"If the miles behind me could be put into words before you, you would feel my efforts, my struggles, and my desires. Most of all you would see my joy"  

Steven Perezluha

Men's Solo Race Across America 2011

~10 Days and 8 hours. 2990 miles.

~9th Place Finish

~Jure Robic Award Winner (Strongest hill climber, 2750 miles into the race.)

~2nd Youngest finisher in history of race

~1st Completion, Qualified for Life

USA U23 National Cycling Time Trial Championships

6th Place out of 76 racers

30 kilometers  

37:34.192                                                    29.6mph average speed

Uncle Danny Chew and I riding with BikeRayUSA Lights ~Riding with Passion, Safety, and Confidence

 Florida to Alaska and Back~ Into Alaska 47 days and 5115 miles with 125 bob-trailer from Pittsburgh. 140 Day Trip and 13,769 mile trip of a lifetime

Cat 3 Florida State Time Trial Champion

Cat 3 Florida State Road Race Champion

Winter Haven Cycling Classic Pro-1-2 Time Trial Champion

Killington Stage Race Cat 2 Circuit Race Champion

Killington Stage Race Cat 2 Time Trial Champion

Connecticut State Time Trial Champion

View of Pacific Ocean off Mattole Road 

Northern California: The Epic "Lost Coast"

One of my Favorite Roads

Florida State Champion Time Trial Jerseys

From left to right:

Cat 5 (2010. 57:39; first race of life; on road bike)

Cat 3 (2011. 53:13; on Quintana Roo Time Trial bike)

Cat 1 (2012. 52:09; on Cervelo P5 Time Trial bike)

U-23 Florida State Time Trial (40km) Record Holder

U-23/19-34 combined age group Florida State Road Race Champion

56-mile race

Pro-1-2 Florida State Road Race Champion

70-mile race; 50 mile solo break away

Daytona RAAM cycling time trial challenge

200 miles in 8 hours and 42 minutes

23.0mph average speed

Fastest 100 mile time trial

3 hours and 49 minutes

26.2mph average speed

NEW! Fastest 100 mile time trial!

3 hours and 41 minutes

27.2mph average speed

Cat 1-2 Joe Martin Stage Race Champion!

     April 28, 2013: 

            Won the Cat 1-2 Joe Martin Stage Race!

April 7, 2013: 

	Concluded the Pro-1-2 Winter Garden Crit in 7th place and the 100 mile "Race of the West" in 4th place.

Results for Crit at: https://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?permit=2013-1227

Results for Road Race at: https://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?permit=2013-1246

	March 3, 2013: 

	Concluded the Chain of Lake Cycling Classic in Winter Haven with 4th place in the Pro-1-2 race, 2nd in the time trial, and 4th in the Crit. 

Results at USA Cycling: https://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?permit=2013-609

	February 24, 2013: 

	I rode my fastest ever 100 mile time trial today in 3 hours 41 minutes/ 27.2 mph average speed and won. This was in part of the Gran Fondo 
Brevard 109 mile race. The event went great and I had excellent support from the lead support car and police motorcycles along with my trusty mom.

On my odometer I rode the following statistics:

1) Distance: 109 miles 
2) Average Speed: 27.3 
3) Time: 3:59 
4) Average watts: 272 
5) Best 20 minute average watts during race: 340

6)Non-drafting/ loop format 

    December 8, 2012: 

  Today I rode my fastest 100 mile time trial today out of Saint Cloud down to Yeehaw Junction and back in the "J-Hop Century ride/ race". On my odometer I rode the following statistics:
1) 102.0 miles
2) 268 watt average
3) 3 hours 49 minutes/ 26.4 avg
4) Non-drafting/ loop format

5) Done on Cervelo P5 time trial bike

The ride was a 100 mile road race. I started out with the group for the first 10 miles/ 30 minutes and then attacked and soloed my way for the remaining 90+ miles, averaging 275+watts and near 27.0mph!

