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Timothy Johnson (born August 5, 1977 in Middleton, Massachusetts) is an American professional racing cyclist who has found success in cyclocross and road bicycle racing, and is one of only three male riders (Jonathan Page was 2nd at worlds in 2007 and Matt Kelly was 1st at worlds in 1999) from the United States to stand on a UCI Cyclocross World Championships podium. Johnson has six career national championships - three Elite, two Espoir and one Junior - and a bronze medal from the UCI Cyclocross World Championships that he won in 1999 in Poprad, Slovakia. Johnson spent his 2009 road season riding for the Ouch presented by Maxxis team, of which he is the Road Captain. For 2010, Johnson rode for UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team presented by Maxxis.[1] Johnson is married to fellow professional cyclist Lyne Bessette.
Major Accomplishments[edit]
Johnson was arguably 2009's most successful American Cyclocross rider, winning 11 races, including the US Cyclocross National Championships in Bend, Oregon. In 2009, Johnson was first in the North American Cyclocross Trophy overall standings and second in the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross overall standings. Johnson missed the first five major UCI races of the season, including the first weekend of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross, due to a separated shoulder he suffered at Star Crossed in Redmond, Washington.
Johnson finally won the coveted US Gran Prix of Cyclocross overall title in 2008, wearing the Cyclocross National Champion jersey, winning three of the series' six races. Johnson missed time late in the season due to a knee injury, but still managed to finish second in the North American Cyclocross Trophy overall standings, despite missing two of the series' eight races.
In 2007, Johnson captured his second U.S. national cyclocross championship repeating his 2000 success. Video production company DH Productions produced a documentary about Johnson's 2007-2008 season, following his success from early season success through his National Championships victory and his subsequent trip to the UCI World Championships in Treviso, Italy. The film was titled the 9 Ball Diaries, paying homage to the design of Johnson's Cannondale/Leer/Cyclocrossworld.com team jersey and Cannondale's Cyclocross bicycle.
In 2006, Johnson finished the season without landing outside the top-4 in any Cyclocross race entered. As a co-captain of the Health Net Professional Cycling Team he helped the team achieve its 3rd consecutive #1 NRC Ranking.
In 2005, Johnson edged two-time defending champion Mark McCormack to win the New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series title and finished second overall in the United States Gran Prix of Cyclocross series after leading the Overall.
In 2003, Johnson won two stages and the overall title at the Herald Sun Tour, a road bicycle racing stage race held in Australia. Johnson won the tour's ninth stage[2] from Horsham to Mount William. Two days later, Johnson won the tour's twelfth stage,[3] a criterium in Echuca. The following day, Johnson finished second on the tour's thirteenth and final stage,[4] taking a narrow 33 second victory over Australia's Luke Roberts.
Championships
Johnson has won United States Cyclocross National Championships on six occasions. Johnson won his first as a Junior rider in 1995 in Leicester, Mass[5] Johnson won his first of his U23 Cyclocross National Championships in 1998 in Fort Devens, Massachusetts[6] and won his second the next year in 1999 in Presido, California.[7] In 2000, Johnson was on the top step of the podium for the third year in a row, this year as an Elite rider, winning his first Elite title in Kansas City, Kansas.[8] It was not until 2007 that Johnson found himself back in the Stars and Stripes jersey, winning the 2007 National Championship, again in Kansas City, Kansas.[9] Johnson again won in 2009, taking his third Elite National Title, this time in Bend, Oregon.[10]
After winning the Espoir's National Title in 1999, Johnson went on to the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Poprad, Slovakia, where he rode his way to a third-place finish.[11] Johnson's bronze medal was the second time a cyclocross rider from the United States had stood on the podium at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships, coming just one day after a surprising victory by Matt Kelly in the junior's event. Johnson had finished 10th at the World Championships[12] in 1998 when they were held in Middelfart, Denmark
