Tony Cruz, Head Coach

Specialties: Road Racing, Elite Development, Triathlon, Mountain Bike, Century Speed, General Fitness

Home: Long Beach, CA

Client levels accepted: Not currently accepting new clients. Individual, SemiCustom, Custom, Consultation

 

Tony Cruz brings over 25 years of riding and racing experience to Wenzel Coaching. As a professional racer and member of teams including the US Postal Service, Discovery Channel, Toyota-United, and BMC, Tony has raced domestically and internationally with some of the best racers and team directors in the world. He now turns that experience toward his coaching goal oriented athletes of all levels in road, triathlon, and mountain bike specialties.

Tony's racing career started in Southern California at the age of 12. Under the guidance of his father, he cut his teeth racing in with such riders as Fred Rodriguez and George Hincapie. Tony knows what it's like to race at the junior and developing levels as well as making the transition to balancing racing and training around a family and other commitments.

In the beginning of his career Tony was known as a sprinter, racking up criterium wins, including a US National Criterium Championship. Later he developed into a more complete rider who could get over the climbs and then contest the sprint finish. Tony's resume includes finishes at numerous Spring Classics and top international stage races. His ability to teach the skills and mental toughness to athletes in order to cross the boundaries that hold back many competitors has made him a popular mentor among emerging professional cyclists and goal-oriented racers.

Cruz was a six year teammate of Lance Armstrong and was member of the 2005 Postal Service squad that won the overall at the Giro d' Italia with Paolo Savoldelli. At the Vuelta de España he was the consummate teammate and still netted several top ten stage results. He has also represented the United States in the 2000, 2001 and 2002 road race World Championships. Tony was a member of the 2000 Sydney Olympics team and has lined up six times at Paris-Roubaix and four times at the Tour of Flanders to name just a few of the Spring Classics he's contested. In 2004 he took his first European win at the Tour de l' Ain in France.

Tony lives in Long Beach, CA with his wife, three children and two dogs, and is the Bicycle Ambassador for the City of Long Beach. He also operates Cruz Industries, a company he founded with his family in 2008 with the vision dedicated to giving back to communities and creating opportunities for youth.

To inquire about working with Antonio please click here! >>>