Racing Free: A Cyclist’s Journey

Marco is a 34-year-old gravel and cyclocross racer based in Colorado. Around the local scene, he’s known for his consistency, his obsession with tire pressure, and more recently, for coming out as gay after nearly a decade of racing.

It wasn’t a grand announcement…just a quiet decision to stop filtering himself at the start line. For years, cycling had been a place he showed up as only part of who he was. Now, it’s different. He shared what it’s been like to be out in competitive cycling, how that shift has changed his relationship with the sport, and what he hopes to see evolve in the broader cycling culture.

How long have you been riding competitively?

I started racing road in 2011, right after college. I got into gravel in 2017 when everyone in Colorado seemed to make the jump, and I’ve been racing cross since 2018. It’s the kind of racing that feels like chaos, but the good kind…mud, cowbells, adrenaline. I’m not a pro, not sponsored full-time, but I take the sport seriously. I’m that guy checking tire pressure three times before a race.

When did you come out, and what made you do it?

I came out in 2022, mid-cyclocross season. Not in a big public way: I just decided to be myself. A teammate made a joke about Tinder after a race, and I said, “Actually, I’ve been seeing a guy named Drew.” That was it.

The timing wasn’t strategic. It just felt exhausting to keep leaving parts of myself out of conversations. I was out in the rest of my life, just not in this one place that mattered a lot to me.

What was the reaction like?

Honestly? It was fine. Uneventful, even.

The teammate I told first just nodded and asked if Drew rode bikes. It took me a while to realize that was a good thing. He didn’t make it weird. There was no dramatic team meeting. No one stopped riding with me.

I think I had built it up in my head to be this make-or-break moment, but it turns out most people were just like, “Cool, thanks for telling me.”

Did anything change in how you raced?

It’s hard to explain, but yes.

Coming out gave me back a lot of mental energy. Before, I was always doing little calculations, how to phrase things, which pronouns to use, whether I was being too vague or too specific. I was wondering, do they know? Do they care? That’s draining, especially in a sport where focus matters.

Once I came out, I had more space in my brain. More trust with my teammates. More fun at races. That stuff makes a difference. My performances didn’t skyrocket overnight, but I definitely felt lighter. I was just more present.

What about the parts that weren’t great? Have you faced any pushback?

A little. Some awkward silences. Some guys who won’t really engage anymore. I’ve heard slurs tossed casually on group rides…not always directed at me, but still there.

Also, I’ve had people suggest I “not make it a thing.” Like, if I bring up my boyfriend too much, I’m “being political.” But I’ve listened to years of straight dudes talk about their wives and kids and Tinder matches. I’m just asking for the same space to be myself.

What would you say to other LGBTQ+ cyclists who haven’t come out yet?

Take your time. You don’t owe your story to anyone. But when you’re ready, when the silence starts to feel heavier than the risk, it might surprise you how freeing it is.

And if you do come out, and it feels scary or awkward or messy, that doesn’t mean you did it wrong. It just means you’re doing something real. There’s no perfect version of this. There’s just honesty, and momentum, and hopefully, a few good people in your corner.

Do you see the sport becoming more inclusive?

Slowly, yeah. There are more visible LGBTQ+ athletes now. More Pride rides. Some brands are doing the work…others are just adding a rainbow once a year and calling it progress.

But every time someone shows up and doesn’t hide, the culture shifts a little. It becomes a little easier for the next rider. That’s what keeps me showing up…even if I’m still mid-pack most days.

What’s one thing that’s changed the most for you since coming out?

Honestly? I like racing more now.

Not because I’m faster. Not because I win more. But because I don’t feel like I’m hiding myself. When I show up to a start line now, it’s all of me. And that version of me? He’s a hell of a lot stronger than the one who was hiding.

Jason’s Thoughts: As I set up this article on the Run Tri Bike site, I smiled. I then turned to Lori and said, “I love this article by Hollie. It makes me proud to be the company that shares the story of a queer everyday athlete telling THEIR story. That is really amazing.”

It is important to me that Run Tri Bike be the supportive space that I dreamed it to be when I started the company in 2020. Over the years, I have worked to ensure that when somebody comes to our website or our social pages that they feel welcomed and not kept out of our sports.

This story is a wonderful example of what my vision was and continues to be.