Nick Kleban

Nick Kleban – 20 years old – Road Team

Bio

My name is Nick Kleban, I’m 20 years old and this is my first season racing for the Ride with Rendall elite team. I grew up in Squamish, British Columbia where I competed in cross-country mountain biking until 2017, when I moved to Montreal where I currently live and study Physiology at McGill University.

Why/how did you first get into cycling?

I started riding my bike when I was five years old, when I moved to Squamish. I wanted to be like my friends, some of whom, like a lot of kids in town, had been riding since around the same time they began to walk. A couple years later, I raced my first mountain bike race in the local “Pedal to the Medal” elementary school bike series. I came second place in the race and I remember going for MARS bars with my Mom afterwards, which eventually became a tradition. A few years later, I joined Team Squamish, the local youth mountain bike team, where I began to take racing more seriously. As a teenager, I raced for the BC provincial team up until I moved to Montreal to attend university in 2017. After joining the McGill Cycling team, I began to ride on the road as a way to cross-train for mountain biking, but I ended up falling in love with the sport while racing in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference. Now that I’ve fully converted to the road, I’m looking forward to more racing with Ride with Rendall whenever the time comes!

Why do you like to race and what is your proudest racing moment?

Like most people who race, I like to compete, but I also really enjoy the process of training and building towards my goals. It’s also really fun travelling to new places to race and hanging out with my teammates around races. My proudest racing moment to date would be placing in the top ten of my first junior national mountain bike championship in 2016.

What else do you do for fun other than cycling?

I like long walks on the beach, pina coladas and getting caught in the rain! More seriously, I like to cook and bake with my girlfriend at home, hang out with my friends and spend time with my cat Julie.

What is your favorite ride and why?

My favourite ride in Montreal is the loop to Covey Hill and back. The ride  is about 160km and has amazing rolling roads, a climb (a rarity around Montreal) and there’s great places to stop for breakfast or pizza on the ride!