*My fastest one way 100 mile time trial was done in the solo Race Across America in 3 hours and 20 minutes with a strong 30mph tailwind.

    November 11, 2012:  

      Today I won a 200 mile time trial starting in Daytona Beach in part of the Race Across America Challenge Series. Read my detailed summary in the following link:

http://www.ultraracenews.com/2012/11/12/steven-perezluhas-winning-raam-challenge-daytona-200/

    October 28, 2012:

Today's racing headline for my mindset would be "Acts of Courage". Victoriously concluded this weekend by winning the 70-mile Pro-1-2 Florida State Road Race Championships. Today was windy again and this time a break away got away on just the first lap without me in it. On the 2nd lap I bridged up and caught the 10-15 man break away. On the 3rd Lap, I nonchalantly attacked/opened up a gap on a downhill and stayed away until the end of the race, some 50 miles solo. I thought back to the wrestling days when my coach told me to "Wrestle with Confidence!" and the quote "It's not how good you are, it's how bad you want it!" While there may have been doubt at first, I began to dig deep and ride with the most confidence I have to this date in a Florida Race. What would be thought of as a suicide attack in bicycle racing turned into a 50 mile time trial effort until the finish. I wore my skin-suit and time trial helmet for a good cause today as the wind began to take its toll on the racing.

         I treated the rest of the race like a TT, and knew that in order to produce the fastest possible TT time, that I must suffer, ride strong, and want it bad. I would tuck and hammer on every downhill, and power and breath on the up hills. I caught and passed the Cat 3 field that started ahead, and then began to treat any cyclist that was behind me, like a Pro-1-2 racer trying to catch me, regardless of who they were. I kept the song "Move Along" in my mind and knew that this was the last Florida race of the year and had nothing to lose, so I put it all on the line and did not hold back. I soloed into the finish, almost 3 minutes ahead of 2nd place.

The race course loop (561, 561a, Buckhill Road, and Bruce Hunt Road) is familiar territory for me and I started riding and exploring on these road before the Alaska Trip (2009) even started.

I would like to thank the following sponsors-supporters and my parents for aiding me in my cycling mission and success:

1. Compass Research

2. Ken LaRoe-First Green Bank

3. BikeRay USA

4. Murray Wilmerding/ pHit Pills

5. Gold's Gym

6. As-Master

7. Ryder’s sunglasses

8. Aloe Up Sunscreen

9. Retro City Cycles  

        October 27, 2012:

       Won the 56-mile U-23/ 19-34 age group Florida State Road Race Championships today in windy (20-30mph) conditions. Derek Schanze and I bridged up to Efren Ortega who had attacked to get away solo. Our 3 man break came down to the final kilometer. I was smart and used the wind and aerodynamics to my advantage and attacked 500 meters from the finish at the last turn to ride to victory.

    October 7, 2012:

         Today I won the Pro-1-2 Florida State Time Trial Championships and posted the fastest overall time of the day with a 52:09 in the 40 Kilometer Time Trial. Time trialing is my specialty as I know it takes a full honest effort, mental toughness, patience, and ultimately the winner should be the one who can suffer the most. Conditions were a little warm about 85 degrees and the wind was about 5mph from the Northwest. I set out at a 30mph pace and got to the halfway point in about 25:00. On the return ride, there was a light headwind and a little bit rougher surface. With my sights set on holding the 30mph average and ultimately breaking 50 minutes for the race, the average speed slowly dropped to 29.0mph. I passed 3 people throughout the race and told myself to stay focused as you can still win and have a new personal best time. I finished in 52:09, averaging about 29.0mph for the 40 Kilometer race. Concluding this race I accomplished the following:

• Won the Pro-1-2 State Championship

• Won Cat 5 in 2010 (57:39), Cat 3 in 2011 (53:13), and Cat 1 in 2012 (52:09)

• Took 1:14 off last years 40 kilometer time of 53:13 as Cat 3 State Champion.

• Further extended the U-23 40 kilometer Florida State Record.

• Posted the fastest time of the day overall.

