ALEX FORTE HOWELL

I often tell people, in jest, that I am a “recovering” distance runner: distance runner turned triathlete turned cyclist.  Throughout high school and college, I competed in cross-country and track & field. However, while living and working abroad in Japan after graduation, I became injured while training for a marathon and turned to cycling (along with swimming) as cross-training during recovery.  That was over 10 years ago and I haven't looked back since. The following year, upon returning to the United States for graduate school (to obtain my Master’s Degree in English Education), I started competing in triathlons before switching to road cycling and later cyclocross.

 

As a collegiate All-American Cross-Country/Track athlete and later elite triathlete and cyclist, I have experience with high-level competition and am familiar with racing at the national and international levels.  During my triathlon days, I competed in the 2008 and 2009 USA Triathlon Age-Group National Championships (finishing top 15 in my age-group and receiving "All-American" status) and the 2009 ITU World Triathlon Championships in Australia (as well as qualified for the 2010 ITU World Triathlon Championships in Hungary). At the end of 2009, I made the switch to road cycling and then discovered cyclocross a few years later

 

Thus far, I have competed in 5 USAC National CX Championships:

• 2015 - Austin, Texas (7th place Women’s Category 4)

• 2016- Asheville, North Carolina (10th place Women’s Open, 7th place Industry Women

• 2017 - Hartford, Connecticut (2nd place Industry Women and Masters 35-39, 4th place Women's Open

• 2018- Reno, Nevada (1st place Industry Women and 2nd place Masters Women 35-39)

• 2019 - Louisville, KY (Masters Women 35-39 and UCI Elite Women's Championship)

 

My goals for the 2019 cyclocross season are to compete in UCI Pro/Elite races, as well as participate once again in the USAC Cyclocross National Championships in Tacoma, WA. In addition, I am looking forward to becoming more involved in women’s cycling by hosting and assisting with clinics/camps in the MidAtlantic Region with the goal of bringing more women to the sport. As an elite athlete, I believe that it is important to be both a positive role-model and an engaged ambassador.

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Thank you to my amazing team sponsors for making it all possible:

Vanderkitten, Entourage talent Associates, Surgical Critical Care Associates, HIFI Wheels, HandUp, Lizard Skins Cycling, Smith Optics, Chamois Buttr, Feedback Sports, Crankbrothers, Van Dessel Cycles