Petaluma cyclist rides in pursuit of road racing elite

March 15, 2006

By JOHN JACKSON
ARGUS-COURIER SPORTS EDITOR

Sterling Magnell says his goal is to establish himself as a world-class professional athlete -- "To be at the top of the sport and ride in the biggest races in the world."

He is very close.

Magnell, who calls Petaluma home, is heading into his third year of professional bicycle riding and, after an injury-bothered 2005 season, is looking forward to establishing himself among the elite of his chosen profession.

There aren't a lot of world-class cyclists who grew up in Occidental and live in Petaluma, but the sport for Magnell was a natural.

His father, Kent, is a big bicycle racing fan who worked for world-famous moutain bike racer Tom Ritchey. Magnell began as a mountain bike racer and was a national cross country champion at age 13.

He switched his focus to road racing in 1999 when he became a member of the Mercury cycling team, discovering there is more to the sport than pedalling as hard as you can.

"For me, it is a personal competition," he says. "I compete against myself, but the team aspect is huge. There is a lot of strategy involved. You have to work for your teammates. You all work for the guy with the best chance for the race depending on the conditions."

Magnell, 22, describes himself as "like a 400 guy in track. I'm best on a straight sprint flat course, but I'm not a pure sprinter."

That doesn't mean he doesn't have good sprint speed or the endurance to handle the hilly courses. You have to be the total package to reach his level.

He has already raced all over the world, competing in France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Argentina, Switzerland and in many areas of the United States.

One country he has missed and hopes to one day visit for a competition is Holland. "My father is from Amsterdam. I really want to ride there," he explains.

Magnell rode for two years with the Mercury Cycling team before transferring to team Saturn Development in 2001. He rode for Saturn for two years and then turned professional with the Sierra Nevada/Clif Bar team. Last year and again this year, he is riding for the Monex squad. He has also raced extensively with the USA National Espoir Team based in Belgium.

He has trained with Dario Fredrick and Whole Athlete based in San Anselmo. "Dario and Whole Athlete have helped refine my training and come back to a good form," he says.

"My dad has also helped a lot."

Although he works out at a gym, doing yoga, stretching and core work, his basic training is on his bicycle and finds this area ideal for his workouts.

"There are a lot of backroads," he says.

"Traffic is not really a problem. There are areas I steer away from, but by and large people (drivers) are pretty good."

Approaching his 23rd birthday, Magnell is paid by his team and, while he doesn't yet make the big bucks, he says he "makes enough to live on."

Magnell won four races last season -- finishing first in the Giro di San Francisco Crterium, the Fort Ord California State Championships the Prologue TT, Sea Otter Classic and the Vuelta La Sonora -- but it was still a tough season.

He fought pneumonia, hurt his knee and missed valuable training time.

He is now totally healthy and convinced he is set for a big push at just the right stage in his career, and just at a time when bicycle racing is beginning to return to popularity in the United States.

"It is a huge sport in Europe and it used to be the biggest sport in America," he says. "It hasn't been as popular as it used to be, but it is definitely growing. This is the perfect time for a young rider to come into it."

He says most professional riders hit their peak in their late 20s, which gives him a few years to reach the top of his form.

For Magnell, that means starting with this season and starting it healthy.