Dedicated Athlete Profile: Mike Friedman
By Jason Sumner
With four laps to go in the December track World Cup’s scratch race in Beijing, China, Mike Friedman’s gold medal dream was on the line. Friedman came into the season gunning for a place on the U.S. Olympic track cycling team, but Slipstream-Chipotle general manager Jonathan Vaughters told Friedman if he didn’t prove he could win at the international level, he’d need to focus solely on road racing.
But Friedman came up big in Beijing, launching a bold late-race solo attack, and holding his advantage all the way to the line to take his first career international track win.
“That was such a big moment for me,” said the 25-yearold Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, who this time a year ago was sidelined because of a pulmonary embolism. “I was so down last year, so to be able to come back and race successfully was a really big thing for me emotionally. I proved to myself and a lot of other important people that I could compete at the highest level.”
Unfortunately, the scratch race is not an Olympic discipline, meaning Friedman must now focus on the Madison and points race if he hopes to wear the stars-and-stripes uniform come August’s Opening Ceremonies.
“The easiest way to qualify is in the Madison,” explained Friedman, of the two-person endurance event. “If you get a spot there, you also get one spot in the points race. I’ve still got some work to do, but I’m confident that it’s going to happen.”
Friedman’s next chance to battle the best will came at track World Cup No. 3 in Los Angeles, Jan. 18-20. After that he’s off to Silver City, New Mexico, for a team training camp, and then he’ll fly to Europe to begin his road racing season. His primary target is the infamous Paris-Roubaix, where he’ll be a top lieutenant for former champ and new Slipstream teammate Magnus Backstedt.
“It’s going to be tough,” Friedman said. “But the team is putting a lot of faith in me, so I need to come through.”
To hold up under the rigors of such a long and demanding season, Friedman puts his faith in Dedicated Athlete’s EP-NO Natural Blood Builder and Athlete’s Multivitamin.
“With all the training and racing, especially in Europe, it’s extremely important to have a multivitamin and iron supplement that work,” said Friedman. “Those are the only daily supplements I take. Then I train my ass off and race hard.”
And that, as Friedman proved at the Beijing World Cup, is a winning combination.
