Antonio “Tony” Cruz started riding bikes with his father as a kid. He still remembers getting his first BMX bike for Christmas at about 8-years-old. In no time, he was able to ride a wheelie all the way down the block and rode that new bike everywhere. Around the same time, his dad began road riding and became a weekly bike commuter and racer on the weekend. After watching his dad ride for the first time, all Tony could think about was riding as fast as him. Upon entering middle school, he received his first road bike. Between riding with his schoolmates on BMX bikes and riding bikes with his “pops”, Tony was experiencing and exploring new roads all over LA County.
In 1984, Tony’s father took him to watch the Olympic Road Race at the Los Angeles Olympics, where he watched both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s teams win gold medals. It was then that he knew he was going to be a bike racer like his father and someday race in the Olympics. In his teenage years, he quickly became one of the top Junior racers in the U.S., finishing 4th at Junior Nationals. As an adult he won the U.S. Pro Criterium Championships in 1999, Olympic Trails in 2000 and represented the U.S. at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games, fulfilling his childhood dream. After the Olympics, he was asked to join the US Postal Service team and gladly accepted the offer and opportunity. He spent the following 10 years racing in the Pro Tour (now the World Tour) on the best teams in the world and loving every moment of it.
“Bikes changed my life for the better and helped me develop some great skills, a strong work ethic and a very high level of fitness. I still spend a lot of time riding with my pops and my cycling and racing buddies. I also spend time in schools and with youths hosting bicycle clinics and bicycle rodeos. It’s pretty special to me to be able to give back to the sport that has given so much to me.”
