Steven Peace // Para-cycling
Motto: “Try, try, try again”
Known as the known as the “trike-guru” or the “trike whisperer,” Steven Peace founded the only trike-centric coaching business and racing team in the world, Peace Cycling Performance (PCP). Steven coaches or manages 95% of all active trike racers, and PCP clients include two UCI World Champions, seven U.S. National Champions and three Paralympians. Steven’s proudest moment came when his mentee Jill Walsh presented him with the Order of Ikkos medal (an award given by a Paralympic medalist to a coach/mentor to recognize the difference they make in the sport). “This was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and an award that I could not have been happier to receive,” said Steven.
Steven’s coaching accolades are matched by his racing success. He’s a nine-time Para-Cycling U.S. National Champion, medaled in UCI World Cup races 25 times, and competed in eight UCI World Championships. Steven is also a Paralympian, placing fifth and seventh in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Steven also enjoys racing triathlons and has competed in the IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside three times. In his spare time Steven attends charity rides as a peer mentor. He participated in the Soldier Ride Across America, completing a third of the trek from New York to San Diego. He’s also finished eight Million Dollar Challenges with the Challenged Athlete Foundation (a 625-mile, 7-day event).
Steven found his role as the trike-guru after a serious and unexpected health crisis. In 2006, Steven was a Naval Officer who had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan three times in five years, and a 200-mile-per-week cyclist. Then on October 16, 2006, one month before his fourth deployment, Steven suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to speak, use his right arm and leg, or walk independently. Among the things he had to give up was the Navy, where he had served proudly for 16 years. Physicians were unable to identify the cause of the stroke, and prescribed a cane and hard plastic brace for his leg. Steven’s right side is still paralyzed, and walking remains difficult. With determination and tenacity, Steven turned his focus to triathlons and cycling on a trike for rehabilitation, launching a second career as an elite para-athlete and coach. “Before my stroke, I never thought of competing at this level,” said Steven. “Now? Just put it in front of me, and I’ll do it. CAF has a box on its application that says “elite athlete.” I can check that now.”
In 2020 Steven is focusing on the 2020 Paralympic Team Trials in Minneapolis, as well as U.S. Nationals. We’ll also be cheering for Peace (and his mentees) at the Fort Wayne and Redlands Para-cycling Open events.