Phil Gaimon

Phillip Gaimon (born January 28, 1986) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2016. He is currently part of Jukebox Cycling, a multi-discipline team of six riders.^[1] He began his racing career while attending the University of Florida and competed in collegiate races as part of the University's Cycling Club. As a professional, Gaimon rode for Jelly Belly Cycling Team, Kenda–5-hour Energy, Bissell, Optum–Kelly Benefit Strategies and Cannondale–Drapac. A noted blogger, Gaimon has written for VeloNews;^[2] he formerly posted at Bicycling,^[3] ESPN,^[4] and Sports Illustrated.^[5]

Phil Gaimon

Gaimon at the 2014 Tour of Alberta
Personal information
Full name	Phillip Gaimon
Nickname	Cookie Monster
Born	(1986-01-28) January 28, 1986 (age 38) Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	67 kg (148 lb)
Team information
Current team	Jukebox Cycling
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder/climber
Amateur teams
2005	AG Edwards
2006	VMG Racing
2007	CRCA/Sakonnet Technology U25
2008–2009	Fiordifrutta
2022–	Jukebox Cycling
Professional teams
2009	Jelly Belly Cycling Team
2010–2012	Kenda–Gear Grinder
2013	Bissell
2014	Garmin–Sharp
2015	Optum–Kelly Benefit Strategies
2016	Cannondale
Major wins
Stage races Redlands Bicycle Classic (2012, 2015) One-day races and Classics USA Cycling Hillclimb National Championship (2017)

Career

Gaimon was born in Columbus, Ohio, United States and spent his adolescence in Atlanta.^[6][7] As of 2014^[update], Gaimon resides in Los Angeles, United States.^[6]

Gaimon at the 2014 Tour de San Luis

After five seasons competing domestically with the Jelly Belly Cycling Team, Kenda–Gear Grinder and Bissell teams, Gaimon signed with the Garmin–Sharp squad for the 2014 season.^[8][9][10] Gaimon won his very first race with his new team, stage 1 of the 2014 Tour de San Luis, and managed to hold on throughout the race to finish second overall, behind Nairo Quintana, who claimed the leader's jersey during an individual time trial.^[11] Gaimon went back to the American scene in 2015, riding for Optum–Kelly Benefit Strategies on a one-year contract.^[12] After riding the 2015 season at UCI Continental level, Gaimon announced he would be returning to the World Tour with Cannondale for 2016.^[13] Gaimon announced his retirement at the end of 2016.^[14] In June 2019, while training for the 2020 Olympics in the Team pursuit, Gaimon suffered a serious crash breaking his collarbone, scapula, 5 ribs, and partially collapsing a lung.^[15]

Gaimon began authoring books during his professional career, including Pro Cycling on $10 a Day: From Fat Kid to Euro Pro, which was released in 2014 by VeloPress.^[16] He continued writing in retirement, including 2017's Ask a Pro: Deep Thoughts and Unreliable Advice from America's Foremost Cycling Sage (also published by VeloPress)^[17] and Draft Animals: Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While) released by Penguin Books.^[18] Gaimon also hosts a weekly podcast called The Peloton Brief^[19] and an annual charity event ride in Simi Valley, California called Phil's Cookie Fondo.^[20]

"The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club." Fight Club film 1999. Soap bar logo from movie poster. (above) Cyclist Phil Gaimon's "clean" tattoo (below).

Gaimon is vocal about performing without performance-enhancing drugs, and commissioned a tattoo of a bar of soap with the word "CLEAN" on his right bicep.^[21][22][23] Since retiring from participating in professional event brands,^[24][25][26] Gaimon has generated social media engagement by attempting to beat "king-of-the-mountain" (KOM) records on the digital app Strava. He also has created a video series called "Worst Retirement Ever" of his KOM attempts on YouTube.^{[27][28][29][30]}

In 2022 Gaimon became part of the newly formed Jukebox Cycling team.^[1]

Major results

Sources:^[31][32][33]

2006

8th Overall Tour of the Bahamas

2007

7th Univest Grand Prix

1st Youth classification

2008

1st Mount Washington Hillclimb^[34]

2009

1st Mount Washington Hillclimb^[35]

2010

2nd Overall Tour de Taiwan

2011

6th Overall Tour de Beauce

8th Overall Cascade Cycling Classic

2012

1st Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic

1st Stage 1 (ITT)

4th Overall Cascade Cycling Classic

2013

2nd Overall Tour of the Gila

6th Overall Cascade Cycling Classic

1st Stage 1

2014

2nd Overall Tour de San Luis

1st Stage 1

2015

1st Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic

2017

1st USA Cycling Hill Climb National Championship^[36]

1st Mount Washington Hillclimb^[37]

2022

1st Overall (with new official record of 50:38) Mount Washington Hillclimb^[38]

Bibliography

• Gaimon, Phil (2014). Pro Cycling on $10 a Day: From Fat Kid to Euro Pro. Boulder, Colorado: VeloPress. ISBN 978-1-937715-24-3.
• Gaimon, Phil (2017). Ask a Pro: Deep Thoughts and Unreliable Advice from America's Foremost Cycling Sage. Boulder, Colorado: VeloPress. ISBN 978-1-937715-72-4.
• Gaimon, Phil (2017). Draft Animals: Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While). New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-1431312-4-3.

