If you’re not into road racing, the name Svein Tuft might be unfamiliar. However, it’s one that deserves recognition. Born in May 1977 in Langley, BC, Svein is a “retired” professional road cyclist who took an unconventional—and debatably unintended—path to professional cycling. A quick Google search or dive into any podcast he’s been featured in will reveal why Svein is “your favourite cyclist’s favourite cyclist.”
Svein dropped out of school at 15 after discovering the freedom that a bike can offer. He spent his youth riding bikes all over Canada and the USA towing his 85-pound dog, Bear, in a homemade trailer behind him. This included multiple trips to and from Alaska, throughout BC, down to Mexico, and more. After years of adventuring, climbing mountains, and snowboarding, Svein decided to give bike racing a try. Though his early races were less than spectacular, he soon found himself at the top of the podium. In just a few short years, he made the Canadian Cycling Team, and the rest is literal cycling history.
As a professional cyclist, Svein became a Time Trial specialist. Among his many accomplishments, he won the Canadian National Time Trial Championships an incredible 11 times. He also claimed stage wins in both the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. In 2012, Mark Cavendish gave Svein huge kudos for his performance in Stage 2 of the Tirreno–Adriatico, saying, “Ride of the day… No, make that ride of the millennium, goes to GreenEDGE’s Svein Tuft. 200km ALONE controlling the peloton! Respect.” In 2019, after 20 years of racing in the pro peloton, Svein retired from professional road racing. He returned to Canada, where he now lives in the Kootenays with his wife and children, still riding his bike as much as he can and offering his skills as a tour guide and coach.
However, retirement seems to be a loose term for Svein. In 2024, he returned to racing in a new style—ultra-endurance. In May, he took on the Buckshot race in Kamloops, a grassroots, unofficial bike-packing race covering 430 km and over 6,000 meters of climbing. Despite this being his first off-road race ever, Svein put on a performance of a lifetime, absolutely blowing the competition away with a moving time of 18 hours, almost no stopping time, and finishing a full two hours ahead of second-place finisher Stef Curtis.
This was just the beginning. In late June, Svein lined up at the start of the BC Epic 1000 race and proceeded to ride his bike in a way no one thought possible. He made the Kootenay Lake ferry, approximately 800 km into the ride, on the evening of the second day—making him the only racer to ever hit that mark. He then continued on to smash both the Grand Depart and the Individual Time Trial FKT (Fastest Known Times) by a whopping 16 hours and 6 hours, respectively.
It’s safe to say that Svein’s off-road racing prowess is just beginning. While we could write a book about all of his adventures, he’s done us a favor by doing just that. Coming soon to Kickstarter is “We Will Never Be Here Again”, a memoir of Svein’s life and adventures. Follow the Kickstarter link to pre-order your copy and prepare to be amazed by his life’s work and stories.
