April 19, 2003 (Las Vegas, Nevada) – The 2003 season has begun with a bang for Paul Tracy. Racing for his new Team Players team, the Scarborough, Ontario born 34-year old has taken the first three races of the CART series, and looks poised to challenge for the overall.

To top it all off, the Las Vegas resident is a huge cycling fan, and, road cyclist. Tracy began mountain bike riding when he lived in Scarborough, years before his fame. “I used to go riding around Rouge river or in the Don Valley,” Tracy said, “Sometimes we'd have a few beers and head out with the lights for midnight rides with my buddies. It was great!”

Things changed when he moved away from Ontario, to Arizona initially. “It wasn't the same. I missed my roots and the trails we have in Ontario. I gave up riding for awhile, until I discovered road riding, a few years later.” Tracy got the bug after a friend told him he should try riding, and come out for some local group rides in Las Vegas. Sure enough, he bought a bike, and began cycling again – but it wasn't easy.

“At first I didn't like group rides. I got dropped in the first few miles and it was really demoralizing. It took me awhile before I had the fitness and the confidence to stay in the group. Now I can ride with them for 120K. My fitness is many times better.” His interest in cycling has also created some interesting relationships in the cycling community. Soon after meeting Francesco Fondriest (brother of Maurizio) at Interbike in Las Vegas, Tracy was given a Fondriest bike sponsorship, getting the latest and greatest Italian frames every year. Apart from Fondriest, Tracy has also become close friends with Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, after donating the $25,000 prize he'd won the WorldCom Most Popular Driver Award to the Lance Armstrong foundation.

So how much of a diehard road rider is Tracy? He rides two to two and half hours a day, and three to four hours on the weekend when he's not racing cars. And he also rides a lot with teammate Patrick Carpentier who is sponsored by Quebec-based Argon 18. Both drivers are nuts about cycling and their favourite spot is Red Rock Canyon near their home-away-from home in Las Vegas. On a Thursday before a CART race Tracy takes his road bike around the course to do a reconnaissance, while most other drivers will walk or take scooters. Finally, before every race Tracy makes sure to warm up on his indoor trainer for 30 minutes. “I have to ride before. It loosens me up and relaxes me,” he says, “But I make sure to do it in the Team Players camper van – I don't want the other guys knowing my secret.”