After many struggles, Jordan Cheyne looks ahead to the Tour de Beauce

“I was shirtless, balancing my computer on a towel on the way to the shower. That was when I found out that I had achieved the biggest result of my career,” said Jordan Cheyne. He was referring to his second-place finish in the uphill time trial at the Joe Martin Stage Race in April. He’d been waiting for hours to find out his result . He expected a good ride but wasn’t sure given the roller-coaster results he has achieved racing in USA Cycling’s NRC in the past. Race officials posted the day’s rankings long after his effort. Cheyne was not even on the organizer’s radar prior to the event, which led to his early start time. The result was much more than a fluke. It was rather the culmination of years of effort for Cheyne, who is a cyclist with a distinct build and one who has ridden with flashes of brilliance since 2010. In the past two seasons, the flashes have become more sustained. He has consistently tallied some notable results, including a win atop the Appalachian Gap at the Green Mountain Stage Race last year.

Cheyne’s ability to time trial first came to the fore at the 2010 national time trial championships in Devon, Alta. He placed third in the under-23 men’s race behind two riders who now race in the WorldTour: Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin, who were first and second, respectively.

Since 2010, Cheyne has had myriad health issues and anything but an easy road. Gluten intolerance, hormone deficiencies and chronic fatigue are a few ailments he has endured. “I really thought if I just trained more, ate less and showed up at races, I would just fall into becoming a pro,” said Cheyne. “Instead, my gastrointestinal problems got terrible and I got wacked with chronic fatigue. I tried to get back to racing too soon, despite winning the Ontario time trial championships in 2011.” Following the time trial, Cheyne’s thyroid started to trouble him. Cheyne gained 30 lb. during the winter without explanation. When he started the 2012 season, it was forced and perhaps detrimental. “Honestly, 2012 was just a bad idea overall: my body wasn’t ready and I just forced it to do what I wanted,” said Cheyne.

Then came the winter of 2012 and 2013. Cheyne opted to get serious about his recovery. His focus was rehabilitating his body, improving his nutrition and overall balance of life. Cheyne was also getting a degree from the University of British Columbia in human kinetics, majoring in nutrition and sports psychology. “I really got serious about rehabbing my body and I committed to more sleep, better food, zero gluten or dairy and taking more rest when I needed,” said Cheyne. He moved in with his girlfriend, started a freelance coaching business and his progression has been steady ever since.

Cheyne heads into the upcoming Tour de Beauce having raced for no less than four teams this year. His a full-time team, Russ Hays/Accent Inns pb ScotiaBank doesn’t race the full NRC circuit, thus he is chasing the top races in North America by means of guest riding. This week he’ll wear the red, yellow and blue jersey of the Ride with Rendall squad. With a hilly parcours, a 20-km time trial, the Tour de Beauce could be a race where Cheyne gets his next big result.