Shelley Olds

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Shelley Olds

| image = Shelley Evans 2010 Worlds.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Olds during the points race at the 2010 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

| fullname = Shelley Olds

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|09|30}}

| birth_place = Groton, Massachusetts

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=2}}

| weight =

| currentteam = Retired

| disciplines = {{ubl|Road|Track}}

| role = Rider

| ridertype = Sprinter

| amateuryears1 =

| amateurteam1 =

| proyears1 = 2008–2009

| proteam1 = ProMan Hit Squad

| proyears2 = 2010

| proteam2 = {{UCI team code|T20|2010}}

| proyears3 = 2011

| proteam3 = {{UCI team code|SAF|2011}}

| proyears4 = 2012

| proteam4 = {{UCI team code|LNL|2012}}

| proyears5 = 2013

| proteam5 = {{UCI team code|TIB|2013}}

| proyears6 = 2014

| proteam6 = {{UCI team code|ALE|2014}}

| proyears7 = 2015

| proteam7 = {{UCI team code|EPK|2015}}

| proyears8 = 2015

| proteam8 = {{UCI team code|ALE|2015}}

| proyears9 = 2016

| proteam9 = {{UCI team code|CPC|2016}}

| majorwins = Women's Tour of New Zealand (2010)
Tour of Chongming Island World Cup (2012)

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}}

}}

Shelley Olds (born September 30, 1980){{cite web|url=http://www.usacycling.org/shelley-olds.htm|title=Shelley Olds|publisher=USA Cycling|access-date=May 14, 2012}} is an American former professional racing cyclist.

Career

Olds was born and raised in Groton, Massachusetts. She studied health and human performance at Roanoke College in Virginia, and was captain of their women's soccer team. A star on the soccer pitch, Olds was a two-time NSCAA All-South Region selection, four-time All-ODAC selection and the 2002 ODAC Player of the Year. She was inducted into the Roanoke Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.{{Cite web |title=The Official Website of Roanoke Athletics |url=https://www.roanokemaroons.com/hall-of-fame/o/olds-shelly |website=Roanoke Athletics}}

After college, she moved to California and was introduced to cycling by Rob Evans, whom she later married. She started racing locally on the road, quickly moving up in the ranks and winning the Road Cycling State Championships. She then joined Peanut Butter & Co.TWENTY12 team,{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2010 |title=Peanut Butter & Co.TWENTY12 join women's peloton |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/peanut-butter-and-co-twenty12-join-womens-peloton/ |website=Cyclingnews}} won the Track National Scratch Race Championships in 2008 and 2009 and then won the National Criterium Championships in 2010 and 2011. She began racing internationally soon after and earned podium results in the Tour of New Zealand, Trofeo Costa Etrusca Iii in Italy, Drentse 8 Van Dwingeloo in Netherlands, as well as Liberty Classic road race in Philadelphia.{{cite web|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/05/news/moving-to-the-road-a-conversation-with-shelley-evans_116961|title=Moving to the road: A conversation with Shelley Evans|date=May 20, 2010|work=VeloNews.com}} She registered with the UCI under her married name of Shelley Evans for the 2010 season,{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/peanut-butter-and-co-twenty12/the-road-to-twenty12|title=The road to TWENTY12|first=Nicola|last=Cranmer|date=February 3, 2010|work=cyclingnews.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/asp/redirect/uci.asp?Page=PersonResultOverview&PersonID=709452&SportID=102&GenderID=2&ClassID=1&SeasonID=478&DerivedEventID=12146&DerivedEventPhaseID=581203&DerivedCompetitionID=22204&Detail=1&TaalCode=2&StyleID=0&Cache=2&Person=Shelley%20Evans|title= Ranking - Cycling - Road 2010 Women Elite UCI Ranking Individual Shelley EVANS (United States) |publisher=UCI|access-date=May 16, 2012}} but reverted to her maiden name in later seasons.

In 2012, Olds signed with Dutch team {{UCI team code|AAD|2012}} and won the Tour of Chongming Island World Cup{{Cite web |last=Atkins |first=Ben |date=May 13, 2012 |title=Shelley Olds wins Chongming Island World Cup in a bunch sprint |url=http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11858/Shelley-Olds-wins-Chongming-Island-World-Cup-in-a-bunch-sprint.aspx |website=Velonation}} to earn a qualifying spot on the US National team for the Road race at the London Olympics. At the Olympics, she was one of the four riders in the winning breakaway group that split from the peloton with {{convert|50|km|abbr=off}} to go, but suffered a puncture {{convert|29|km|abbr=off}} later. After a tire change, she caught back up to the peloton and finished in 7th place.{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/puncture-means-heartbreak-for-olds-in-olympic-road-race|title=Puncture means heartbreak for Olds in Olympic road race|date=July 29, 2012|first=Laura|last=Weislo|work=cyclingnews.com}}

Olds carried on with her professional racing career with multiple UCI Women teams, and continued her ascent to become one of the top sprinters in the world. She took multiple Sprinters' jerseys in races across Italy, Norway and China. Back in North America, she won the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic in North Carolina, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau in Quebec, Canada, and the White Spot/Delta road race in British Columbia, Canada.

In 2015, while riding for the Italian {{UCI team code|ALE|2015}} team, Olds won the inaugural edition of La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta{{Cite web |last=Fotheringham |first=Alasdair |date=September 13, 2015 |title=Olds shows Worlds form with Madrid Challenge victory |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/olds-shows-worlds-form-with-madrid-challenge-victory/ |website=Cyclingnews}} in a bunch sprint beating out top sprinters in the world at the time. She moved back to the United States in 2016 to join {{UCI team code|CPC|2016}} team and started the year with a 2nd place finish in the Women's Down Under Tour in Australia, but had to retire in March of that year after crashing and suffering from head injuries in back to back races in Europe.{{Cite web |date=March 31, 2016 |title=Cylance without Olds for Women's Tour of Flanders |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cyclance-without-olds-for-womens-tour-of-flanders/ |website=Cyclingnews}}

Major results

Sources:{{cycling Archives|36901}}[http://www.cyclebase.nl/index.php?lang=en&page=renner&jrg=0&discipline=1&id=35986 Shelley Olds-Evans profile] at CycleBase

;2008

: 1st 20px Scratch, National Track Championships

: 8th Liberty Classic

;2009

: 1st 20px Scratch, National Track Championships

: 2009–10 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics

::2nd 15px Points race, Melbourne

::3rd 15px Scratch, Manchester

: 3rd 15px Points race, 2008–09 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics, Copenhagen

: 3rd Liberty Classic

;2010

: 1st 20px Road race, Pan American Road Championships