7 Questions with Will Gleason of CS Velo
We are starting a new feature with the goal of getting more fans to know more bike racers on a human level. Here on “7 Questions With…” we will feature a variety of athletes from across criterium racing and introduce you to them in an all new way. We are starting with Will Gleason of CS Velo, the 29-year old who now resides in Baltimore, MD. In his time on the team, Will has been the consummate role player for the men in pink. He has been there supporting his team’s sprinter Andrew Giniat and the team’s GC superstars like Sean Gardner and Xander White. And his efforts have been well rewarded with solid results for the team in 2022.
We posed 7 questions to Will and now let’s see his answers
Criterium Nation: What is it like being the father to not-very-small bulldogs?
Will Gleason: Coming in with the hard-hitting questions first I see. I met my partner Jackie when she needed someone to watch her English bulldogs. Little did I know I would one day share a house with those three monsters, Bronson, Stella, and Ruby. They are both a blessing and a curse. Always excited to see you come home, lick the sweat off your legs after rides, and lounge on the couch with you for hours on the days you totally crack yourself. They also steal pillows, bark incessantly when you don’t give them attention, and snore like someone with a deviated septum. For all the craziness, they are still my best buds.
CN: This year you won the Black Hill circuit race and finished on the podium at Flower Mart and Carl Dolan. All of those races feature punchy uphill finishes. Why do you think that this type of racing fits you so well?
WG: While those races all include punchy finishes, none of those results came in an uphill bunch kick. Black Hills was a solo attack with 10k to go, Flower Mart was a move up the road with Scott McGill in monsoon conditions, and Carol Dolan was a breakaway that was off the front for half the race only to get caught literally on the line. All that’s to say, it’s not punchy uphill finishes that suit me, but rather challenging courses that encourage dynamic racing and create opportunities for breakaways to succeed. I love the tactics of aggressive bike racing and have the power profile to roll the dice off the front of a race. Strung out, four corner crits that end in a sprint are fine, but you can’t deny that tense races with constant lead changes and multiple possible outcomes are more exciting. It’s just fun racing and I always race better when I’m having fun.
CN: What is it about bike racing that you love so much that you not only race; but also work within the industry as a sales rep for Cannondale?
WG: It goes beyond bike racing; I genuinely love all types of bike riding and the impact cycling can have. Whether it’s a kid finding independence riding to school, someone using the bike to get fit, or a racer finding a community in the sport, I believe that bikes can change lives. I’ve seen firsthand that cycling is a powerful tool for good and I want to spread that stoke. Bike racing gave me direction, provided me an outlet for emotional stress, and helped me make lifelong relationships. I am just lucky to be able to turn that passion into a career.
CN: What was your biggest result of 2022, and why was it beating me in a sprint at Harlem?
WG: Bike throwing against your friends in low stake situations is always funny to me. I had done my leadout duty and was going to roll across the line, but when I saw you next to me with 50 meters to go, I just couldn’t help it. Not sure I can count that 44th place as my best result though.
Rather than one result, I am most proud of the way CS Velo stepped up as a team this year and how I contributed to that. In 2022 we really put some pieces together as a team and figured out how to race as a unit. We rode with clear objectives at each race (thanks Tanner) and each of us was willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. It fostered an environment of trust and dedication that had us at the front of some of the biggest races in the US, including a GC win at Gila and 2nd at Redlands.
CN: The “CS” in CS Velo stands for “combined strength” and is an homage to the team’s founder Luke Bunting who believed that we are stronger as a group than individually. Guys on the team list people in their bios for whom they dedicate their efforts. Your bio says “coming soon.” Can you tell us who motivates you to be your best on and off the bike?
WG: I’ve struggled to answer that question for years which is probably why it still says “coming soon” on the team site (sorry Meredith). For the longest time my motivation was purely internal. The demons can’t get you if you’re doing threshold efforts, so cycling has always been my outlet and happy place when life got crazy. That’s the case for most endurance athletes though and I’ve come to realize that we are better off if we support each other in our weird endeavor to find peace through physical suffering.
That’s the power of Combined Strength for me. A group of people lifting each other up on and off the bike so they can be happier, healthier overall. Not just better bike racers. So now I’m motivated by the desire to foster that community in my team and the racing community at large. I want to help CS Velo grow so they can offer larger opportunities to more racers. I also want to spread that spirit of camaraderie across teams. We can be adversaries on the bike, but I think we are all better off if we can sit down at the coffee shop together as well. We are all part of the same traveling circus, chasing the same objectives, so why not build a more connected, sustainable community that works together and raises everyone up.
CN: What is the best part of the holiday season for you?
WG: It’s a cliché, bitter take but I’m not a fan of the holidays. I find them cumbersome and unnecessarily pressure filled. I’d take a random weekend seeing friends and family over a formal holiday occasion. That said, I love pie.
CN: Have you ever missed a turn in a race, maybe as a 12 year old?
WG: My first ever bike race was the Groveport, Ohio TT at 12 years old. I had been doing group rides with a local junior team for about a month and figured a TT would be a chill way to ease into bike racing. I was the first rider to start that morning and rolled out at 8am. There was a right turn less than 1 mile into the course but the corner marshal was late and I pedaled right past, completely oblivious. I was so focused on going as fast as I could that I just kept pedaling, thinking I would see a marshal eventually. I didn’t have a computer, so I didn’t have a concept of time or distance, but started to freak out once I realized I hadn’t seen another rider. I eventually turned around thinking I was off course only to have a police car come by a few minutes later. He informed me I had ridden 20 miles in the wrong direction and many people were out looking for me. He gave me a ride back to the start in his squad car and even offered to handcuff me as a joke. I politely declined. My parents were understandably freaked out and I remember my dad saying, “maybe let’s go back to swimming, you can’t get lost in a pool.” I signed up for another race the next weekend.