Jimmie Johnson is not trying to be the star of the show, but the spotlight finds him. The 7x NASCAR Monster Energy Series champion is cruising unassumingly at the front of a field of 60 or so cyclists at the Champions Ride, at the Daytona 500. NASCAR driver Scott Lagasse Jr. started the ride four years ago to raise awareness for cycling safety, and advocacy organization PeopleForBikes is a major supporter. Jimmie, 42, isn’t the only celebrity driver here. Still, he stands out. Throughout the 45-mile ride, which opens and closes on the track, Johnson reaches out for handshakes with fans. Afterward, he’s in hot demand for selfies with the side-of-beef-size cops running escort.
NASCAR’s thriving cycling culture, which includes drivers and staff, didn’t start with Johnson. But when it comes to spreading love for bikes to the NASCAR audience, he might be the most influential in the pack.
His social media feeds are peppered with ride photos. He’s posted over 23,000 miles on Strava. He’s an ambassador for PeopleForBikes. Numerous staff and pit crew from Hendrick Motorsports—which owns Jimmie’s No. 48 car—tell me he convinced them to start riding.
After the ride, Johnson sits down for our Q&A. That night, he’ll race in qualifying heats. But for now, Johnson stays in his kit. He’s got a spare hour or two before he’s due back. When we finish, he grabs his bike and spins off, for just one more ride.
Bicycling: Most of us get into bikes as kids. It sounds like you did too, with BMX, right?
Yeah, I raced motocross as a kid in Southern California. As a teenager, I liked surfing more, but BMX went well with motocross, and there was a legit pump track near our house. Then the pipe era came along. My dad worked in construction and brought home a Bobcat, so we were always building stuff: jumps, quarter pipes. We’d all go ride and split our shins open. I busted a lip open once. We had a lot of fun.
Then for a while you didn’t ride. What brought you back?
When I got serious about racing, life just went a different way. Then in 2004 or 2005, I realized that this cycling group [in NASCAR] was riding on Saturdays, before the races on Sundays. It was a pretty small group, but they did rides at every track. I started joining them. From there I got back on the mountain bike, too. So in the last 10 years I’ve gone from casual to more structured riding, and doing some triathlons and mountain-bike races; I’ve also done the Assault on Mt. Mitchell [a 103-mile ride outside of Spartanburg, South Carolina, with more than 10,000 feet of climbing] a few times.
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Does riding help your racing?
I’m stronger in the car. [Editor’s Note: NASCAR races average over three hours, with in-car temperatures of 120 to 160 degrees; there’s no A/C.] But unexpected aspects for me were nutrition and hydration. I didn’t realize some of the feelings I was having in the car were related to that until I experienced them on the bike and heard others say, “Hey, you’re down on electrolytes, you didn’t eat right.” I started focusing on that, and I could go from a 90-minute ride to a five-hour ride and feel great the whole time. It was eye-opening. The last thing is the mental side. I don’t care what age you are or what mileage you do, it’s just a great break in the craziness of life.
NASCAR has the longest season in major pro sports; you guys are traveling 40 weeks a year. How does riding help you cope with that?
In season I’m on the road three or four days a week. Before I started riding, I would be frustrated that I didn’t know what to do in the downtime. Of course, I’d rather be home with my family, but let’s say I’m in New Hampshire—there’s this amazing downhill park a half-hour from the track, so I know what my Saturday afternoon looks like [laughs]. It’s brought a level of enjoyment to the travel that wasn’t there before.
How do you find out the good rides in any given area?
It’s been from meeting people on Strava, actually. We met a group of guys in Phoenix who completely changed our view on the riding there. They showed us great roads and trails. Now, we put a cooler full of beers out in the desert and end at a campfire. But the biggest piece is Joe Gibbs Racing [team]. They have had a deep cycling culture for 15 to 20 years. We piggyback onto their rides and figure out how to expand and improve the routes.
What’s worse: crashing on the bike or in the car?
I’ve grown used to the security blanket of the car. Sure, it hurts, but it’s not like your body hitting the ground. I’m more tentative on the bike because, man, a crash would suck. The road rash is gonna hurt. In the car, it scares you, but it’s just like getting punched.
What’s the vibe like on a typical NASCAR group ride?
As much as I ride, I’m usually in the back half of the group. Sometimes I’m just hanging on. I’ve improved. I knocked 30 minutes off my time on Mitchell in 2017 compared to two years ago. [In 2018, Jimmie was sixth in his age group.] But against my knucklehead friends here, I’m chasing hard, I’m still out of breath, and they can talk.
