Klean Athlete Blog

Born in the small village of Sainte-Perpétue in Central Quebec, Hugo started his career at the age of 9 in triathlon. He competed in triathlon until he was 14, when he realized his primary talent was in cycling.

At 15, he joined the Club Cycliste Vélocité Drummond, for which he raced for two seasons in the Quebec cups, and his multiple appearances on the podium caught the attention of the best junior teams in Quebec.

At the age of 17, Hugo joined the junior team Louis Garneau-Crocs, where he met Mr. Louis Garneau. Mr. Garneau helped to launch Hugo’s career by providing him with all the support he needed, and the access to the best races in North America. Hugo soon distinguished himself on the Canadian scene by winning the 2008 Road National Championships. This allowed him to participate in his first World Championships in South Africa.

Meanwhile, Hugo stayed very busy with his full-time studies in Techniques policières at Collège Ellis de Drummondville, situated in Central-Quebec. In 2010, while finishing his studies, Hugo decided to put his career as a police officer on hold to become a professional cyclist. During that period, the first pro continental cycling team in Canada, Spidertech powered by C10, was launched, and during the 2011 and 2012 seasons Hugo was given the chance to develop on the international scene. He is a three-time U23 Canadian National Champion and finished fourth at the U23 World Championships.

Hugo’s astounding success at the world championships allowed him to secure a spot at the highest level of cycling with a top French World Tour team.

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Q: Background/Intro: Tell us a little about yourself and your triathlon career/background. How long have you been competing and what is your focus?
A: I have been competing in triathlon since 2002 and professionally since 2009.  I came from a distance running background, running collegiate track and cross country in Illinois.  My focus is the long distance triathlons, mainly half-iron and iron-distance races.

Q: Where are we in the season schedule? What have you raced so far and what’s coming on the schedule?
A: So far I have only raced a few bike races and it is early triathlon season.  I have been healing a foot stress fracture during the winter, but now that I’m on the mend for running, I plan to race 70.3 North American Pro Championship in St. George, Utah, on May 6.

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Photo credit: © Davey Wilson

In the book of history of the Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team, Logan Owen’s name is centered on page 1.

That’s because the 21-year-old native of Bremerton, Washington has scored some of the team’s biggest results in its nine short years of existence.

Owen burst onto the scene in 2015 when he won Stage 3 of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. That victory – in one of America’s premier cycling events – immediately stamped the development team as a serious contender against some of the world’s top teams.
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Photo credit: © Damon Jay Photography

Matt Scott is passionate, driven, and relentless: all qualities that ensured him a gold medal atop the podium at the 2016 Rio Paralympic games in wheelchair basketball. As a 4x Paralympian, Matt has a strong desire to be an ambassador for his sport, and highlight the true athleticism it takes to compete at the highest level of wheelchair basketball. His athletic resume speaks for itself. He’s been featured in popular sports magazines such as DIME Magazine^®, Men’s Fitness^®, and SLAM Magazine^®. The 2008 ESPY^® nominee was also the star of Nike^®‘s nationwide “No Excuse” Campaign in a groundbreaking television advertisement. His impressive skills on the court have made him an internet sensation, with his videos gathering millions of views worldwide. Dominant speed, power, and overall athleticism have been the cornerstones of his success on the court.

We’re excited to welcome Matt to our 2017 sponsored Klean Team and to team up this season. Here’s Matt’s story.

Just like any kid with a dream and a Jordan poster, I always wanted to be a professional athlete. I’ve played basketball since I was old enough to dribble a ball. In fact I can’t remember a time that I didn’t love it. I grew up playing with my able-bodied friends and was actually very reluctant to try wheelchair basketball because I hadn’t actually seen it. I had a negative thought about it right away and dismissed the idea of playing because I thought it would be more charitable then competitive and, for lack of a better word, un-athletic.

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Photo credit: David Bracetty Photography

We’re proud to introduce Mandy Marquardt, one of the newest athletes to join our 2017 sponsored Klean Team! Mandy began cycling at 10 years old, competing in endurance road and track events. At the age of 16, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. By effectively balancing racing and nutrition with diabetes management, Marquardt refuses to let diabetes stop her from fulfilling her dreams.

In 2013, Marquardt made the switch over to track sprinting, and is currently one of the top female sprinters in the United States. With years of balancing education and cycling, Marquardt graduated in 2014 from The Pennsylvania State University. Marquardt is currently the Cycling Coach for The Pennsylvania State University – Lehigh Valley campus. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and mentoring riders, as well as focusing on track cycling full-time for the United States, and a global all-diabetes team of cyclists, triathletes, and runners, spearheaded by the world’s first all-diabetes men’s professional cycling team.

Marquardt is a 11-time U.S. National Champion and Olympic hopeful, and a great asset to the sport. “I enjoy giving back to the sport by mentoring and coaching athletes at the collegiate level, as well as inspiring people affected by diabetes, that you can still pursue your dreams.”

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2014 started off as a really good year for me. It was my first season as a professional cyclist, racing for Team Jamis, and I was having success and building my name in the sport. I won some races, regularly updated my whereabouts for the USADA program, and watched my dreams unfold. But my season ended with an accident that almost killed me – altering not only my career path, but also, more importantly, my life. I was forced out of racing my bicycle as a job/passion, and I struggled to evolve as a human who had to do more than just pedal. More than two years have passed, and thankfully, now, success in my career isn’t directly tied to weighing my food and skipping desserts. I no longer get paid to exercise, but it remains an integral part of my being. I’ve struggled to find that balance between professional athlete and … normal guy … but what I’ve learned is that although my job title no longer includes “professional cyclist,” all the core values and traits that were the base of that profession still exist. My accident changed who I am in many ways, but deep down, I still have the same drive.


I’ve gained 30 pounds.

Typically, changes of that … stature aren’t openly shared. They’re kept to themselves – often hushed behind some sort of shame or embarrassment. Not me, though! There’s a time in your life where being 150 pounds was necessary. Now there’s the 180-pound part of life: where you want to be able to be active and healthy, have a beer with your girlfriend, and (call me crazy!) lift a bag of groceries easily.
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