• Set the goal to goal further to break the 50 minute barrier and hold and average speed of 30mph for the 40km race.

    July 23, 2012:

           June 21st, 2012:

            Finished 6 out of 75 in the U-23 National TT. 18.47 miles. 29.6 miles mph avg. 1266 ft of climbing. Hilarious watching Uncle Danny ride on the course and then pass him before he rolled through the finish line. Felt Strong on the P4 thanks to Ken LaRoe and First Green Bank. Hungry to drop more time, less than 20 seconds separating places 3-6!! Also thanks to Compass Research, BikeRay USA, Murray Wilmerding and pHit Pills for coming down from Connecticut.

Top 10 Results for USA U-23 National Time Trial Championships:

1 173.15 Evan Huffman Elk Grove, CA 36:40.735 256955 31 California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized/California Giant Cycling
2 178.68 G Lawson Craddock Austin, TX 36:57.660 194685 18 UCI CT: Bontrager LIVESTRONG Team
3 184.21 Nathan Brown Covington, TN 37:15.002 188123 13 UCI CT: Bontrager LIVESTRONG Team
4 189.74 Lawrence Warbasse Traverse City, MI 37:17.970 215167 71 UCI CT: BMC/Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
5 195.27 Eamon Franck Fremont, CA 37:27.148 286608 26 California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized/California Giant Cycling
6 200.80 Steven Perezluha Longwood, FL 37:34.192 311519 52 
7 206.33 Adam Leibovitz Indianapolis, IN 37:41.257 221190 37 UCI CT: Chipotle-First Solar Development Team
8 211.86 Ricky Gargiulo Summit, NJ 37:47.398 231560 27 Champion System p/b Stan's NoTubes/Century Road Club Assoc
9 217.39 Anders Newbury Fairfield, VT 37:54.908 237769 46 UCI CT: Chipotle-First Solar Development Team
10 222.92 Connor McCutcheon Bigbearlake, CA 37:59.858 279388 43 Team Simple Green/Bike Religion/Cycles Veloce

Full Results at:
http://www.usacycling.org/results/?year=2012&id=20&info_id=50184

             June 2nd, 2012:

        Today I won the Pro-1-2-3 10+ mile Connecticut State Time Trial in a time of 22:21.6 beating 2nd place by 21 seconds! The race took place around 8:30am on a course that was rain soaked with rolling terrain. 

May 28th, 2012:

After a trip from Florida to Connecticut including a ride on the U-23 National Road Race course near Augusta, GA followed by the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, Murray Wilmerding and I were on our way to Killington, Vermont. Murray founder of pHit Pills, aka Extreme Endurance was my biggest fan for the weekend races ahead. Saturday, May 26th was a 72-mile Circuit Race. Racing in the Cat 2's, I played it cool for the first 65 miles, just missing a crash on the final 15% grade downhill onto Vermont State Road 100. With 4 miles out, I attacked and stayed away for a 15 second 1st place victory. The next day was an 11-mile Time Trial. I was the last Cat 2 racer to go off in 30 second intervals and passed 6 guys before the finish line and won by 23 seconds. My time of 23:35was the 3rd fastest overall (600+ racers) with Pro Tim Mitchell posting the fastest time (23:19) and 50+ Brian Batke posting the 2nd fastest (23:30). 

        The final day was a short 60-mile road race with a mountain top finish. Perhaps over anticipated and over hydrated, the pack stayed together with a few tiny breaks unsuccessfully getting away. The final 5-miles was a steep 8-20% grade climb which broke the peleton apart. I stayed towards the front and got off in a group with some leaders. Avoiding the King of the Mountain at the top of the first climb, a group opened up a gap and held off to the finish. I ended up 14th overall 1:36 behind 1st place. I finished 2nd in the GC, with my finishing time of 6:28:11 just 3 seconds behind 1st place. Nevertheless, I successfully concluded my 1st Stage Race without crashes which was a big confidence builder. Being a lone wolf (without a team) and not knowing anybody, I am proud of the results. 

