The world blurs into thin streaks of vibrant colors as Senior Joshua Juarez pedals his bike faster and faster away from reality as the thrill of exhilaration blends in with the sound of roaring applause from the audience.
Juarez flew to Japan last summer to compete in the National Youth Championships, a great learning experience for Juarez. The Japanese introduced Keirin racing in 1948, an event where cyclists ride behind a pacer that gradually speeds up until leaving the track and allows the competitors to race to the finish line. This type of racing is now popular around the world and has been a part of the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
“It was kind of a weird experience, because most of the competitors were Japanese and spoke Japanese,” Juarez said. “I think most of them were wondering why an American was participating in their competition.”
Juarez’s competitions have also taken him to cities across southern California, like San Jose and San Diego and he has grown very passionate about biking.
“As a boy, biking wasn’t much of a sport to me. It was only until a friend mentioned it to me that I started to look into it,” Juarez said. “From there, I started going to street races, like Wolfpack Hustle, and I began to love the sport. I have been competing for about three years but it’s only been lately that I’ve sparked, which led to companies investing in me.”
However, just like all other sports, cycling comes with a risk of injuries. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 677 cyclists were killed and 48,000 were injured in crashes in 2011. Unfortunately, Juarez was involved in a motor vehicle traffic crash while biking during the last week of summer school.
“I was taken to the hospital and I now have a blood clot in my head from the accident,” Juarez said. “I was told that the clot would last two to three years and that if it doesn’t go away, I will need to have it surgically removed– but at the risk of permanently messing up my head.”
The accident was tragic for Juarez, who had hopes of spending his senior year playing football with the team. However, it didn’t stop Juarez from continuing to pursue his cycling passion.
“It’s my priority,” Juarez said. “Biking is safe as long as you’re being responsible by paying attention to the road and by knowing what you’re doing at all times. I like being able to go fast and it’s exhilarating. There’s always the thought of not knowing what’s going to happen next.”
This fall, Juarez attended an event called Wolfpack Hustle HP Gran Prix, where he had the chance to meet Olympic medalists. The race was 1,000 feet and the winner took the victory with a time of 20 seconds. Although Juarez didn’t win, meeting the Olympic athletes was a great experience for him and it gave him inspiration to keep working hard and to never give up.
During the season, Juarez trains four times a week. During the current off season, however, he trains once a week, attends biking events, and gives back by teaching others how to ride. On Nov. 9, he went to San Diego to participate in a 150 mile event.
“It was just a fun bike ride,” Juarez said. “It wasn’t for trophies or anything.”
Juarez looks forward to the start of the season and although the uncertainty of the future sits right around the corner, he is certain about one thing: he’s taking his bike with him wherever he chooses to go next.