Jeff Majzoub will never forget finding his first road bike when he was just 14-years-old.
“It was an orange Schwinn StingRay – I should have kept that bike!” he said. “I found it when a tenant in one of our apartments left it behind. I had a job as a substitute lifeguard and used that bike to ride to all the pools in town. It was great.”
Once he started driving and moved away for college and law school, Jeff lost touch with cycling and didn’t ride for several years. It wasn’t until he moved back to Joplin in 1998 that he rediscovered his passion.
“I had quite a few friends who were riding bikes then, and I liked being outside, so I joined in,” he said.
Since then, Jeff’s passion has never dwindled. He rides six days per week, averaging 30-mile rides during the week and 50-75-mile rides on the weekends. He has participated in countless races and gran fondos in the area – one of his all-time favorites being the Tulsa Tough, held each year the second weekend in June.
“My most memorable rides were in Belgium,” he said. “There is a professional race in the spring called the Tour of Flanders in the Flanders region of Belgium. Amateurs can sign up to ride the route the day before the pros race. The route is around 150 miles and includes sections – usually steep – that are over cobblestones. It is really challenging, and I am lucky to have completed it three times.”
While Jeff trains hard and works with a coach to improve his skill and overcome new challenges, Jeff’s main motivation still comes from the simple joy that riding brings him.
“The main reason I ride is because of the sheer enjoyment,” he said. “Whether it is by myself or with friends or a leisurely ride or a training ride or a race, it is just fun to be on a bike. I like the quote from President Kennedy: ‘Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike.’ He definitely got it right.”
See more photos in the February 2022 print edition of Show Me The Ozarks Magazine.