Eddy Gragus - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Eddy Gragus is a former professional cyclist. In 1994 he won the Tour of Yugoslavia as an amateur. In 1996 he won the USPRO National Road Race Championships, and a stage on the Tour of China. In 1999 he won the USPRO Saturn Tour. He raced professionally for the Montgomery Bell Professional Cycling Team and U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team among others.

Amateur Cycling career

Eddy began racing bicycles during his senior year in high school in Tampa, Florida. In 1991, aged 22, he moved to France and raced as an elite amateur throughout Europe. In 1994 he won the Tour of Yugoslavia.

Professional career

Eddy turned professional in 1995 with the Montgomery Bell Professional Cycling Team under his formative coach, Eddie Borysewicz

Eddie Borysewicz

Edward 'Eddie B' Borysewicz is a cycling coach who brought the United States to world prominence, even though at first he barely spoke English. The US team, under his direction, won nine medals at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984...

. In his first year as a professional he won the second stage of the Tour of Poland, holding the leaders jersey until the penultimate stage when a crash left him 10th on the GC. In 1996 the team changed title sponsors and became the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, which subsequently became known as the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team

Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team

Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team was a United States-based professional road bicycle racing team. It was the continuation of the 2004 U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner, was its leader until July 2005...

. In his second year as a professional Eddy won the biggest one day event on the US Professional calendar, the USPRO National Road Race Championships in Philadelphia, PA. He also won a stage on the Tour of China. Outside Magazine Online ran daily journal entries from Eddy's first grand tour, the 1997 Vuelta a España

Vuelta a España

The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

- (See below).

Eddy raced for US Postal for 1997 and went on to race for several other Professional teams such as Oil-Me, Ikon-Lexus, Jelly Belly

Jelly Belly

The Jelly Belly Candy, or simply Jelly Belly, is the maker of The Jelly Belly and other candy, formerly known as The Herman Goelitz Candy Company...

and Sierra Nevada. In 1999 he won the USPRO Saturn Tour.

In 2003 he won the Descente Boulder Criterium with the Trek-VW team.

Palmares

1995

1st TT Stage Tour of Poland
KOM CoreState USPRO Road Championship (100 mile solo breakaway)
10th Tour of Poland (held leaders jersey for six stages)

1996

1st CoreState US Pro Championship
KOM Thrift Drug Classic
4th CoreState Trenton Classic

1997

KOM Circuit de la Sarthe (France)
1st Stage Redlands Classic

1998

4th(x2) Stage Tour de Lankawi

1999

1st Saturn USPRO Tour
1st Stage Fitchburg Longjo Stage Race
2nd GC Fitchburg Longjo Stage Race
2nd First Union Trenton CLassic
Member of US World Championship National Team (Verona, Italy)

2000

2nd GC Sea Otter Classic Stage Race

Personal life

Since retirement Eddy has married and become a Corporate Tax Analyst and resides in Colorado.

External links

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