Meet freshman and multi-sport athlete Lucas Miers.
Miers is a Reno Devo U23/pro athlete and was selected to represent the USA at the Snowshoe MTB World Cup in September and the first athlete to come through the Reno-Tahoe Junior Cycling development program to reach the World Cup level.
More about Miers, his passion for mountain biking and his experience at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno so far in his own words below:
I am a freshman, and I am in the class of 2025. I am undeclared as of now, but I have interests in biology and chemistry.
I would like to go down the Pre-Med track and become a doctor in the future. I have always been passionate about helping other people and I think saving lives would help me make an impact on my community and going home at the end of the day knowing I made a change in the world would make me very happy.
I chose the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno because it has a good Med program, and it is in my hometown. I was born and raised here in Reno. My favorite spot on campus is the E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center.
Being a student at ÁùºÏ±¦µä has been amazing so far. The atmosphere is super encouraging and friendly.
I got into mountain biking because of my brother and my parents. My brother had been doing it for a while and I had always looked up to him, so I followed down that path. My parents gave me an extra push because they started the high school league in northern ÁùºÏ±¦µä, and they were the coaches for the Galena team where I went to high school. I have been mountain biking my whole life but I didn’t start taking it seriously until my freshman year of high school.
Managing training with school is hard but they are my main priorities. I go to all my classes, and I fit training in between them or after them. I do a good job at managing them because training is so important to me, and school is what will get me to the job of my dreams. There is a mountain bike club on campus that I am excited to join. They have an Instagram page (@nevadacycling) And anyone can always feel free to contact me about it.
Competing in a World Cup has always been a dream of mine. Ever since I began biking, I have always thought about racing for team USA. Being the first person from my team and Reno to get to the World Cup circuit means a lot to me. It just helps show that you can be from anywhere and still make it to the big stage. Racing against the fastest people in the world is a huge deal.
The best advice I can give is to not listen to the people telling you that you can’t do it. I’ve had plenty of people doubt me or tell me I wasn’t good enough. All the hard work that I put in is finally paying off and I can prove to all those people who doubted me, that I made it.
A fun fact that some people may not know about me is that I love chocolate milk.
Also achieving this goal as a first-year pro is huge for me. Racing pro was a big jump for me this year but it’s amazing to be competitive against Olympians and world champions. My coach Kyle Dixon has given me all the tools I need to succeed and has been one of my biggest inspirations in this sport. Knowing I have that level of support by my side is extremely encouraging.
Faces of the Pack is a series designed to highlight the extraordinary and amazing student personalities found at the University. If you think someone’s story should be featured, email communications@unr.edu.
