INSIGHT Magazine April Issue | Page 74

Meet TIM SAVRE Project Echelon Tim Savre says he’s looking forward to coming back to the Alabama Cycling Classic. Savre, who specializes in “punchy road races,” has been cycling for five years, and competed in the Sunny King Criterium in 2016. Savre, USA; along with Cory Lockwood, USA; Ricky Arnopol, USA; Austin Gomes, USA; Wesley Phipson, South Africa; and Lionel Mawditt, Australia will represent Project Echelon Racing at both the Sunny King Criterium and Piedmont Road Race. Evan Hartig, USA; Stephen Wagstaff, USA; and Ryan Boyle, USA round out the Project Echelon Domestic Elite Cycling Team. Savre started a collegiate cycling program at University of St. Thomas, where he was attending school in Minnesota. “It went well so I kind of just kept going with it,” he says. “And then for the last three or fours years now I’ve been traveling the country doing all of the pro races which would include Sunny King.” “I thought it was very well run and I know we’re all excited to come back and be there again,” Savre says. “Everybody in the town is super welcoming, and they all came out to the race so it was really cool.” Savre has been riding with Project Echelon Racing since the team was formed. He says the program gives him quite a bit of opportunities to give back. “We take a lot of resources to fund a cycling team. It takes a pretty big budget, a lot of outside help from others to allow us to do what we do,” Savre says. “So being able to give back a little bit I think is a very important thing and something that I’m more than happy to do, considering all the help I’ve received over the years from corporations and sponsors.” Savre was an athlete in high school but he didn’t start cycling until after he attended a race that his brother-in-law was competing in. “My sister actually married a professional cyclist,” he says. “And I went to one of his races and I was like ‘This is pretty cool.’ ” “It’s pretty common before races we’ll go visit the local elementary school and do some bike safety training with them,” Savre says. Being a part of Project Echelon Racing also opens the door for cyclists on the team to mentor veterans sponsored by the non-profit, Project Echelon. “I actually