A blind date with a bicycle at the age of 14 was all it took for Pocatello resident Colin Joyce to latch on to what is now his favorite sport.
As his love for cycling grew, so did his dedication to it. That combination eventually culminated into the current high point of Joyce’s career — a first place finish at the Junior Tour of Ireland last week.
“I won it,” Joyce said, still shocked. “That was very big.”
Out of the 70 competitors who began the six-day, 350-mile trek along the Irish countryside, the 17-year-old Joyce ended with the best combined time of them all to pick up the victory. He completed the stages in 11 hours, five minutes and 46 seconds.
Now back in Pocatello and still trying to fully grasp what he accomplished, Joyce enjoys reflecting back on how it all began for him. Three years ago he was playing fall soccer and suffered a significant ankle injury that sidelined him for some time. He wanted to stay active, but was worried about what spending so much time on the soccer field and in the basketball gym would do to his foot.
“I was still an active kid and I wanted to get outdoors and burn calories,” Joyce said. “At the time I was working for a guy named Sam Krieg, who is my coach now. He raced and so did my dad Peter when he was in the Army. That spring they both recommended (cycling) as an activity.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
“I fell in love with it,” Joyce said.
He began competing in some small events in Utah and Boise. It was after a race in his first year that a team approached and asked him to join. He then became a member of the Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team based out of the Northeast.
“I’m the only West coast kid,” he said. “I did pretty well and they liked it. They were interested and it kind of went from there.”
A member of the Hot Tubes, an organization that pays for its athletes to travel and compete, the 17-year-old has been able to compete in many parts of the world just this year. Ireland was his first victory.
“I have been to the Bahamas, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland this year,” Joyce said. “I had other results in different countries, but I didn’t win any of them. I did get second in Germany, France and Belgium.”
Joyce feels fortunate to be able to compete as a member of such a presigious group. He and his Hot Tubes teammates won the team title in Ireland as well.
“They pay for the trips overseas,” he said. “We’re extremely lucky and blessed with this opportunity. It’s really sweet.”
As much as he enjoys getting on his bike and riding, the same can’t be said for seeing the sport on TV.
“The Tour de France finished Sunday and I watched as much as I could,” Joyce said. “I enjoy it, but it’s kind of a boring sport to watch for me. I like doing it, but it’s kind of boring to watch.”
When he arrived back in Pocatello after winning in Ireland, Joyce wasn’t sure if his friends were fully aware of what his accomplishment means to him and the cycling world.
“The sport is huge in Europe, but not so much here,” he said. “My friends care, but I don’t know if they understand it. Unless you participate in the sport, you don’t really get it. Everyone is super supportive and everyone is good about asking how I do.”
Having graduated early from Poky, Joyce has enrolled at Idaho State. But with the first win of his cycling career under his belt, the sky’s the limit for what he can do. Joyce isn’t sure if attending ISU is right for him at this particular point of his life.
“I’m not sure what’s next,” he said. “There are other possibilities in cycling, so I might pursue those. I might look at online classes. I am going to continue my education. School is still very important, but there is a very small window of opportunity in cycling and you have to take advantage of it when you can.”
“I’m kind of at a crossroads, I guess,” Joyce said. “I’d like to see where this is going to take me.”
In the immediate future, Joyce is waiting to see if the Junior National Developmental team selects him to compete for the United States in the World Championships that will take place in Holland. If that doesn’t work out, Hot Tubes will be racing in Vermont at the beginning of September.
“I’ll go to that if I don’t get selected for Holland,” he said.