Jose Manuel (Chepe) Garcia

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Country: Mexico

Height: 5 9"

Weight: 160

Date of Birth: 12/01/1972

Place of Birth: Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Pro Since: 1998

Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia is a two-time Mexican National Champion who won the national road race championship in 1996 and the country’s 4,000 meter individual pursuit in 1997.

Over the span of his eight-year career, Garcia has split his time between the Americas and Europe, earning more than 20 top three finishes, including a second place at the Tour De Beauce and the overall points jersey. In 2004 and 2005, while still racing professionally in Mexico, he started doing local races throughout southern California. It was during this time that he met Toyota-United Team Director, Harm Jansen, who saw him as a good fit for the first year team.

A fast, aggressive rider and mid-mountain specialist, he races to win and is not easily intimidated. He grew up watching his father, an amateur cyclist in Mexico. Like his father, he is a fierce competitor. For Garcia, earning a spot on the Toyota-United roster with some of the world’s top cyclists means only one thing – responsibility – to do what’s asked of him and give his all on every ride to make his team the best.

In 2006, he proved himself to be both a capable teammate and a contender, winning at the Wells Fargo Twilight and Chuck Pontius criteriums. With a full season in the U.S. under his belt, he looks forward to another successful year with a revamped Toyota-United squad.

When Garcia is not racing, he enjoys trips back to Mexico to spend time with his three-year old son, Leonardo.