Steve Bauer was born in St. Catharines and raised in the hamlet of Fenwick, Ontario. Like many other young Canadians, Steve grew up playing hockey, but also practiced many other sports during his young years playing baseball, basketball, soccer and gymnastics. Steve would ride his bike to get around whether to go to baseball practice or to meet friends. One summer at the age of 16 years, his mom Frances suggested he check out the St.Catharines Cycling Club as she had read in the Standard newspaper some racing accolades of Gord Singleton and Karen Strong. In the spring of 1977 as a junior, Bauer joined the Canadian national track cycling team and raced in the Track World Cycling Championships in Vienna, Austria as a junior and also with the senior men's team in San Cristobal, Venezuela. The Canadian senior men’s team of Lovell, Walton, Hayman and Bauer qualified in the team pursuit before being eliminated by East Germany. This would be a moment in Steve’s life when he realized that he should pursue a career in bike racing.
Front 1981 to 1984 Steve road with GS Mangonie where founder Fred Mengonie mentored Steve and encouraged him to train like a pro. Fred set-up contact and training partnership with Greg Lemond. In the winter of 1983-84, Steve would log more endurance road miles then ever before. Steve transitioned to his professional career after winning a silver medal at 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Road Race. Following the games, Steve immediately transferred to Europe and after only one month as a pro, won bronze at the Professional Road World Championship in Barcelona, Spain. This moment was the beginning of a 12 year journey amongst cycling’s greatest road athletes and historic competitions. As a first year pro in 1985 Steve rode the Tour de France with the La Vie Claire Team. Steve would lead the Tour wearing the white “rookie” jersey for almost the entire race before dropping behind the Columbian Fabio Parra. As a teammate of both Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault, Steve would be the lieutenant for both mean as they battled for the Yellow Jersey and overall victory in both the 1985 and 1986 Tours. After changing team’s to Weinmann - La Suisse in 1988, Bauer raced his personal best Tour de France, winning a stage, leading the race for 5 days in yellow and completing the overall general classification at 4th place in Paris. Two years later in 1990 under new direction of the American 7-Eleven team, Steve jumped out in the lead on stage one and raced in the yellow jersey for nine consecutive stages. Over his career, In total, Steve participated into eleven Tours from 1985 to 1995.
In 1994 Bauer was awarded the Canadian Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws at Brock University. After retiring in 1996, Steve co-founded Steve Bauer Bike Tours. Based in St. Catharines, the company specializes in high quality, international bicycle tours and events for cycling enthusiasts.
In 2005 Stave Bauer was inducted to the Canadian Olympic Sport Hall of Fame and as well the Canadian Sport Hall of Fame. Steve Bauer cofounded Cycle Sport Management with Josee Larocque and built Canada’s first ever Continental Professional road mens’ cycling team from 2008 to 2012. The Canadian athlete focused team raced internationally reaching its peak in 2012 racing on the world tour at the Tour de Suisse. Cycle Sport Management provided opportunity for Canadian men and launched several into the Pro Tour ranks.
Currently, Steve heads the direction of the Milton Cycling Academy at the recently opened Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, On. It seems the cycling passion has never dwindled for Bauer in all his pursuits.
Steve Bauer brought recognition to Canada on the international cycling stage, has become one of the “legends” of Canadian cycling, and set a humble example of the way a small town Canadian hockey player can pave the way for future Canadian cyclists to achieve great things.
BORN: June 12 1959, St. Catharines, ON, CANADA
CYCLING CAREER
1977-1984: Canadian National Team member until turning professional
1984-1996: Professional career (12 years)
POST CYCLING CAREER
1997 until present: Steve Bauer Bike Tours Inc.
2007 -... Cycle Sport Management Inc.
2014 - ... Head Coach, Mattamy National Cycling Center.
RACING TEAMS
1975- Present: Lifetime honorary member of the St. Catharines Cycling Club
1978–1979: sponsored by a local bike shop in Hamilton
1980: AMF Racing Team
1981-1984: GS Mengoni Team
1985: La Vie Claire (began pro career)
1986-1987: Toshiba/ La Vie Claire
1988: Weinmann / La Suisse
1989: Helvetia / La Suisse
1990: 7-Eleven
1991-1995: Motorola
1996: Saturn
2008 - 2009: (Owner & Head Director) Team R.A.C.E. Pro - Planet Energy
2010 - 2012: (Owner & Head Director) Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy / C10
TEAM MATES Raced with the following champions and team-mates of high class or achievement
1985-1986: Greg Lemond, Bernard Hinault, Andy Hampsten
1988-1989: Pascal Richard
1990: Davis Phinney, Andy Hampsten, Bob Roll
