Hometown: Kirkland, Wash.
Date of Birth: 4-20-78
Notes:
Jennie Reed had a heck of a debut in track racing. Her first ever track race was the 1994 U.S. junior nationals, when she was 16. She won titles in two events. And Jennie hasn't let up since then, piling up victories on the national and international levels. But after a disappointing Olympic performance in 2004, finishing 10th out of 12th and a career that seemed like it had plateaued, Jennie was almost ready to quit.
"I thought I had already reached my potential in the sport," Jennie told her hometown paper, the Seattle Times, in a recent interview. "I was consistently medaling in the keirin [not an Olympic event for women] at the World Cup level. My sprint level was just average. I didn't really see myself breaking into the top four at the time."
But a change of coaching and a change in focus, training for long-distance endurance events, rather than the sprints that had been her specialty, rejuvenated Reed. With this fresh start, she has really improved, and in 2008 recorded her best season so far, winning two medals and a world title at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in March.
Jennie trains in Long Beach, California and lives in a house with several teammates from Momentum Cycling, including fellow Olympians Adam Duvendeck (USA) and Josiah Ng (Malaysia). She is coached by Andy Sparks, who is the coach and fiance of fellow U.S. Olympic track rider Sarah Hammer.
Career Highlights:
- 2008 World Champion, Keirin
- 12-time USA Cycling National Champion
- 1st place – 2008 UCI Track World Cup, Keirin
- 1st place – 2007 Pan American Championships, Keirin
- 1st place – 2004 UCI Track World Cup, Keirin
- 2nd place – 2008 UCI Track World Cup, Sprint
- 2nd place – 2008 UCI Track World Cup, Keirin
- 2nd place – 2007 Pan American Championships, Sprint
- 2nd place – 2007 UCI Track World Cup, Keirin
