Brad Huff is a popular crit champion

With a fast pass on the inside line of the final turn in U.S. Pro Criterium Nationals, Brad Huff sprinted to a stunning win, ahead of pre-race favorites John Murphy and Luke Keough, earning his second Stars and Stripes jersey. Many were sure that the national champion would come out of UnitedHealthcare’s train of riders, likely Murphy, since his team has dominated U.S. crits for years, but Huff and his Rally teammates had a different idea. The team was instructed to attack and animate; “We wanted to derail the ‘ol blue train, and keep UHC on their back foot for the duration,” Huff said.

Huff may have been an unexpected winner, but he’s certainly a popular one.

The 37-year-old Rally Cycling sprinter grew up in Fair Grove, Missouri, a small town about 25 minutes outside of Springfield. “Home is still my favorite place to ride,” Huff says. In high school, he ran track, and bought a mountain bike to help work on his endurance for running. By commuting to school every day, he saw his running times improve. His first race, on a BMX track in Springfield, hooked him on cycling.

Huff turned professional in 2006, and that year, he was second to then-Australian Hilton Clark at U.S. Pro crit nationals. Since Huff was the first American, he took the champion’s jersey. He came out of the gate fast in that rookie season, but Huff didn’t made winning a habit. Before last Sunday’s criterium, Huff had amassed a total of three UCI wins, all of which came at least six years ago in China’s Tour of Hainan.

Often, it’s his personality, not palmares, that wins over most, if not all of the professional peloton. “Without characters like Brad in the peloton, the sport just becomes a job. And a …

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