Hall of Fame: Joshua Gomez
One of the things I’m excited to introduce here on the blog is a Hall of Fame section, where we highlight athletes who are putting together standout performances and showing what development truly looks like in racing.
Our first athlete to be featured is Joshua Gomez, who has started the season on an absolute tear.
Early-season results are often a mix of fitness, opportunity, and learning experiences. Josh’s races so far have included all three—and that’s exactly why he deserves the spotlight.
A Strong Start at Cedar Hill
Josh kicked off his season at the Cedar Hill race weekend in early February.
Day one didn’t quite go the way he had hoped. He found himself in the winning breakaway but was eventually ridden out of the move before the finish. It’s a frustrating place to be—knowing you were part of the decisive moment but unable to hold on until the end.
What impressed me most wasn’t the result from day one, but how he responded on day two.
Instead of carrying the disappointment forward, Josh came back ready to race. He got himself into another early breakaway and committed to it for the entire day. That effort paid off with a second-place finish, showing both resilience and strong race instincts.
As a coach, those moments are incredibly rewarding to watch. Seeing an athlete shake off a setback and immediately perform at a high level is a great sign of growth.
Momentum at Lago Vista
After Cedar Hill, Josh returned to training with motivation and momentum heading into the Lago Vista race weekend.
This time he also had a teammate, Alex, racing alongside him.
As the race unfolded, Alex played a very active role in shaping the race—attacking, forcing selections, and steadily reducing the size of the field. Lago Vista is known for naturally breaking races apart due to its challenging terrain, and Alex’s aggression helped accelerate that process.
Eventually a breakaway formed with around ten riders.
But Alex wasn’t satisfied with that group and continued pushing the pace until he managed to get away solo.
At that moment, Josh made a decisive move.
Feeling strong, he attacked the chase group and bridged across to his teammate with a powerful effort. Once the two of them connected, they began working together smoothly off the front of the race.
It was a great example of teamwork and race awareness.
A Podium Finish
The duo maintained their advantage until another rider, Grant from Texas A&M, managed to bridge across to them.
From there the race came down to a sprint between the three riders.
Grant ultimately took the win, with Josh finishing second place, marking another strong podium result early in the season.
At this point, it’s fair to say that Josh has spent more time in breakaways than in the peloton during his races this season.
That’s usually a good sign.
Learning What It Means to Be Marked
Day two of the weekend presented a different challenge for Josh—one that many riders encounter as they begin to establish themselves in a field.
He was heavily marked.
When you become known as a strong rider in your category, things change quickly. Moves you initiate get followed. Attacks get shut down immediately. The freedom you had earlier in the season disappears.
For Josh, this was a new experience.
It became an important learning opportunity as we talked about how to race when other riders are paying close attention to your moves and actively trying to prevent you from getting away.
Despite the attention, Josh still rode a strong race and finished comfortably in the pack as the race came down to a sprint for third place behind a small late breakaway.
A Tactical Lesson in Omnium Scoring
Another valuable lesson came from the overall weekend standings.
Josh had initially believed that the omnium classification was time-based, meaning that the three-minute gap he gained on the field during Saturday’s breakaway would give him a comfortable cushion in the standings.
However, the omnium was actually points-based.
Because of that, the sprint finish on day two mattered more than he realized at the time. By not contesting the sprint as aggressively as he could have, he gave up valuable points.
In the end, he finished sixth overall in the omnium.
While that result is still impressive—especially given the level of competition—it was also a useful reminder that understanding the race format can be just as important as race fitness.
A Promising Season Ahead
For a rider still relatively new to racing, Josh has already shown some impressive qualities:
- Confidence to get into breakaways
- The ability to recover and respond after setbacks
- Strong teamwork and race awareness
- A willingness to learn from mistakes
Those traits will continue to sharpen as the season progresses.
Looking ahead, Josh will be targeting several gravel races as well as more road events later in the spring and into early summer.
If the first few races are any indication, it’s going to be an exciting season to watch.
Welcome to the Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame section of the blog is meant to recognize athletes who are not only producing strong results but also showing the mindset and development that define great racers.
Josh has already demonstrated both.
Joshua Gomez—welcome to the Utmost Performance Hall of Fame. 🚴♂️🔥
