Evie Stevens has one of most surprising rises in women's cycling. Bicycling spoke to Stevens to learn about the stories less shared, and the Boels-Dolmans rider did not disappoint.
1. In her first full season as an amateur, she raced in the Road World Championships and finished with a pro contract.
Evie Steven’s remarkable rise in the sport is well-documented but what is often overlooked is her first (and last) year as an amateur. In 2009, Stevens did her first NRC race (Fitchburg Classic), first European race (Route de France), first Women's Road World Championships (Mendriso, Switzerland), and earned her first professional contract (HTC-Highroad). She won Fitchburg, finished an incredible second overall at La Route de France (snagging a stage win in the process), and scored 15th place at Worlds. “In the moment, I was completely clueless,” said Stevens. “It was: ‘Well, of course. That’s just what you do.’ But it’s not what you do, and the further I get in my career, the more I realize that it was a special thing to experience.”
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2. She’s the fourth of five kids and her older sister got her into cycling.
Stevens says she and her siblings have always been highly competitive. She recalled “spirited ping-pong tournaments” played in her family’s basement—and that competitive instinct among the group hasn’t waned over time. “My sister Angela introduced me to cycling,” said Stevens. “I will never forget this one ride we did right when I first started. It was up the BoFax climb [Bolinas Fairfax, in California’s Bay Area]. I’m sitting on her wheel, and I stay with her the whole time. We get to the top, and I’m in a pair of sneakers, and she looks at me and says: ‘Normally I do that a lot faster.’"
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3. Stevens is a self-proclaimed “fighter” who says one of her biggest strengths is that she’s “good at being the last person standing.”
“I think they call it grit these days,” said Stevens. “I have been stubborn and intense and determined since I was young. I remember when I wanted to make the junior high soccer team. My dad suggested that running might help improve my speed, so the summer going into junior high, I ran every single day by myself. It’s not something most 11-year-olds are going to do.”
4. Despite her success, she's an unselfish racer.
Stevens learned from legendary pros at the start of her career. Racing for the powerhouse HTC-Highroad team in 2010, Stevens was teammates with Ina Teutenberg and Judith Arndt, who taught her the importance of burying yourself for a teammate and prioritizing team goals. “They showed me what it means to be a woman racing a bike, and I’d like to think the way I race honors what they’ve taught me.”
5. There are three things she does every night before she goes to sleep.
Her bedtime ritual consists of a 10-minute-long core workout and nighttime reading—which Stevens claims helps her fall asleep. And then there’s something a bit quirkier. “Every night when I set my alarm clock before bed, it has to have the number five in it,” Stevens said. “It’s 5:00 or 6:55 or 7:15 or 8:05. It has to have a five in it. I can’t explain why, and I know it makes no sense, but it has to be that way.”
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6. She’s a foodie with an affinity for bread.
Stevens has an avowed love for Good Eggs in San Francisco—an online farmer’s market that delivers food straight from the farm to your door. She dabbled in bread-baking in the off-season before realizing that she wasn’t as good at making bread as she is at eating it. “Living in Europe has allowed me to experience food culture in a new way,” Stevens said. “I love the focus on bread there and going to the bakery every day. I feel like because of the gluten-free movement, which I do respect, bread has gotten a bad rap, and that makes me sad. Good bread is amazing.”
7. Her favorite shoes are a personalized pair of Nikes from her husband Brett.
The Nike Dunks were a Christmas gift. Stevens’ husband designed the red, white, and blue high-tops and added a special touch on the heels. “He engraved them on the back,” Stevens said. “They say ‘Would Attack’—pretty cool, right?”
