Fount Cycling earned second overall in the team classification at Tour of the Gila 2024. It was the team’s first time attending Tour of the Gila, and the team’s only regret is not doing the race sooner.

Following Found Cycling Guild’s Elizabeth Dixon’s victory on the Gila Monster Road Race, team founders and owners Jennifer Wheeler and David Richter spoke with Tour of the Gila. They discussed their process for selecting talent and supporting riders in their racing careers. With raw emotion, they pointed to the impact of a result at Tour of the Gila and the importance of showing athletes that they are capable and should shoot for the moon, even if it means signing up for a race without having mastered every skill in the book.

“This has been the best organized race that I think I’ve ever done, been involved in–as a rider and as a coach,” Richter says.

Wheeler agreed, “I am kind of sad we haven’t come the last few years that [Tour of the Gila Competition Director] Michael [Engleman] has invited us, but we will definitely be back. It’s a beautiful place, like a secret gym.”

The squad that attended with Fount Cycling Guild found their careers strengthened and their goals set even higher after proving to themselves what they can do. “It’ll give them at least a little bit of faith that they’re good enough,” Wheeler said. “Yeah, you never know.”

It’s a lessen any cyclist can take to heart when considering registering for Tour of the Gila. “I mean, a day like today for Elizabeth can change  your life,” Wheeler emphasized.