Rock Hill cyclist gives city its first national champion

It wasn’t a first for Steve Lehman, but it was a first for Rock Hill when he won a gold medal at the USA Cycling Masters Track Championships recently at the Giordana Velodrome.

Lehman, who moved to Rock Hill in June of 2012, became the city’s first national cycling champion when he won the 2000 Meter Pursuit in the 65-69 year-old age category.

But for Lehman, 68, and in his 30th season of racing, it was his fourth national xhampionship gold medal. He has also won three Pan American Championship gold medals and one World Championship gold medal.

Lehman, who was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and later lived in Philadelphia, moved to Rock Hill in 2012.

“I was shoveling snow in Philadelphia one day, when my wife, Sandy, told me to look for a place to live that did not have any snow,” Lehman said. “I was coaching and racing at the local velodrome, and so I had to find a place that had one nearby.”

Lehman recalled one had been built recently in the Carolinas. He discovered Rock Hill had built its velodrome in March of 2012. The Lehmans moved in June.

“We love Rock Hill, the area, and the people,” Lehman said. “This is a wonderful facility, and I have enjoyed racing and coaching here.”

Lehman won his latest gold medal in 2:32.999.

“I knew going into training what time I thought might have a chance of winning,” Lehman said. “That was my training goal. As the event drew nearer, and I saw the times posted by other competitors, I knew what my time had to be to win.”

Lehman’s goal of 2:32 was on target, as he wasless than one second slower than what he trained for, and thought he would win.

“I knew if I did 2:32 I could win, because the best time I had seen a competitor post was 2:36,” he said. “Once the race started, I had my coach let me know as I completed each of the eight laps around the 250 meter track how I was doing.”

Lehman was ahead of his goal early in the race, and stayed that way until right at the end.

“I was pleased with being able to stay ahead of my targeted time for about three-fourths of the race,” Lehman said. “I raced in the middle of the group so I knew what some times were, but that still did not keep me from working for my targeted time. I want to race so that when I finished I had nothing left.”

Lehman’s time was six seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

Lehman said he enjoys coaching as much as the racing competition itself.

“I was the director of Junior Development and coached for 17 years at the track in Philadelphia before moving to Rock Hill,” he said. “I really enjoy watching people begin working, improving their times, and winning races.”

Lehman told one story of a young man he tutored in racing that not only did well in the sport, but used the work ethic and discipline learned in racing to become successful in the business world.

“I really enjoyed watching him work, improve, and win,” Lehman said. “When he got married, he asked me to be the best man in his wedding.”

Lehman is not taking a break after his win. He will begin training on Monday for the National Road Racing Championships, which will be held in North Carolina next summer.

“The training for that type of event is a little different,” he said. “However, I am very anxious to get started.”

Lehman, who ran track in high school before getting a degree in elementary education from Penn State, plans to do more road workouts for the event next summer.

Lehman had nothing but praise of the velodrome, and Tara McCarthy, the national event manager who oversees 15 events per year nationally, agreed.

“This is a fabulous facility,” McCarthy said. “We enjoy working with the people at the facility when we come here, and we are extremely pleased and surprised with the large attendance we have had for this event.”

This week’s five-day event concludes Sunday. Racing starts at 10 a.m. and finishes about 4 p.m. More than 300 competitiors from 35 states completed more than 1,000 races during the week.

Donna Richter, the Giordana Velodrome representative for Rock Hill Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, is hoping that Lehman’s win will spur others to compete locally and in other national events.

“We already have three Rock Hill racers who will be competing in the Elite and Junior Track National Championships in Los Angeles beginning on August 3rd and running for six days,” said Richter. “We are all hoping they will represent us well out there.”

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Rock Hill cyclist gives city its first national champion."