild, energetic kid from Connecticut. I rode my bike absolutely everywhere. It brought me so much freedom to explore and get that energy out of my system. I’ve built a life around two wheels, and cycling is as special to me now as the day I started riding.
Retiring has many layers to it – I always told myself if I’m not improving or not having fun, then it’s time to move on. I’ve always wanted to stay true to these points because as a pro cyclist, you do have a ‘best before’ stamp. I’ll turn 36 in June of this year, and like everything, it can’t last forever. I’m a husband, a father, and our little man Finn is howling “dada!!!” all the time. I’ve checked off many of the boxes I had as a pro rider but even still it’s not easy – the mind is constantly trying to make deals with the body, trying to convince you, …you can do one more!
While working through this long decision with my wife Emily, I said, “Well I REALLY want to win just a little more…” and she looked at me and said, “Jeremy….don’t you think everyone wants to win, just a little more?” Haha.
I always wanted to end my time racing being competitive, with my head up and a smile on my face. I’m proud of everything I was able to bring to the sport over my career and I’m equally stoked on everything it gave me back. I loved it all, the good and the bad – especially as I reflect more and more on my time in the sport. I will miss the competition and pushing myself to the absolute maximum, testing myself against the best in the world and trying to master the art of cyclo-cross – its gnarly, ever-changing conditions, and the leg-sapping mud.
I look back at it all with amazing memories, Jelly Belly, Cannondale-CycloCrossWorld, JAM Fund, BTB, BTBTV, Aspire Racing…it’s all documented really well through the Behind THE Barriers show. All the stories from over the years, the highs and lows, the wins and the losses. I recently organized them all, so when you need some entertainment on the trainer, or some motivation to get out there and go, you can jump back into the time machine and get lost for awhile: youtube.com/behindthebarrierstv
The best part about saying goodbye today to you all is that I’m not actually saying goodbye. You probably won’t see me on a lot of start lines next season, but you might see me at the podium interviewing somebody else on the podium. Getting the opportunity to work with GCN will keep me intimately involved with the sport at the ground level. I’ll be able to be at the races but also undertaking other adventures on two wheels.
Whatever lies ahead, I’m excited to take it all on. I have checked the box on the racing portion of my cycling career. I loved the climb it took to check those boxes over the years and sharing that all with you. I want to thank you all so much for your support and love over the years as a racer, all the incredible stories you told me, the pictures you took, the life you allowed me to live by supporting my sponsors and partners, the events you came out to, the shows you watched. Thank you for following my career. To the brands and people inside those companies who sponsored and partnered with me over the years, thank you, your support helped make it all come true and I’m forever grateful to you all.
Lastly, July 13th marks the 10th edition of our Grand FUNdo charity event supporting the JAM Fund. On top of being our 10th year which we’re excited about, it’ll also serve as a little retirement party and an awesome day of riding for anyone who wants to come out and ride, eat great food and have a toast afterward.
This post was updated on 4/23.