March 3rd, 2012:

Won my first Pro-1-2 race today in a 7-mile time trial with a time of 14:11. The race took place on Lake Baffum Road near Fort Meade, Florida after a 70-mile road race in a omnium series known as the "Chain of Lakes Cycling Classic".

December 31st, 2011   

An amazing year came to a close and so I reflect as my ankle heals up from an injury last week which plagued me of my goal to bike down and explore more of the Everglades. With the rest I know that I have time to reflect on the year and also think about what lays ahead in life. So many amazing memories and experiences happened this year for me. Like my Uncle, I am proud to say I recorded these in a journal. That way I can look back to every single day of the year to see what I did, how many miles I rode on my bicycle, feelings for the day, quotations, thoughts, mood, and insights. One of my biggest goals is to turn my journals and many experiences I have had in life into a book. Still to this day I will never forget the memories of a lifetime on the journey to Alaska and back with Uncle Danny.

79,214 miles conquered on my bicycle in the past 3 years. 2009: 27,560 miles. 2010: 30,726 miles. 2011: 20,928 miles. This year was the lowest mileage year including extra recovery, more racing, and unexpected injuries. Still 2011 has some of the most amazing experiences of my life. At the same time there have been a number of close friends and family members that have left me this year. These people will not have the chance to come back to life but before they did pass, I took a little bit of them that will remain with me forever. I will not soon forget the positive impact many have had on me since the time I graduated high school. The kindness of strangers makes a day on the verge of disaster all of the sudden good again in a matter of hours. I have learned to be patient and take each day as it comes for I never know what lies down the road ahead of me. I must be grateful of all the positive relationships I have had and build on those that believe in me. As for those that do not work out or turn negative, I must keep moving along and learned for any mistakes. My uncle and I have learned so much about each other and have transformed from friends to companions over the past three years. It’s more than my Uncle that I must thank for being there for me, but it goes out to my sponsors and all of you central Florida cyclists that have at one time offered my advice or insight. With the miles and people behind me, the sky will be my limit. Thanks again to all that supported me on my Race Across America this year. 2012: You’re just a number like 2011, but just wait and see of the many more amazing experiences that will come in the next 365 days. Many people have come and gone in my life and I have learned something from every single person, no one is forgotten.

I am proud to say I have not consumed a single animal for the past 4 weeks. I have turned into a vegetarian again and still one of my biggest goals in life is to stop mass-slaughtering animal abuse, save endangered species as possible, protect the environment, and influence future generations. I have a long life ahead and must take advantage of every day of life and live each day as it comes; keeping my biggest goals and dreams inside my flesh. I wish the best for everybody in their goals for the future, and for those that never get out and explore much, consider these words from on of my biggest inspirations from Into the Wild: this is why I love riding my bicycle across the country: Goals are out there waiting to be conquered we must reach out and grab them!!!!!!!

 “The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty” –Christopher McCandless

November 26th, 2011    

  I raced in my first "Dirty Dozen" bike race held in Pittsburgh, PA originally created my my Uncle Danny Chew. Uncle Danny had a record number of riders enter this year with well over 300. The race originally started with Uncle Danny and his brother Tom Chew back in the early 1980s. The race consists of racing up 13 of Pittsburgh's steepest hills ranging from 20-37% grade. Each of the 13 hills is a race to the top, most of which start for the bottom. The racers race neutral and casually ride in between the hills. I came in 4th place this year with a total of 68 points, winning the 12th hill and coming in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place on 6 of the other hills. Being my first time racing, I did not position myself well on 3 of the hills and did not score any points and came in 6th and 7th place on the other 3 hills. Nevertheless, the Dirty Dozen was a great experience testing myself against the defending champion Stephen Cummings shown here in the picture above. Below is a link to the Dirty Dozen on my Uncle Danny Chew's website:

