Courtesy photo
Danny Kam is starting his second season of full-time bicycle racing. Last year, he won 12 event sponsored by the Southern California/Nevada Racing Association.
Friday, Feb. 6, 2009 | midnight
Danny Kam, center, is starting his second season of full-time bicycle racing. Last year, he won 12 event sponsored by the Southern California/Nevada Racing Association.
Danny Kam is full of energy.
He channels most of that to running his bike shop, Nu Vision Cyclery, 8447 W. Lake Mead Boulevard. Other times he is using it to propel him to success as a racer.
Kam, 30, is just starting his second season of full-time bicycle racing, and if last year is any indicator of success, he'll be garnering a lot of attention. He won 12 of 22 Southern California/Nevada Racing Association events he entered in 2008.
The one he enjoyed the most was the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix on June 28. It's a race he hopes to repeat as champion.
"Going back-to-back would be awesome and I want to do well at (USA Cycling's) Superweeks. Last year I didn't do so well," he said.
After his rookie year success, several teams courted Kam, but he eventually decided to join Team Bearclaw, which is based out of California
"Danny had a tremendous year and we feel he's going to be a great asset for this team. He's a strong sprinter and this is going to be a fun year," teammate said Jason Lowetz.
Kam has never raced with a team before and is looking forward to that change this season. There are six other members of the team.
"It's going to be interesting. We'll be working together in areas we're not good at. I think it's going to be fun to do," he said.
Kam turned to riding while a freshman at Napa Valley College in Napa, Calif. He was on the school's wrestling team when a knee injury got him involved with cycling.
"I used those stationary bikes and it got me intrigued in biking," he said.
After a year at Napa Valley, he transferred to UNLV and eventually graduated in sports medicine. He opened Nu Vision in 2002, but he was not until encouraged by other bikers that he started competing.
"My peers kept telling me I only had a couple of good years left racing and they just kept pushing me," Kam said. "I took it to heart and started training."
Kam began training in January. Two months later he had his first victory in just his third competition of the year. He won two of three stages at the San Dimas Stage Race on March 28 to 30.
"I did not expect anything like that. Every race I want to scrap my way to the front," he said. "I believe I can win every time."
Brent Hinckley can be reached at 990-7822 or [email protected].
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