MahxFahn
Gator Fan
No male from the University of Florida has ever accomplished what 21-year-old Bobby Sweeting did earlier this month at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships in Fort Collins, Colo.
Competing against 160 Division 1 riders from 18 schools, Sweeting, a senior at UF, wanted to conclude his college career without a flat tire, without a crash, without broken ribs.
His three previous appearances on the national stage had ended with such misfortunes.
"My last time out I really wanted to do something," Sweeting said. "It was really important to me this year."
The event was divided into two disciplines - the criterium, a timed 75-minute sprint around a one-mile course in downtown Fort Collins; and a road race, a 70-mile trip through the area's mountains.
It's great to be a Florida Gator!!In fact, it made Sweeting the best collegiate rider for 2009.
"He's a great, great talent," said Kyle Mendenhall, Sweeting's coach, "but it's rare when you get a combination of talent and hard work.
"It's quite an accomplishment. He is outstanding for his age. Top 10 in the country in under-23 (age group), no doubt," Mendenhall continued.
Winning the national meet served as the dessert to Sweating's previous victory at the SEC Championships, where he took first in the criterium and road race.
He's a talent who adopted cycling only after Osgood-Schlatter's disease made running too painful.
That was at age 16.
By 18, Sweeting had signed a professional contract.
He's still a pro, now riding for Team Land Rover/Orbea.
Sweeting's future appears pretty set. He'll graduate from Florida in December with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Go Gators!!!
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