DEVO Team
Carter Lembke
Age 13 · Born and raised in Columbia, MO. Smallest rider on the squad. Never gets dropped. Phenomenon unexplained by science.
← Back to TeamAbout
Bio
Born and raised in Columbia, Missouri — a small college town. Carter found cycling during the pandemic and has been impossible to drop ever since. When he's not training or racing, he's spelunking, playing disc golf, fishing, or finding any excuse to be outside with his friends.
Get to Know
Q&A
How did you get into cycling, and how did you get into gravel specifically? Was there a moment where you knew this was your thing?
I got into cycling during the pandemic when one of my friends from school asked if I wanted to go on a ride. It was the hardest thing I had ever done and I immediately wanted to do it again. My first 3 gravel races I all DNF'd — I would always try and hang onto the front of the group and blow up an hour in.
I really can't remember a time when I knew it was "my thing," but looking back I have some moments that I am super proud of.
What's the hardest thing about being a competitive athlete at the level you're at?
I think a lot of people talk about how hard their training is, how much sleep they get, and what their carb to protein ratio in dinner was — but in my opinion, as a teenage athlete, the hardest thing is balancing a normal high school life and social life with training and racing.
I know I'm not a "normal" kid with all the things that come with cycling, but I want to look back on this time in my life and be happy that I didn't completely take up every second with something cycling related.
Why Lunch Box? What does being part of this team mean to you specifically?
As a junior racing gravel it is so hard to find support — both financially and physically. Ever since I saw the program Drew and Chase started, I was honestly surprised that they were such elite athletes who seemed to not take things too seriously, which I think fits perfectly with my attitude towards the sport.
This kind of summarizes what the team means to me: we are all a bunch of guys and girls in spandex racing our $10,000 bikes, which if you look at it from the outside seems completely ridiculous — which is exactly why I love that Lunch Box can have fun before the race and still lock in when it matters.
What's a goal you have — on the bike or off — that most people don't know about?
On the bike: I want to do a long bikepacking trip, specifically the Tour Divide route. And I want to make it to either a gravel or mountain bike world championship.
Off the bike: my biggest goal is to graduate college. Real creative, I know.
What do you do to decompress when you're not on the bike?
I go outside, hang out with friends, and if possible combine the two. Another thing I like to do is get a bunch of speakers together and just rip some karaoke.
What's something about you that would surprise people who only know you as a cyclist?
I have a rap account called Chainz Squared.
Also — people might not know that I'm super into music of all types, especially stuff that is odd and unique.
From the Athlete
Posts
Posts coming soon.
Gallery
Photos
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Coming Soon