Guy East (cyclist)

Early Life & Junior

East was born to Guy M. East and Marsha East on October 18, 1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, the oldest of five children. East's younger siblings are James, Andrew East, Christine, and Grant. East's parents met while his father was a walk-on for the Purdue football team, which is currently known as Purdue Boilermakers football, while East's mother was a cheerleader.

The East family is steeped in athletic tradition. James played football as an all-American at Wheaton College (Illinois) in Wheaton. Andrew East received a full ride football scholarship to Vanderbilt University. Andrew finished his college career as the number one ranked long-snapper in the United States of America. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. He has since signed with the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders. Andrew is married to Olympic games Gymnast and four-time medalist, Shawn Johnson. Christine East is a student at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. Grant East is a senior (education) at Heritage Christian School (Indianapolis) in Indiana.

East's father purchased for him the first bike when he was only 11 years old. Even at such a small age, he could join his father and ride together for as long as possible. His first club was called the "Mob Squad" and it was located in Indiana. The team had many juniors who took part in various racing events. When East's performance became promising, he received an invitation to join the United States men's national cycling team based in San Diego. Even at this time when East was just an amateur cyclist, he could compete and defeat Tejay van Garderen in hill cycling. East spent considerable number of years as a member of the United States men's national cycling team. During his years at the national squad, East visited Belgium for cycling competitions in four seasons during which he recorded indisputable success in his career.

East's bright future in professional road cycling and track cycling career became a reality in the year 2000 when he signed up and participated in Cycling at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Following his success at the 2000 Summer Olympics, East's Road cycling and Track cycling began, as he has been competing on the international level since 2005. Guy East has also raced Trek-Livestrong - a professional road programme by Axel Merckx. During the road programme, East and other participants road numerous United States races, including Gila City, Arizona, Redlands, California, and the Flèche du Sud in Luxembourg. Currently, he resides near San Diego, CA.

Academic Achievement

East graduated from Heritage Christian School (Indianapolis) in 2006. After graduation, he committed himself to the United States national team and moved to USA Cycling team based in Izegem, Belgium.

Realizing that success must be attained not only in sport but also in academia, East was awarded top honors at the Indiana State Science Fair, for his efforts in designing and creating two full-scale wind tunnels. He used the wind tunnels for comparative testing of aerodynamic wheels, bike helmets, and bike frames.In recognition of his diligence, he was selected by the late Governor Frank O'Bannon of Indiana to represent all students throughout Indiana, in the Governor’s “Follow your Dream” initiative. This honor led to a starring role in the still running public broadcasting television commercial encouraging students to make a difference and help themselves and others by applying their passion to science and technology.

Leadership and Projects

East has irrefutably achieved much success in his professional road cycling and track cycling career. Among his major wins is the 2013 1st Vuelta Mazatlan Stage 2 record. While East is entirely engaged with his professional track and road cycling career, he also possesses leadership qualities that have seen him succeed all this time.He has successfully taken part in various competitions in approximately thirty countries on four continents. During his competitions in these nations, he observed communities in the specific nations undergoing a myriad of challenges. The most serious issue that East witnessed is extreme poverty in many underdeveloped countries, especially urban areas such as Mexico City. In 2009, East with the Trek team rode the tour of Mexico and noticed the high level of poverty in the nation. While riding the tour of the Philiphines with the Kelly Benefits team, East was shocked at the high poverty level among many locals and the slums through which they were riding. He immediately began to question his purpose in life and consequently made the decision to stop racing. He then sold all of his possessions and traveled the world to serve the poor. Selling up was the quickest way he could utilize to help the less fortunate members of the world. After two years, East decided to return to professional racing and combine his desire to compete with his passion to serve.

East's leadership has not only been shown on his bike and in the classroom, as he achieved Boy Scouts’ highest honor, Eagle Scout. Passionate about cycling, and giving back to the community, his qualifying project was the restoration of the Major Taylor Velodrome’s (Indianapolis) grandstand seating, the venue selected for the recent National Collegiate Track Championships, as well as many other national competitions.

Guy has been featured in various commercials and event promotions, including the Seoul, Korea Visitors & Convention ad, an NBC affiliate special about “Riding with A Legend”, national cycling publications, local sports journals, and the PBS commercial.

As a result of Guy’s international travels, he has witnessed poverty at its worst, and has developed a heart to serve the poor and needy. His desire is to combine his expertise in cycling in a way that would benefit those less fortunate, who may be seeking clothing, food, and shelter.

Hope Sports

Hope Sports is a non-profit organization that promotes personal growth and community among athletes through short-term service trips to Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. The aim of the organization is to provide a transformational experience that unites athletes around a shared purpose of serving the poor that can become a catalyst for athletes to impact their families, teams and communities for positive change.

Hope Sports was founded in March 2015. In its first year, the organization built 11 houses and hosted over 200 professional and Olympic games athletes. In the coming years, the organization is looking to expand into new locations and projects. The primary goal is to help athletes maximize their lives. In 2016, the group rolled out a leadership program for athletes that want to engage and learn after the build is complete.

Hope Sports has grown and continues to grow out of East’s vision to see professional athletes live with a greater purpose and a heart of service.

Hope Sports has built 30 homes for the poor with the help of 500 professional and elite athletes.

Amateur and Professional Career

Major results