How Greg Daniel went from suburban kid to national champ

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Greg Daniel flunked 10th grade P.E.

It’s not an indictment of the current U.S. road racing champion, just a fact. During his sophomore year at Cherry Creek High School in Denver, Daniel missed so much school that his Physical Education teacher gave him an F.

Of course Daniel missed class to race alongside the U.S. junior national program in Belgium’s cutthroat races — probably the world’s most physically demanding events for young cyclists.

“I tried to tell [the teacher] I was doing physical activity on my trip — I was representing my country,” says Daniel, now 21. “She said it didn’t count.”

The F in P.E. is just one example of the non-traditional childhood that Daniel led during his transition from suburban kid to America’s next great bicycle racer. Like other young racers, Daniel had to blend the often lonely life of a cyclist with that of an American teen. His passion for cycling created a social barrier with schoolmates and even his parents.

So instead, Daniel sought friendship from a group of 40-year-old masters racers, who in turn treated him like a peer. As Daniel progressed in the sport, his friendship with these masters helped him navigate his sport’s various hurdles.

“In high school, my friends were all married guys who were a lot older than me,” Daniel says. “These guys sculpted me into who I am on and off the bike.”

From local talent to group ride monster

As a 13-year-old, Daniel wanted to train for Ironman triathlons, after his uncle completed two of the distance races. Unfortunately, Daniel couldn’t swim. Instead, he took his bicycle to nearby Cherry Creek Reservoir, where he pedaled for hours on a 12-mile out-and-back road. At one point, Daniel rode 100 miles by himself along the windy stretch of pavement.

The mileage was impressive for a young teen — especially one with a disability. Daniel is legally blind in his right eye. He has learned to adapt to the blindness, but must wear protective eyewar at all times.

Daniel regularly rode behind groups of masters racers. One day, a racer named Alex Gillett, noticed that the youngster was able to keep pace, and invited him to ride with the men. The two became riding buddies. After several months, Daniel told Gillett that he wanted to try the local masters group ride. The South Denver Masters often race up Deer Creek Canyon, a 3,000-foot climb in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

“He asked me if I’d call his mom to see if it was OK,” said Gillett, 44. “At that point I asked her permission to take him on rides.”

Gillett introduced Daniel to other riders in the south Denver community, including Byron Nix, 49, who was the Masters 40-plus champion at the time. They took Daniel on rides and shepherded him at fast Tuesday night criteriums. They showed him how to descend — Daniel was a natural climber, but he was slow on the downhills. After several months, the two realized that Daniel had incredible physical gifts.

“This 14-year-old kid was riding 130-mile days on his bike,” Nix said. “I was like OK, this is not normal.”

Daniel …

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