References

1. Tyson, Jackie (January 1, 2022). "Phil Gaimon heads up new Jukebox Cycling team for 2022". Cycling News. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
2. Phil Gaimon. "The Phil Gaimon Diary". VeloNews. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
3. Phil Gaimon (March 23, 2011). "Living the Dream". Bicycling. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
4. "Gaimon: Talking camp, protests and burritos". ESPN. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
5. Gaimon, Phil. "A cyclist's quest to find America's best cookies". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
6. Neal Rogers (January 21, 2013). "Gaimon's win the culmination of unconventional road to the big show". VeloNews. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
7. Daniel McMahon (June 23, 2013). "Phil Gaimon Interview: The Long Way to Europe and the WorldTour, Garmin, Racing Clean, and Writing a Book". Cycling Reporter. New York City: Daniel McMahon. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
8. Dan Wuori (June 5, 2013). "Gaimon signs with Garmin-Sharp for 2014". VeloNews. San Diego, California. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
9. "Earning Garmin–Sharp contract, Gaimon psyched with chance to race at WorldTour level". VeloNation. June 5, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
10. "Team Garmin-Sharp signs Phil Gaimon for 2014". Garmin–Sharp. Slipstream Sports LLC. June 5, 2013. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
11. James Startt (January 2014). "Nairo Quintana Wins 2014 Tour de San Luis". Bicycling. Rodale, Inc. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
12. Daniel Benson (October 7, 2014). "Q&A: Phil Gaimon signs with Optum Pro Cycling". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
13. "Gaimon returns to Cannondale–Garmin as Ben King extends". October 16, 2015.
14. "Phil Gaimon calls an end to his cycling career | Cyclingnews.com". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
15. "Phil Gaimon Suffers Bad Crash on Velodrome". SoCalCycling.com. June 16, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
16. Gaimon, Phil (May 5, 2014). Pro cycling on $10 a day : from fat kid to Euro pro. Boulder, Colorado. ISBN 9781937716554. OCLC 914190594.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
17. Gaimon, Phil (May 5, 2014). Ask a pro : deep thoughts and unreliable advice from America's foremost cycling sage. Boulder, Colorado. ISBN 9781937716554. OCLC 967457214.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
18. Gaimon, Phil (2017). Draft animals : living the pro cycling dream (once in a while). New York. ISBN 9780143131243. OCLC 981117051.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
19. Gaimon, Phil. "The Peloton Brief". iTunes Store. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
20. Weislo, Laura (October 31, 2016). "Phil Gaimon calls an end to his cycling career". Cycling News. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
21. Delaney, Ben (June 23, 2017). "Ex-pro targets Strava KOMs with funky bike and world-class power". BikeRadar. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
22. "Cycling's Cookie Monster and his Anti-Doping Crusade". Sportshour. BBC. BBC World Service. October 27, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
23. Fight Club, October 15, 1999, retrieved July 23, 2019
24. Lindsey, Joe (March 9, 2015). "UCI: Doping Continues". Bicycling. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
25. Peralta, Eyder (August 2, 2015). "Review Of Leaked Test Results Shows Doping Is Widespread In Track And Field". NPR. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
26. "Leaked IAAF doping files: Wada 'very alarmed' by allegations". August 2, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
27. Tilford, Steve (December 5, 2016). "Phil Gaimon's Strava KOM Cleansing". Steve Tilford. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
28. Collis, Simon (March 30, 2017). "Phil Gaimon's KOM-hunting YouTube makes for fascinating viewing". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
29. "Video: Phil Gaimon's new hobby is collecting Strava KOMs (and he targets those held by a convicted doper)". road.cc. April 1, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
30. Gaimon, Phil. "Phil Gaimon's Worst Retirement Ever". Phil Gaimon. Retrieved March 5, 2018 – via YouTube.
31. "Phillip Gaimon at USA Cycling". USA Cycling. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
32. "Phillip Gaimon at Cycling Archives". Cycling Archives. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
33. "Phillip Gaimon at Cycling Base". Cycling Base. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
34. "Phillip Gaimon wins Mount Washington Hillclimb". VeloNews. San Diego, California. August 16, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
35. "Phillip Gaimon defends Mt. Washington crown in Bicycle Hillclimb". New Hampshire Lakes and Mountains. Meredith, New Hampshire: Salmon Press Newspapers, Inc. August 20, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
36. "USA Cycling Hill Climb National Championship Results at road-results.com". www.road-results.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
37. "Mount Washington 2017".
38. "Mount Washington results 2022".

External links

• Official website
• Phil Gaimon at Cycling Archives (archived)
• Phil Gaimon at ProCyclingStats
• Phil Gaimon Diary: Florida takes grassroots steps against amateur and masters doping
• Phil Gaimon’s Strava KOM Cleansing
• Retired Gaimon goes to work toppling doping-tainted Strava KOMs
• KOM Hunter Phil Gaimon: The Worst Retirement Ever
• Team profile
• VeloPress profile
• Pro Cycling on $10 a Day
• Phil Gaimon's KOM-hunting YouTube makes for fascinating viewing
• Gaimon begins retirement by hunting banned riders cyclingtips.com December 2016
• Video: Phil Gaimon's new hobby is collecting Strava KOMs (and he targets those held by a convicted doper)