Update 7/23/19 – Kline earned second place on June 23 at the USA Cycling Amateur Road Nationals CRIT competition in Hagerstown, Md. He also took first place in the Elite Men's Team Pursuit and third place in the Elite Men's Madison race June 30 at the 2019 USA Cycling Junior, Elite, & Para-Cycling Track National Championships in Knoxville, Tenn.
Kline’s teammates for the Elite Men's Team Pursuit included Grant Koontz, Ashton Lambie and Colby Lange. His teammate for the Elite Men's Madison race was Justin Williams.
“The USA Cycling Amateur Road Nationals CRIT competition is considered the World Series of cycling,” Schwartz said. “The fact that Shane was able to earn spots on the podium in two races at this competition is a demonstration of his remarkable talent and determination. SmartStop is happy to be a part of this exciting journey for Shane as he seeks to compete at the highest level and represent our nation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.”
As a part of his Olympic journey, Kline is attending training camp at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., this month. The center is home to sport facilities and support services for the summer Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American sports.
8/20/18 – Kline continued his successful season at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships, earning another gold medal in the team-pursuit event. He also earned a pair of silver medals in the men's elite race and the international omnium elite 17-99 competition, an Olympic event that consists of four separate races: scratch, tempo, elimination and points. He won a bronze medal in the men's elite points race, according to a press release.
"Shane has competed at a high level all season, and in just 12 days, brought home six medals at elite national championship events in cycling held on both sides of the country," Schwartz said. "He has the heart of a champion, and we couldn't be more proud of his success this year. We are very excited to support Shane as he continues his journey toward representing the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games."
Kline is leading Valley Preferred Cycling Center point standings for 2018 Men's Rider of the Year. He has 28 points, four ahead of his nearest competitor.
7/5/18 – Kline rode to victory on June 22 in his first elite Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Class-1 omnium competition at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Pa. His first-place ride earned him points toward representing the United States in World Cup competition. In all, 12 countries were represented in the UCI field, according to a press release.
“This was a challenging day for Shane, where due to potential rain, all four events of the race were completed in just five hours,” Schwartz said. “To have him ride his first-ever elite Class 1 omnium under such conditions and come out with a win is a testament to his talent and ability as an athlete.”
The first-place finish was Kline’s fourth of the season. He’ll race five times in July.
4/25/18 – Kline earned first place in the 50.6-mile Category 1-2-3 race, the highest level of competition at the 2018 Cherry Blossom Challenge, which took place at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J., on April 7.
“We are proud of Shane and his big win as he kicked off his 2018 cycling season at the Cherry Blossom Challenge," Schwartz said. "It's an honor to be able to sponsor an Olympic hopeful and be a part of his cycling journey as he seeks to realize a lifelong dream of representing the United States at the Tokyo Olympic Games."
Kline also competed April 22 at the Daniel Harwi Memorial 31st Annual Lower Providence Spring Classic Criterium in Lower Providence, Pa. He’ll next compete at USA CRITS Speed Week, a three-day event in Georgia and South Carolina, April 27-29; and the Wilmington Grand Prix in Wilmington, Del., on May 19.
1/10/18 – SmartStop Asset Management LLC, a diversified real estate company that manages 108 self-storage facilities in Canada and the United States under the SmartStop Self Storage brand, will sponsor cyclist Shane Kline in his quest to make the U.S. track-cycling team and compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, according to the source.
Kline had been a member of SmartStop’s road team for four years when it folded after the 2015 season. Though he’s continued to compete professionally in road races, most recently with Rally Cycling, Kline will return to his roots on the velodrome track in his bid to make the Olympic team. He began track riding at 13 and won several national championships as a junior before moving to road racing, the source reported.
SmartStop began its association with professional cycling in 2011 when it became a presenting sponsor of the Team Mountain Khakis road team. It became title sponsor in 2014. Though SmartStop stopped its cycling sponsorship after a controversial year in which team owner Premier Sport Group fell short on payroll and still owed payments to riders when the team disbanded, SmartStop CEO H. Michael Schwartz and Kline remained in communication, according to the source.
Schwartz reportedly helped several team members secure a legal settlement with Premier Sports owner Jamie Bennett despite having met all of SmartStop’s contractual obligations with the team. He recently reached out to Kline, telling him he wanted SmartStop to reconnect with the sport, Kline told the source.
SmartStop will support Kline through the 2020 season, which will allow him to pursue his Olympic dream full time. The cyclist will now compete on the track circuit in an attempt to earn enough points to qualify for the next World Cup season.
"[Competing in the Olympics] was my dream all through the juniors," Kline told the source. "I didn’t have any ambition to go race the Tour de France. I wasn't looking to be a WorldTour rider. I wanted to go to the track to race the Olympics. That's what I wanted to do. It feels so good to rekindle that dream.”
SmartStop has approximately $1.3 billion of real estate under management. Its self-storage portfolio comprises about 7.9 million rentable square feet in 17 states and Ontario, Canada. It’s also the sponsor of Strategic Storage Growth Trust Inc., Strategic Storage Trust II Inc. and Strategic Storage Trust IV Inc., all public non-traded REITs focused on self-storage assets.
Sources:
Markets Insider, Olympic Hopeful Shane Kline Takes Home Four Medals, Including Gold, at USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships
Cycling News, SmartStop to Support Shane Kline's Olympic Dream
PR Newswire, Olympic Hopeful Shane Kline Opens 2018 Cycling Season with First Place Finish
PR Newswire, Olympic Track Cyclist Hopeful Shane Kline Earns Three More Victories in His Olympic Pursuit
