# JESSE STAUFFER: RAAM 2014's Youngest Rider



## Big-foot (Dec 14, 2002)

JESSE STAUFFER: RAAM 2014’s Youngest Rider








*ROAD SCHOLAR: Jesse Stauffer (far left) is a traditional road racer who spends most weekends elbow to elbow with his fellow competitors in USA Cycling races.
*
Most RAAM racers come from the world of UltraCycling with its long, long events of 200 to 500 miles…and more. Few RAAM racers come from the ranks of the traditional road cyclists who do battle each weekend in USA Cycling’s short course criteriums or “long” road races which in the US are usually anywhere from 30 to 100 miles. Jesse Stauffer, a 26 year old floor covering salesman and road racer from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania is an exception. He described his 2013 season and his rise through the ranks, “I was racing every weekend for 10 months,” he said, “I started the season as a category 4 and just upgraded to a category 2 at the end of the season.” Translation: he started 2013 in the racing category one step up from beginner and ended it just one step from pro. 

Not bad for someone who only began racing a few years ago. “I started doing local races when I was 22 or 23 and it grew from there,” he explained in a recent phone chat, “I’ve been mountain biking some too…anything on a bike!” he said with obvious enthusiasm. While he does well at the short (by UltraCycling standards) events, he does best at longer events and stage races such as the Tour of Battenkill (a tough event with long stretches of dirt road and the Tour of Catskills (a stage race known for being very hard and very competitive), “I like the longer stuff better—I can deal with racing the shorter distances, but the longer the race and the harder it is, the better I do.”

TO READ THE REST OF JESSE'S STORY FOLLOW THIS LINK:JESSE STAUFFER: RAAM 2014â€™s Youngest Rider


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