As a cyclist, Lindsay Myers was brand new to road racing, time trials and criteriums a year ago.

“When you’re new to cycling,” said Myers, “it takes a couple of years to find out what your strengths are.”

It hasn’t taken Myers, a sophomore at Pacific Union College in Angwin, long at all to land on the scene as a highly regarded rider. It’s actually only been a matter of a few months, as she has been a top placer in events of all sizes throughout Northern California and the west coast.

“A lot of the women that are racing are in their 30s, so to be able to start this young, I just feel really lucky,” she said during a break from finals at the small, Seventh Day Adventist school last week.

“I do love the sport. The improvement is definitely a motivating factor and just how far I’ve come in the sport. I’ve come a long way in the last year.”

Myers has made great strides as an amateur, advancing from a Category 4 cyclist to competing against pro and elite-level riders in some of the biggest races.

Riding for Sugar CRM, she was 47th in the second annual Amgen Tour of California women’s criterium, a major cycling event in Santa Rosa that was held in rainy, cold and windy conditions in mid-February. The first event of the 2009 season on the National Racing Calendar, the criterium took part over portions of the Stage 1 men’s finishing circuit in Santa Rosa. The event consisted of a field of 88 riders competing for more than $15,000 in prizes.

Set as a category Pro 1, 2 race and with a limit of eight cyclists per team, the criterium showcased some of the world’s top professional women’s cycling teams.

“To be honest, that was one of my least favorite races that I’ve done,” said Myers, who got back up after crashing early and finished in the pack. “Hopefully next year it won’t be raining. That was a big race, but in the big scheme of things, there are races just as big. And a pack finish for that is all right.”

“The 2009 Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium was a huge success,” said Laura Charameda, race director, Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium. “We had an amazing representation from the top women’s teams. With the support of AEG, which believes in building great events for both men and women, I look forward to the opportunity to help grow this event into the most important race in the world for professional women cyclists.”

Myers got her start in cycling with Charameda, who directs the Swift Development Team. To this day, Myers is coached by Charameda, one of this country’s top cyclists with over 250 wins in a career spanning several decades.

The Sugar CRM Web site says Myers is a natural born climber with a racer instinct. “Look for Lindsay to make the front selections at stage race events and technical criteriums alike. A bright girl with a big future.”

Myers, 19, is off to a very good start this year, taking seventh in the women’s pro 1,2,3 race in February at the 34th annual Cherry Pie Criterium, held at the southern end of Napa Valley Corporate Park and presented by the Eagle Cycling Club and Eagle Racing Team of Napa. Sanctioned by USA Cycling, it was the season-opening race for the Northern California/Nevada Cycling Association Junior Points Series.

“That was a great start to the season for me,” said Myers. “I was in the breakaway almost the whole day, up until just the last couple of laps. I still have some things to learn about riding breakaway-smart.”

She was 13th in the San Dimas Stage Race on Friday; 10th at the Tri-Flow Menlo Park Grand Prix presented by Hawk R, a criterium earlier this month; eighth at the Merco Credit Union Foothills Road Race in early March; 28th at the Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic Downtown GP, a criterium in February; and 22nd in the San Jose Cycling Classic, another criterium held in February.

Last fall, she was eighth in the San Francisco Twilight Criterium while racing for Dewars, and was 22nd in the Tour of Missouri Women’s Criterium.

Smiling, she said cycling is about 95 percent of her life.

“If I don’t ride, I don’t study as well,” said Myers, an exercise science major. “It’s part of my life. Everything pretty much revolves around cycling. I love training around here. It’s so beautiful. The people you meet and the cycling community is so nice. That’s a fun part of it, too.”

Myers trains on roads throughout the Napa Valley and races just about every weekend.

“The riding in Napa Valley’s phenomenal. I love going out for a ride. It’s so beautiful here. It’s centrally located for racing, so that is huge as well.”

Her daily routine consists of three-hour training rides. She has three bikes with her on campus, two of which are road bikes.

In April, Myers will go to France for five weeks to train with the USA Cycling Development Program. Being selected to such a prestigious team ranks as the No. 1 highlight on her cycling resume.

“It’s huge to be able to go over there. It will be a real learning experience,” she said. “Going to Europe will give me more of an idea of how much more I want to pursue this sport, even further than I am now, on the international scene.”

Myers was second in the women’s under-23 division at the 2008 USA Cycling Road National Championships last year in Orange County. She was also fifth in the U23 USA Cycling National Criterium Championships.

She attended Paradise Adventist Academy before enrolling at PUC.