In NASCAR, so much comes down to the car tuning. Do you get into the gear and the science of bikes?
The DNA of most of the racers, we’re all tech junkies. We obsess over the mechanical aspects on racecars, and it carries over to the bike. You show up to ride, and you look around at who’s riding what. What are those wheels? Are you on ceramic bearings? Wait, there are ceramic chains, too?! It’s aero this, aero that, there’s that same foundation between the two sports.
Highlights from Jimmie's Fleet
Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc
Jimmie's is built with SRAM Red eTap and Zipp wheels, in a new Project One color called Brushed Liquid Metal. But we love the stock color shown here: "Gloss Sunburst."
Trek Fuel EX 9.9 29
Jimmie keeps a mountain bike in Colorado, and one at home in Charlotte. The Fuel EX has a carbon frame, carbon Bontrager wheels, and ability to accept 27.5+ tires.
Trek Émonda SLR 9 Disc
Jimmie's is a Project 1 build, with a custom paint scheme, SRAM Red E-tap drivetrain, and Bontrager XXX2 wheels. Stock version (shown here) starts at $11,000.
Trek SuperCommuter+ 8S
This e-bike features a Bosch-powered pedal assist up to 28 mph, and all the features you need in a daily driver: front and rear lights, fenders, and a rack.
Not long ago, you got Dale Earnhardt Jr. into cycling. What got him interested?
He’d been doing some spin classes. I was like, “Hey, man, you gotta get on a bike. It’ll clear your mind. It’ll blow you away.” He wasn’t into it. I gave him a spare bike, shoes, helmet, full kit. He’s like, “Thanks! That’s so nice of you.” I’d ask if he’d gotten out on it and it was always, no. Then finally one day he says, “Hey, I rode that bike.” And I said, “Great, how far did you go?” “Ah, down to the end of my driveway and back. It’s a steep hill man, I only had to walk part of it.” Then, when Hendrick put some fitness minimums on the drivers [required hours for cardio and strength training], he’s like, “All right, I already got the bike, and Jimmie says it’s fun.” So at the QuikTrip 500 in Atlanta last year, he went on his first ride. He struggled, but he didn’t fall, so he was happy about that. It lit something inside of him. And he rides all the time now.
You said he really got into the gear.
Yeah, he is such a techie. I call him to repair stuff. He got me on Zwift. He looked at my basic trainer setup and said, “Hey, you need the [Wahoo] Kickr.”
Everyone is trying to sell him something. I have no agenda. He was watching and asking questions as my fitness came along. It’s always more important to me to have friends, especially in the competitive world, than to be a dick and not help people. Someone asked Dale, “Why was Jimmie the one who got you into it?” And he said something like, “Jimmie just always wants to include people.”
You spend a fair bit of time in Aspen, right?
I move there when the kids aren’t in school. It’s great.
Aspen’s a small town; you hang out with Lance much?
Yeah, I usually get out on the mountain bike with him. Our houses are like two blocks apart, and his youngest is besties with my oldest, so we see them a lot.
I heard you guys tried to drunk-dial Dale one night; how’d that go?
I was with Lance and he said, “How’s Dale?” and I said, “I don’t know; let’s call him and find out!” We were in Austin. It was midnight for Dale [in Mooresville, North Carolina]. It goes to voicemail, and I try again. It rings three times and he kills it, and I’m like, “Wait a second, he’s awake!” So I text him, and he’s like, “What are you doing up?” Lance says, “If he won’t answer, maybe someone else will, like Willie [Nelson]. Have you ever talked with Willie before?” I said, “No, I’d love to.” And Willie answered straight away.
Getting run off the road is a big fear for cyclists. How do you get past that?
I have had people honk at us and swerve to try to scare me. It’s just beyond me why people would treat another person like that. Working with groups like PeopleForBikes and IMBA, I love their approach: You just admit that everyone has frustrations on the road, and start with our responsibilities as riders. I’ve found that really helps to get the message out.
Not everyone is a fan of NASCAR’s cycling club. Your fellow driver Clint Bowyer says it’s just a fad. What do you say to that?
I think he just likes to bust our balls. Last year, we were riding in Talladega. Clint likes to ride his Harley to the track. We’re all pedaling up this climb and stop at this place at the top for coffee, and Clint pulls up on his Harley, shaking his head. He says, “I see you stupid idiots pedaling your bikes up this hill and I’ll bet Johnson’s in this group somewhere, and yep, there you are.” But I feel pretty certain I can get him in a mountain-bike situation. He raced dirt bikes for a long time so I know I can bridge that gap with him.
