Evie  lululemon

Evelyn Stevens

Most people don’t go to Dartmouth to learn how to be bike racers. And most people also don’t leave well-paying, promising careers with investment banks to wander the globe, predominantly homeless, precisely for the purpose of cranking their hearts to maximum beating capacity in throngs of other humans furiously pedaling toward a single finish line off in the distance. But most people aren’t Evelyn Stevens. Imagine the Eat, Pray, Love story if it were actually any good. Woman leaves job and security and home to take a wild gamble on life and see if she can learn something totally different.

So, what is Evie learning? She’s learning that she’s strong like bull on the bike. She’s learning that home equals: “the place where most of my stuff that I am interested in using currently resides.” She’s learning how to move through the peloton and get up after she’s knocked down and descend with the best of them. She’s learning how to be a good teammate and use her natural talent to work for the good of the group. Sounds better than Lehman Brothers about now, doesn’t it?

She’s come a long way in the four years since her sister signed her up for a cyclocross race and she clipped into pedals for the very first time. Also a long way in the three years since she first bought herself a bike (with a triple) and it sat, collecting dust in her New York apartment. “I used to hang some of my purses on it,” she laughs. In 2008, she did a women’s clinic in Central Park and started working with a coach. In 2009, she went on vacation to Redlands and rode the race with a composite team (incidentally, while she was there, she crashed into her current teammate, Ina). By June 2009, she had quit her job and moved out of her New York apartment. It was game on from that point.

Her goals for 2012: Olympics, both road race and time trial.

One of her favorite results of all time: Stage 7 of the 2010 Giro. She got dropped on a descent and then fought her way back and won the stage.

Foods she can’t be without: Eggs (she can take down a half dozen like it’s nothing), apples, cream cheese and creamed honey on a rice cake (try it!).

Others on the team say about her: “She has unbelievable strength and power. You can trust her when you need her in the race. If you tell her to ride 50K at the front, she’ll do it.”

Career Highlights

•  US National TT Champion 2010 and 2011
•  Stage winner Ardeche 2011
•  Stage winner Giro d’Italia 2010
•  Stage winner Redlands 2010
•  Stage winner Nature Valley Grand Prix 2010
•  Winner of Chrono Gatineau 2010