
Steve Larsen
2016 Inductee: Off-Road Competitor
Biography
Steve Larsen is the only American to have ridden in the world championships in 5 different cycling disciplines (road, mountain bike, track, triathlon and cyclo-cross). Steve started cycling at 13 while growing up in Davis, CA and went on to become a world class competitor in road racing, mountain biking, cyclo-cross, XTERRA and triathlons.
He won bronze in his first cyclo-cross in 1986 at the first Jr. National Championships in Santa Cruz, CA. Larsen competed in road racing with the junior national team program in Europe before moving up to the Amateur World Championships with the U.S. team.
He went on to compete on the road as a member of the Motorola Professional team in 1993 and ’94. Transitioning to mountain bike racing, he won the NORBA National Cross-Country Mountain Bike Champion title in 1998 and again in 2000. Steve also competed in triathlons and finished 9th overall in the 2001 Ironman in Hawaii.
He retired from racing in 2003. For a while, Steve owned and operated the Wheelworks bicycle shop in Davis while supporting the local Mad Cows triathlon racing team. He was known for his friendly support of anyone who biked, from novices to professionals.
Steve and his family relocated to Bend, OR where he started a successful real estate firm. Steve passed away unexpectedly in 2009 at the age of 39. A permanent artistic arch entitled “Spirit Rider” was erected in his memory in 2013 at Davis Senior High School.
1991 Pan American Games, Team Time Trial, 2nd
1999 Pan American Games, Mountain Bike Cross Country, 1st
1997 NORBA National Championship Series – Cross Country, Overall, 1st
1998 NORBA National Championship Series – Cross Country, Overall, 2nd
1999 NORBA National Championship Series – Cross Country, Overall, 1st
2000 NORBA National Championship Series – Cross Country, Overall, 1st
1997 NORBA National Championship #2 – Cross Country, 1st
1997 NORBA National Championship #3 – Cross Country, 1st
1997 NORBA National Championship #4 – Cross Country, 2nd
1997 Sea Otter Classic – Cross Country, 1st
1998 NORBA National Championship Series, MN – Cross Country, 1st
1998 NORBA National Championship Series, PA – Cross Country, 1st
1997 AMBC Western Mountain Bike Finals, 1st
1999 NORBA National Championship Series, Mammoth, CA – Cross Country, 2nd
1999 NORBA National Championship Series, Red Wing, MN – Cross Country, 1st
1999 NORBA National Championship Series, Seven Springs, PA – Cross Country, 2nd
1999 NORBA National Championship Series, Big Bear, CA – Cross Country, 2nd
2000 NORBA National Championship Series, Mammoth Mountain, CA – Cross Country, 1st
2000 NORBA National Championship Series, Crystal Mountain, WA – Cross Country, 1st
2000 NORBA National Championship Series, Deer Valley, UT – Cross Country, 1st
1989 National Road Team Member (Team USA)
1989 National (Road) Prestige Classic Series, Overall, 5th
1989 California State Champion
1990 National Amateur Road Championships, 5th
1991 National Amateur Road Championships, 2nd
1993-1994 Rode for the Motorola Team on the road
1997 Tour of Willamette Stage Race, Overall, 1st
2000 Cascade Classic Stage Race – Overall, 2nd