By John Wesley Jr.

During the Tour of Guam road cycling race last Sunday, November 15^th, there was one familiar face missing from amongst the racers. Last year’s fourth place overall finisher, Jacob ‘Jake”’Jones of Mangilao, did not compete for this year’s title. Jones was also the winner in his age division, an accomplishment he considers as one of his most memorable sports moments.

It’s not that Jake is injured or that he’s not in shape to compete with the best, but Jones has a bigger task at hand, preparing for the upcoming collegiate cycling season. Jones, a Father Duenas graduate, now lives half a world a way in North Carolina, attending Lees-McRae College on a cycling scholarship.

According to their website, the Lees-McRae Bobcats compete in NCAA Division II in Conference Carolina, however, they also have a team that competes in Division I.

Jones learned of his scholarship the beginning of his senior year of high school after he sent in a rider resume and was contacted by coaches at the school.  The most impressive thing about this accomplishment is that Jones only recently began taking road cycling seriously.

“I’ve always ridden motocross and used it for training,” wrote Jones via email from the school, “but just in the past year and a half I’ve gotten serious about it and progressed so much.”

Currently Jake is hard at work, training for the upcoming season which begins in February. Jake’s goals in the sport include racing and competing at the highest level and inspiring more of Guam’s youth to get into the sport.

As for himself, Jones credits local riders Patrick Camacho, Jon Martin and two-time Olympian Derek Horton for being mentors and positive influences for him. Jones was also quick to point out that he has had a tremendous amount of support from his family.  He also has some advice for anyone considering getting into competitive cycling.

“In my opinion, the cycling community on Guam is a really good group to begin in. With the races we (Guam) have, you can quickly find where you belong and work from there. Commitment and hard work also opens up many opportunities for travel and even collegiate cycling.”

Jake also had a message to the his cycling friends and fellow competitors, “See you in Saipan next month for the Hell of the Marianas!”

Jake Jones stops during his course run for a photo opt. (courtesy photo)