1992-1995: Lance Armstrong, Fabio Casartelli, Phil Anderson, George Hincapie, Frankie Andreu, Axel Merkcx
RACING HIGHLIGHTS
CANADIANS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
1978: 1st National Criterium, Lachine, QC
1981: 1st road race and track points race, Vancouver, BC
1982: 1st road race and track points race, Edmonton, AB
1983: 1st road race, Thunder Bay, ON
1996: 1st Canadian Olympic Trials Road Race, St.Sauveur, QC
2014: 1st track individual pursuit, 500m TT and scratch race, Milton, ON
COMMONWEALTH GAMES
1982: 2nd road race, 4th 10 mile track & 4th team pursuit, Brisbane, Australia
OLYMPIC GAMES
1980: Canadian Olympic Team pursuit team (Moscow boycott)
1984: Silver medal road race, Los Angeles, USA
1996: 41st (best Canadian) road race, Atlanta, USA
WORLDS CHAMPIONSHIPS
1977: 7th junior team pursuit / 13th Individual Pursuit; Vienna AUS
1977: 8th Men’s team pursuit, San Cristobal, VEN
1980: 13th points race, Besancon FRA
1982: 4th points race, Bruno, Czech Republic
1984: 3rd professional road race, Barcelona, ESP
1987: 13th professional road race, Villach, AUS
1988: 2nd professional road race, Ronse, BEL
1989: 13th professional road race, Chambery, FRA 2003: Course designer, Hamilton, CAN
TOUR DE FRANCE
1985: 10th Overall, wore White jersey for most of the entire race
1985: 6th Fastest in the individual time trials
1986: 23rd Overall
1988: 4th Overall and 1st stage one / 5 days in Yellow jersey
1989: 15th Overall 1990: Led the Tour / Yellow jersey for 9 consecutive days; 27th Overall
1985-1995: 11 consecutive participations Total: 14 days in Yellow jersey
GIRO D’ITALIA
1987: 10TH Overall / 2nd Prologue Stage
CLASSIC & WORLD CUP
1985: 9th Milan San Remo ITA
1985: 8th G.P Frankfurt / Heninnger Turm GER
1985: 3rd Championship of Zurich
1986: 2nd Championship of Zurich
1986: 2nd G.P. Frankfurt / Henninger Turm GER
1986: 4th Tour of Flanders BEL
1987: 4th Tour of Flanders BEL
1987: 11th Milan San Remo ITA
1988: 6th Gent Wevelgem BEL
1988: 8th Paris Roubaix, FRA
1989: 10th Tour of Flanders BEL
1986-1990: 2nd & 6th, Henninger Turm, Frankfurt, GER
1988-1989: 6th & 3rd, Amstel Gold Race, Holland
1989: 4th, Paris Roubaix, FRA
1989: 1st Championship of Zurich
1990: 2nd, Paris Roubaix, FRA
1990: 6th Classica San Sebastian SPA
1990: 9th Gent Wevelgem BEL
1991: 4th, Paris Roubaix FRA
1994: 6th Paris Tours
INTERNATIONAL TOUR & RACE
1980 & 1983: 1st, Tour of Somerville New Jersey and set speed record
1985: 3rd Tour du Haut Var, FRA
1986: 2nd Overall Tour of Ireland, IRE – 1 stage
1987: Criterium International, FRA – 1 stage
1988: 2nd Overall Tour of Switzerland, SWI– 1 stage
1988: Etoile de Bésseges, FRA - 1 stage,
1988: 1st Overall Tour de l‘Oise, FRA
1988: Dauphiné Libèré, FRA – 1 stage
1988: 1st Trophea Pantalica, ITA
1988: 3rd Giro di Lazio ITA
1989: 4th Overall Tour of Switzerland,
1988-89 1st Two times, Canadian Tire International Professional Sprint, CAN
1992: Vuelta Ciclista, Galega, SPA – 1 Stage
1994: 2nd overall, W. Virginia Classic, USA
1994-1995: Tour de Dupont, USA - 3 stage victories
1995: 1st, Norwest Cup, USA
1996: Niedersachsen Rudndfart, GER - 2 stages
1996: Rhienfeld Tour, GER - 2 stages
INTERNATIONAL GRAND PRIX
1985: 1st, G.P. Aix en Provence, FRA (FIRST PROFESSIONAL VICTORY)
1986-1987: 1st, Carlsberg Light G.P., CAN
1988: 1st, G.P. d’Amériques, Montreal, CAN
1994: 2nd Atlanta, USA 1994: 8th, G.P. E3, Harelbeke, BEL
1995: 1st, Deinze G.P., BEL
1996: Thames Valley G.P., CAN– 1 stage
1996: 1st, Roanoke Valley G.P.
NOTEABLE WORLD RANKINGS
1988: 5th
1990: 7th
HONORARY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF INTEREST
Dedication of El Tour de Phoenix 2007
Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, Inducted April 2005
Canadian Sports Hall of Fall, induction Ceremony November 2, 2005
Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Brock University, Ontario 1994
Awarded the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal
Recreational trail named "The Steve Bauer Trails" in Pelham Ontario
Canadian National Film Board feature: "Steve Bauer Inside Out" 1993
PAST AND CURENT COMMUNITY & CHARITY INVOLVEMENT
Mattamy National Cycling Center
Humberview Group Ride
Tour de Bleu
The Grand Ride - Grand River Hospital Foundation
Supporter of Tour for Kids and Race Against Cancer Everywhere
Ride to Conquer Cancer of Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation
Tour of Courage of Alberta Cancer Foundation
Tour of Courage of British Columbia Cancer Foundation
In the morning, from the north, under a bright sunshine, we climbed the Col de La Madeleine, a classic of the Tour since 1969 with its 25.3 km at 6.2% average for a total of 1585 m gain to culminate at 2000 m of altitude. It was a quiet day on the Madeleine. Everyone else was
Testimonials
Thank you for helping to make our conference a big success. The bike tour was great! It was just what was needed after 3 days of intense meetings. We can’t wait to do it again next year. Have a great season.
Monica P., Toronto, ON.
Thanks for the fabulous trip! Everything exceeded our expectations.