Evelyn Stevens (L) with Ina Teutenberg, Kim Andersen, Emilia Fahlin and Chloe Hosking. (Image credit: Kristy Scrymgeour)
HTC-Columbia's new recruit Evelyn Stevens is gearing up for a strong performance during the upcoming block of racing in California that kicks off the US National Racing Calendar (NRC). Stevens and four of her teammates will compete in the San Dimas Stage Race, March 19-21 and the Redlands Bicycle Classic from March 25-28.
Stevens took a break from her career in finance to try her hand at full-time bike racing last year. She competed in a full season of National Racing Calendar (NRC) events guest riding for various elite women's teams. She turned heads when she won the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic under the Lip Smackers banner and the Cascade Cycling Classic with Webcor-Builders, two of the toughest stage races in the country.
"Things are going great and I'm really enjoying this," Stevens said. "I think it's exciting. I have a ton to learn and I think this is the best place for that. I'm riding with some of the best women out there. The team is really professional and a great organization. I had my first race with the team last weekend at Merco and it went well."
Stevens is still figuring out her role on the team, however, she proved more than capable of aiding her teammate Ina-Yoko Teutenberg into two victories at the Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic's Downtown Grand Prix and Foothills Road Race last weekend.
"I'm taking each race one at a time and trying to do what they tell me to do, but I think my role is to support the team anyway that I can," Stevens said. "I want to always do as well as I can. Mostly I want to be the best team rider that I can."
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Stevens now lives in New York City where she plans to keep her home base during downtime and in the off-season. When asked if she imagined such great success in the short amount of time since she began racing, her answer was, "No, not two years ago. I'm loving every moment of it. It hit me in Mallorca at the team camp the most, that my life had changed drastically from a year ago. It's been a really great experience so I'm just taking it all in."
"The girls are great and the staff and organization is incredible," she added. "You just have to show up and ride your bike because they take care of everything else."
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HTC-Columbia will field a team of five riders in the San Dimas Stage Race held March 19-21 and the Redlands Bicycle Classic held March 25-28. Stevens' teammates include Teutenberg, Kim Anderson, Emilia Fahlin and Chloe Hosking.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
