Mike Buckner

1. When did you start racing and why? 

I started racing in 2013.  I had ridden a road bike for a few years as a way to get some exercise before I started racing.  I am very competitive so I was eager to get into the race scene.

2. What makes you love cycling so much?  

It allows me to get away.  I started when I was working in sales and needed something to release stress at the end of the day.  There isn’t anything more soothing than getting in a nice hard ride.

3. What different cycling disciplines do you participate?  Race or recreation? 

Prior to 2018 I’d only raced road.  I caught a great deal on a cross frame in late 2017 and built the bike with the help of the great folks at Roll Bike Shops on Polaris.  This allowed me to get into gravel and cross racing in 2018.  I let Barry Roubaix completely destroy me in April and used my first go at gravel expand my cycling capabilities.  I raced cross 4 times in 2018 and even took the bike to the MTB trails.  There’s nothing better to me than nailing a corner in a crit at 25+ mph but I’ll definitely be out in the cross scene more in 2019.  I have a new respect for the power and skill it takes to compete in the cross races.

4. What do you take in your jersey on long rides?

My cell phone, tube, multi tool and a cycling cap just to please Dave Adams who’s our team cap concourse.

5. What piece of your cycling gear (clothing, wheels, anything) is your favorite? 

I have two.  First is my Headwind Kit.  I love our kit, our team name, our sponsors, and everything we support.  It gives me great pride to wear it every time I ride.  The second is my power meter.  What can I say…I am a watt watcher and use the power meter to see if my training is paying off.

6. Which pro cyclist will you cheer for in the pro peloton?

Peter Sagan!!  This has changed since the first time I filled this profile out.  After his 2015 season where he was taking heat for not winning and then watching him, in person, crush that worlds course in Richmond he’s become my favorite.  I sometimes want to resort to being 8 years old and put a poster of him up in my room.  Something tells me my wife would reject that.  Maybe I could do this in my cycling room?  Who knows.  Peter is my guy.  His bike handling skills, love of the sport, and pure ability to ride a bike like nobody else is something that is quite unique.  I believe he will go down as one of the best of my lifetime and look forward to following his success.

7. Which pro cyclist do you think your style is most like? 

I would say Taylor Phinney.  This was a difficult question for me to answer.  I haven’t been racing long enough to figure out exactly who I am like most.  Taylor is a great team member, time trialist, and attack artist.  I think my style could be similar to his.

8. What do you eat after a long ride or race?  

I typically drink a protein shake with skim milk right after a long ride.  It makes me feel like I will recover faster.  Do I?  Who knows but the people at GNC say I will.

9. What is your favorite race memory, what race was it and why do you remember it?  

My favorite race memory was 2013 at Lake Hope.  It was my first ever race, filled with climbs (which I am terrible at), and after the race I was proposing to my girlfriend.  Before the race I told all my teammates that I was proposing later that day and they were very happy for me.  It did add to my anxiety before the race.  I was extremely nervous for the race but it helped take my mind off the proposal.  I will never forget the feeling I had when I crossed the finish line knowing the next event of the day would be proposing to Amber. I can’t remember the result of the race just that I finished.

10. What advice do you give to your team member or a new team member?   

Have fun on the bike.  Cycling is extremely hard and challenging both physically and mentally so finding the fun in it is crucial.  There aren’t many on this earth who ride their bike 5k, 10k miles per year.  To race and ride at this level makes you a very select person but it still needs to be fun. 

11. What are your 2019 goals? 

Expand my cycling abilities and grow cycling community.  I’m starting to shift from hardcore road racer to someone who just wants to help people enjoy being on a bike.  The team is growing like crazy in numbers, disciplines and levels of involvement in the cycling community and it’s truly amazing.  I want to be able to use that growth as a way to grow the love for bikes in Central Ohio.  I’m extremely passionate about the value cycling can bring to a a balance, happy lifestyle and I want others to experience it and get hooked just as I have.  

12. When you aren’t pedaling your bike what do you like to do?  

I am surrounded by great family and friends here in Columbus.  We spend a lot of time together and I love it.  My wife and daughter Jane are my biggest fans and really share my passion for cycling.   We enjoy experiencing new places to eat and hanging with our family.  I co-founded a beer club in my neighborhood and it’s a lot of fun sharing and trying new beers with them at our “meetings”. Nothing beats a nice, cold, beer from Elevator Brewing though (shameless sponsor promotion).