Southern Oregon University rounded out its new-sport hires in 2022 by making Max Lawson the Raiders’ head cycling coach, Director of Athletics Matt Sayre announced.
Lawson, a professional cyclist from 1991-2001 and currently a masters racer coaching cyclists of all ages, has taught in the Ashland School District for 20 years. He’ll lead the Raiders as they debut in 2022-23 as a varsity program, competing at the USA Cycling collegiate level in regional competitions and eventually national championships.
“Max’s knowledge of the sport and reputation as an excellent teacher and coach in this community made him the perfect candidate,” Sayre said. “This is a program that will thrive at SOU as it fits our region and culture so well, and we can’t wait to see the student-athletes he brings in.”
As a professional cyclist, Lawson competed on the national and World Cup circuits and was a qualifier for the 1996 USA Olympic Trials. He also worked with Jamis Bicycles as a factory racer and product developer with over 10 years of experience. In 1991 he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego, where he competed for both the Toreros cross country and cycling teams.
One of Lawson’s top current pupils is his son, Elias Lawson, who placed ninth at the 2019 U23 USA Cycling National Championships and 39th at the 2021 USA Cycling National Championships.
“I am honored to have been selected to build Southern Oregon University’s new cycling program and to be part of the coaching staff and community at SOU,” Lawson said. “It has been a lifelong goal of mine to coach a collegiate cycling team, and I was overjoyed when I was offered the position.
“My vision for this program is to have a cohesive and diverse team made up of 30 dedicated, hard-working and competitive athletes. I want to connect our team to the community through clinics, trail maintenance activities and fun cycling events. My goal is to put SOU on the map as one of the top collegiate programs in the country.”
Lawson presently works as a math teacher. He was an assistant coach for the Ashland High School cross country team from 2015-17, helping expand the program from 15 to 50 student-athletes. He’s been a masters cyclist since 2018 and active in organizing and promoting races.