Mari Holden

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Mari Holden
Personal information
Full name Mari Kim Holden Paulsen
Born (1971-03-30) March 30, 1971 (age 53)
Ventura, California, United States
Team information
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type Time trialist

Mari Kim Holden Paulsen (born 30 March 1971 in Ventura, California[1] ) is an American cycle racer. She won the world time trial championship in 2000 after winning a silver medal in the Olympic Games time trial in Sydney, Australia. She also won six U.S. championships, becoming the first American woman to win three consecutive U.S. time trial championships (1998–2000) and scoring a double by winning the U.S. time trial and road championships in 1999.

Holden was a two-time member of the U.S. junior world triathlon team, and was named junior triathlete of the year in 1991 by the Triathlon Federation USA. That year she finished seventh in the junior triathlon world championship.

She began cycling with a club in high school as part of a fitness program centered on triathlon, and did not make competitive cycling her focus until 1992 when she moved to Colorado Springs and began training with the U.S. cycling team to improve her triathlon. She also transferred to University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where she majored in philosophy.

After finishing sixth in the national time trial championship in 1993, Holden sat out much of 1994 with a compression fracture in her back. She came back the following two years, winning the time trial championship in 1995 and 1996.

The 1996 event was part of the trial to select members of the Olympic team. Selection was on overall performance in time trials and road races, and although Holden won both time trials, she did not fare so well in the road race and failed to qualify.

Holden raced in Europe. In 1999, she finished second in the Women's Challenge against an international field and in the top 10 in the Grande Boucle.

The following year, she won a silver medal at the Olympics, followed by a victory two weeks later in the world time trial championship in Plouay, France.

That year (2000), Holden was elected to the board of directors of USA Cycling and re-elected in 2004. She formerly served on the athletic advisory committee to the U.S. Olympic Committee and was athlete ambassador to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Holden coaches and holds cycling clinics and cycling camps as well as serves as a consultant on women's cycling issues and products. She was called one of the "greatest ambassadors in the sport of cycling" by Ride Magazine (March, 2008).

Palmarès

2004 - T-Mobile Women
  • 1st, New York City Invitational
2002 - T-Mobile Women
  • 8th, Sydney (Australia) World Cup
2001 - Alfa Lum
2000 - Timex
1999 - Acca Due O
1998 - Hawk Bikes
  • 1st,  United States National road championship time trial
  • 1st overall, Street Skills stage race(and 1 stage win)
  • 1st overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic
  • 1st, Mountains classification, Women's Challenge
  • 2nd, Vuelta International a Majorca Feminas
  • 3rd, GP des Nations time trial
1997 - Euregio Egrensis
  • 1st, Red River Classic stage race
  • 1st, Meridian Bicycle Classic
1996
  • 1st, US Olympic Trials Time Trial #1
  • 1st,  United States National road championship time trial (US Olympic Trials time trial #2)
  • 1st overall, 89er stage race(and 2 stage wins)
  • 2 stage wins, Bohemia Crystal Tour
  • 2nd, Can/Pro Cycling Series
  • 2nd overall, Tour of Tucson (and 1 stage win)
1995
  • National record — 40 km time trial: 51m 36.24s
  • 1st,  United States National Road Championship time trial
  • 3rd overall, Women's Challenge (and 1 stage win)
  • 1st, John Stenner Memorial time trial
  • 1st, Louisville Criterium
  • 1st, Point Mogu Criterium
  • 3rd, Redlands Bicycle Classic
Before 1995
  • 1991: Junior Triathlete of the Year
  • 1991: 7th, world junior triathlon championship

Photo gallery

References

External links