Bob Mionske - Cycling Career

Cycling Career

Mionske began bicycle racing as a means to improve his fitness training for ski racing. However, he soon discovered that he was better at bicycle racing, and directed his energies towards bike racing from that point on. He began racing for amateur teams beginning in 1986. By 1987, Mionske was racing for Andy Muzi's Yellow Jersey team. In 1988, he tried out for the U.S. Olympic cycling team; his third-place win in the road racing trials garnered Mionske a spot on the U.S. team. Racing for the United States in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, Mionske came in a close 4th, achieving the same time as the 3rd place winner, but losing the bronze medal by a tire's length. His performance at the 1988 Olympics was the best performance by an American cyclist at a "full-participation" Olympics (that is, an Olympics that had not been subject to a boycott) since 1912. In recognition of his achievement, the United States Cycling Federation honored Mionske by designating him as the U.S. Amateur Cyclist of the Year.

Following the 1988 Olympics, Mionske continued to race as an amateur. In 1990, he was the National Road Race Champion, after winning the U.S. National Championships in Albany, New York. On the heels of that victory, Mionske competed as a member of the United States World Championship Team in the UCI Amateur Road World Championships in Utsonomiya, Japan. In 1991, Mionske competed in the Pan-American Games, held in Havana, Cuba, where he placed 6th in the Men's Individual Road Race as a member of the United States Pan-American Championship Team.

The following year, Mionske again tried out for the Olympic team, once more winning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Cycling Team. However, competing at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Mionske was unable to repeat his 1988 performance. Nevertheless, he and teammate Timm Peddie were able to assist their teammate Lance Armstrong to a 14th-place finish.

In 1993, Mionske became a professional racer when the team he was riding for, Team Saturn, transitioned from an amateur to a professional team. Mionske won 8 races during the 1993 racing season; at the end of the 1993 season, Mionske retired from racing, but continued with Team Saturn as Team Director for the 1994 racing season. Mionske then left racing behind, entering law school at Willamette University College of Law.