Murphy hopes to turn domestic racing into Red Hook success

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Jamis rider Kyle Murphy is flying to Barcelona, Spain this weekend for a homecoming of sorts.

No, Murphy is not from the Catalonian capital — he grew up in Portland, Oregon. But long before Murphy was a domestic pro, he was a kid who raced a fixed-gear bike in unsanctioned road events. And this weekend, Murphy is participating in the Barcelona round of fixed-gear racing’s Super Bowl, the Red Hook Criterium.

Since the finish of the Tour of Utah, Murphy has been training on his fixed-gear bike. He says the sensations have been somewhat slow to return. The bikes, which lack a freewheel, require a rider to use his legs to slow down, which puts added pressure on the muscles. And, of course, there’s the whole no-brakes thing.

“I honestly can’t imagine racing a fixie without having ridden one for a while,” Murphy says. “That first day, you try to coast, and the bike just wants to buck you off.”

Murphy joined Jamis this year after a successful 2015 campaign, which saw him race with Team Lupus for the first half of the season before joining the Spanish squad Caja Rural – Seguros RGA for the USA Pro Challenge. He finished eighth place at USA Cycling’s national championships, and grabbed third in the KOM competition at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

The professional results represented a huge turning point in Murphy’s history on the bike, which included more than a few nontraditional twists and turns. Domestic pro racers often trace their cycling careers back to collegiate road racing, junior mountain bike competitions, or the junior road ranks.

Not Murphy. He got into cycling after watching the stunt videos produced by San Francisco-based production company MASH SF. The …

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