Age: 17
Hometown: New York City
Category: road 3 track 4
Tipping the scales at 125pds and standing (currently) 5'7", Lewis Almonte is one of those riders whom others don't realize is tucked in quietly at the back of a break until it is too late. His size belays his speed; Lewis climbs as one would expect of a bantam weight, but this Dominican-American is equally adroit in a field sprint. Almonte follows in the footsteps of his father and brother, both successful bike racers. The elder Almonte raced for many years in the Dominican Republic and his brother, 19 years-old Euri Madera, is the 2006 CRCA club champion. Lewis is poised to surpass both, having acheived category 3 at age 16 after a stellar 2006 season. Lewis first served notice that he was a force to be reckoned with at the 2005 Housatonic Hills road race, winning the 15-16 year-old age group while brother Euri took the 17-18 race. 2006 was highlighted by victory in the 3rd stage of the Can-Am U-19 Challenge, and a near miss for the overall at the Nicole Reinhart Memorial Tour de FCCC. For 2007 Lew is tackling his first US national championship and the junior World Cup Tour de l'Abitibi.
