Garrett Wonders Biography

Once in Charleston, he found a cycling community that was struggling to survive. He raced for Charleston Velo his first season in South Carolina and concentrated on becoming a Cat I. He also competed in his final triathlon, The Armed Forces Elite Triathlon, and was the top finisher for the Navy. He applied to be a member of the Armed Forces Elite Cycling Team, and was accepted. This team consisted of members from all branches of the military. As a part of this team, he competed in the 2003 Elite Nationals, where he was in a 14:00 minute breakaway (a foreign feed did him in). In 2003 he also raced for Carolina VW, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Lowcountry VW in Charleston, South Carolina. In the 2003 season he became a Cat I, and raced extensively in the Southeast Region. He also participated in the Tour deToona and the Hessen-Rundfahrt, a week-long stage race in Germany. At the end of the season he was asked to join the Bianchi-Hincapie Sportswear Team from Greenville, South Carolina and continued to be a part of the Armed Forces Team. He had begun the 2004 season and had been selected as one of two military representatives to participate in the 2004 Olympic Trials in California. He was, in fact, on a solo training ride when he was struck and killed. Garrett inspired many in the Southeast region and played a major role in the revitalization of cycling in the area. A testament to this is the naming of a bicycle lane on the newest/ largest bridge that is currently under construction in Charleston. It will be named “Wonders’ Way.” Garrett had been teaching Officer classes at the Nuclear Power Training Command, was in the process of gaining his Professional Engineers License, working on obtaining a professional trainers’ certificate, building furniture for the home he and Terri shared, and building bikes for friends and newcomers to the sport, including a tandem he assembled from two scrap bikes he salvaged from his rides around Charleston. Garrett simply loved life. He loved to laugh, he loved to learn, and he gave himself wholeheartedly to his passion – cycling.

-Shelley Wonders (Garrett's mother)

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Garrett Wonders' Biography To learn more about Garrett, click on the following link. http://www.savagehillcycling.com/garrett.htm Garrett Wonders was a multi-talented individual. At a young age he began running in races, biking, and swimming in swim meets at the local club. He continued to develop as an athlete, and by the time he was in middle school, he was participating in mini-triathlons, football, swimming, running, and biking. He continued to maintain his Honor Roll grades and also began a career as a musician, playing saxophone, bassoon, tuba, guitar and bass. In high school he was the school mascot for 4 years and captain of both the swim team and the cross-country team. He continued his musical pursuits and also began to attend college, completing a full year of coursework by the time he graduated from high school in 1997. He was an Academic All-American in swimming, Treasurer of National Honor Society, and a Boy’s State Representative.
Dilworth race 2003					Hessen-Rundfahrt, Germany 2003
He began Ohio State as a sophomore and became interested in the cycling club as a way to improve his cycling skills for triathlons. By then he was fully immersed in triathlons at the state level, and was the Ohio State Champion in his age group in 1999. He completed a summer program for students at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, and was selected to participate in a student exchange program that involved six weeks of study at the German National Laboratory near Julich, Germany. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics in three years, graduating cum laude in June of 2000. That same year, he married his high school sweetheart, Terri Elliott, and began working on his Masters Degree in Nuclear Engineering. He also accepted a commission with the United States Navy to teach at the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his Masters Degree in 2001, the same year he advanced to Collegiate Cycling Nationals as an individual. Cycling had become his passion, and he willingly gave it his all. He quickly advanced through Category IV and Category III, winning many races in the Columbus area while racing for Ohio State University and Tri Tech. By the time he moved to Charleston, South Carolina to assume his teaching duties for the Navy, he had become a Cat II.
US Elite National Road Race 2003 (Garrett on a break away!)					Racing in Germany US Military Team
Once in Charleston, he found a cycling community that was struggling to survive. He raced for Charleston Velo his first season in South Carolina and concentrated on becoming a Cat I. He also competed in his final triathlon, The Armed Forces Elite Triathlon, and was the top finisher for the Navy. He applied to be a member of the Armed Forces Elite Cycling Team, and was accepted. This team consisted of members from all branches of the military. As a part of this team, he competed in the 2003 Elite Nationals, where he was in a 14:00 minute breakaway (a foreign feed did him in). In 2003 he also raced for Carolina VW, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Lowcountry VW in Charleston, South Carolina. In the 2003 season he became a Cat I, and raced extensively in the Southeast Region. He also participated in the Tour deToona and the Hessen-Rundfahrt, a week-long stage race in Germany. At the end of the season he was asked to join the Bianchi-Hincapie Sportswear Team from Greenville, South Carolina and continued to be a part of the Armed Forces Team. He had begun the 2004 season and had been selected as one of two military representatives to participate in the 2004 Olympic Trials in California. He was, in fact, on a solo training ride when he was struck and killed. Garrett inspired many in the Southeast region and played a major role in the revitalization of cycling in the area. A testament to this is the naming of a bicycle lane on the newest/ largest bridge that is currently under construction in Charleston. It will be named “Wonders’ Way.” Garrett had been teaching Officer classes at the Nuclear Power Training Command, was in the process of gaining his Professional Engineers License, working on obtaining a professional trainers’ certificate, building furniture for the home he and Terri shared, and building bikes for friends and newcomers to the sport, including a tandem he assembled from two scrap bikes he salvaged from his rides around Charleston. Garrett simply loved life. He loved to laugh, he loved to learn, and he gave himself wholeheartedly to his passion – cycling. -Shelley Wonders (Garrett's mother) back to top Home