Here’s an early report about a Canadian bike racer who came out of nowhere to become a top contender. There’s more google-news out there now about him.
It’s rare these days to find such a story. Svein Tuft learned to love biking by way of just setting out and going on bike adventures. When he was 18 he rigged up a bike trailer and hit the backwoods roads with packs and his dog. After that, the outdoor life was where you’d find him, and on a bike tour as often as he could manage it.
Late in his twenties he realized that he’d make a good bike racer and a pro team discovered him while he was mowing lawns.
He’s still working his way up the pro ranks. He recently narrowly lost the World Championship pro time trial due to a puncture and not having a backup bike to quickly hop onto. He still got second place. He almost made the TdF already.
Keep an eye out for what happens to him.
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/sports/othersports/08cycling.html?_r=4&ref=sports