http://www.dannychew.com/dd_11.html

November 1st, 2011  

I had a successful racing weekend this past weekend at the Florida State Road Race Championships in Ferndale , FL. On Sunday I won the 56-mile Category 3 State Road Race. I had to be very patient and had some unfinished business to unleash after getting 2nd in the 19-23 and 6th in the combined 19-34 group. In that race I attacked 3-4 times and on the 4th time, soloed it to the final road and got caught. After getting 8th place last year in the Cat 4 state road race by making the same mistake, I was out today to unleash my attack at the right time. I waited to the last lap and right after the demolished break away got caught I attacked on Bruce Hunt Road, the place where everyone seemed to by falling apart into a headwind and uphill. I attacked hard and soloed it 6.5 miles to the finish winning by 1 minute and 7 seconds. Not to get caught this time... 

October 16th, 2011    

I just won the Brooksville Road Race for Cat 3 and came in 4th overall with the Pro-1-2 racers. 

On October 8th, 2011 I won the Category 3 Florida State Time Trial with a time of 53:13. The time was the 6th fastest of the day and 4 minutes and 26 seconds faster than my last years time. This year I rode on my Quintana Roo time trial bike while last year I had a regular road bike with aero bars. 

September 27th, 2011

        I am now recovering from a crash on September 21st. During the recovery after the crash I have pondered upon topics and ideas for writing a book on my cross-country adventures. The crash left me with the worst road rash I have ever had in my life.

        I reminded myself that a very important aspect of cycling and anything euphoric in life is that pushing through the pain and discomfort will make what comes out on the other side that much more rewarding and gratifying. I tell myself to be patient and recover, you will ultimately come out stronger than before. I have pushed through all of the hardest times and adversity with the mentality to leave no regrets for I do not want to look back years from now and think about what I could have done.

        So many amazing memories came alive on my cross-country trips and often they came after I had to overcome an obstacle and potential trip ending incident. This includes my crash on the Alaska trip going down an 8% descent for 7 miles. I was 6,000 miles away from home. I was uneasy, I was fearful my body was damaged and I could not continue on, I was weakened. Why don't you take the secure way out and just end the trip there some asked?  I then reminded myself of my dream, the absolute freedom that a bicycle with a trailer attached to it can bring. I must keep Moving Along. I was not about to end my Alaska Trip of a lifetime over this crash. I had fear instilled in me, but I still had my confidence and the dogged-determination to make it back home to Florida in one piece, on my bicycle.

        Next year was getting hit by a car on my way to Pittsburgh. The easy way out voice in me says to just stop, do not keep going, take the drive home, pack your stuff up, call it quits, end your trip, end your dreams, they can wait; California can wait, it will always be there, listen to your secure friends; listen to the doctor that says you should not keep going, maybe next year.

        But no not me, I block these thoughts out. I let the determined, rebellious, stubborn, and never-quitting Steven come out inside me and tell myself to keep moving along. I want to live, I continue to forge on, for I do not want live with the regret of not knowing what memories could have come if I would have kept on going. Pushing through my struggles reminds me to always treat everyday like it may be the last and to cherish every moment and do not waste a second of life. I tell myself to never put my dreams on hold because I never know where they might lead and also never know what could happen tomorrow; I must never waste time. After recovering from getting hit by an S.U.V. I slowly, uncomfortably, and with much patience, continued on my journey to California and no regrets. I kept telling myself that the triumph of completing this cross-country journey will be a memory of a lifetime. Not just any old trip but the 7,737 California trip of a Lifetime.

!NEW!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Foreverwild58

Check out my Youtube Channel (Foreverwild58) including videos from my Cross-Country Cycling Adventures and more:

• Florida to Alaska and Back (2009)

• South Florida, The Everglades, and Key West (2009-2010)

• Florida to California and Back (2010)

• Solo Race Across America (2011)

• Florida to Ohio and Back (2011)

• Danny Chew Interview's

• BikeRayUSA

• The All-American Rejects Concert

• Much More!

Visit the Race Across America page for a summary of my Race Across America including day by day journal entries including pre and post RAAM activities.