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By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times / Boscobel Dial
Michael Lambert, Cycling, Platteville
LA CRESCENT, Minn. — Platteville’s Michael Lambert won his second USA Cycling national championship two weekends ago.
The UW–Platteville lecturer and 2006 graduate of Platteville High School raced his way to the men’s 35–39 age group national championship on gravel Saturday, Sept. 20.
Lambert, now 37, won his first national title at the 2024 USA Cycling Master’s National Championship Road Race in Augusta, Ga. last July.
Lambert finished first out of 34 riders in his age category on the hilly 99.8-mile course which began and finished in La Crescent, Minn. with a time of 4 hours, 49 minutes and 11 seconds, more than two minutes faster than runner-up Alex Tennelshof (4:51:15).
“Gravel racing is a bit different than the road racing discipline that I’m most accustomed to,” said Lambert. “I planned the second half of this season to be more gravel oriented, and had a rough start in the first two events — the Core4 in Iowa City and Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Neb. — racing in the pro fields. As time went on, and my training improved, I felt pretty confident going into the national race in La Crescent.”
Lambert prepared for his national championship race by riding most of the course prior to the official race.
“I had a chance to pre-ride a majority of the course,” said Lambert. “All of the age groups started the race together, so our field size was in the hundreds — all men and women 19–50-year-old, plus the single speed riders started together. This made it a little difficult to actually see and know who you were racing against, so my plan was just to try and win outright among everyone in our field.
“The first of eight major climbs separated our group down to around 30 riders, and the leading group just got smaller and smaller as the race went on. It’s more of a race of attrition than race tactics up to a certain point.”
“Around mile 74 there was a muddy singletrack section that determined the final selection, and I was on the back foot chasing the leaders,” added Lambert. “Luckily, there were no riders in my age group up the road, but I still managed to claw my way back to the front of the race. The final climbs really decided the race, and the final kilometer had a very technical dirt trail that left me and one other rider in the final sprint on the paved finishing straight. I ended up coming around him in the final few hundred meters and won my age group by around two minutes.”
By virtue of his most recent win, Lambert has qualified to race in the Gravel Cycling World Championships in Zuid Limburg, Netherlands on Oct. 12.
“This will be my first time racing a world championship race in any discipline, so I’m really excited,” said Lambert. “Just being there is already a dream come true, and I’m super grateful to my team, Velovit Elite, for supporting me on this journey.
“I couldn’t do it without them, and so I’m thankful to be a part of their program. Winning a world championship would be incredible, and that’s the goal.”
No matter the outcome of next week’s race, Lambert will continue putting in the hours of practice to compete in the sports he loves.
“I think one of the things that keeps me coming back for more is that it’s an endless pursuit,” said Lambert. “There are always ways to improve your training, nutrition, recovery, and so on. It’s like a puzzle in a lot of ways, and I guess I like the problem-solving aspect of the races, themselves, too. Winning big bike races is super challenging, so it’s meaningful when things go right.”
