Sam Boardman’s signature long wavy hair and burly mustache set him apart in the world of professional cycling. They also make him easier to spot during races.  

“I keep my long hair and my mullet and mustache mainly as a way for my parents to see me and I can prove to them I’m doing what it is I say I’m doing,” he said. 

What Boardman is doing is racing road bikes around the world at an elite level. 

The Whitefish resident recently signed with the Modern Adventure Pro Cycling Team. The 21-member team is led by retired pro cyclist George Hincapie -- a domestique for Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal and Discovery teams -- and his brother Richard. The duo launched the upstart team to help elevate cycling in the U.S., where the sport has fewer fans than in other parts of the world. 

“There needed to be something done to try to revamp American interest in the sport,” Boardman said. “[The Hincapies thought] one of the best ways to do that would be to try and create a majority American team that can foster and cultivate a fan base in North America that can follow along their exploits back in the states and in Europe.” 

The elite Union Cycliste Internationale team is mostly made up of riders from the U.S. and competes in European and South American events. They snagged the 30-year-old Boardman just before he hung up his helmet and dove into a “real job.”  

“The financial landscape of cycling is unstable at best, downright volatile at worst, so trying to cobble together a career in the sport has proven successful, in so much as I've gotten to visit a lot of countries and see a lot of great places, meet new people, but financially speaking, it was simply untenable and unsustainable so I decided it's probably time to get a real job.” 

However, he got a message from the Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team that changed his mind. He signed a two-year contract last year.

ALTHOUGH BOARDMAN is primarily an elite road racing cyclist, he has participated in gravel events and often trains on his mountain bike.  

“I'm always a proponent of skinny tires over everything because I enjoy the raw speed and nerdy aspect of road cycling,” he said, adding that there is a lot of cross over among road, gravel and mountain bikers. “Everyone, I think, just considers themselves bikers at the end of the day. People who enjoy bikes.” 

His love for cycling is palpable, and his desire for others to enjoy the sport is powerful.  

"If you are thinking about riding a bike, or you have a dusty, old two-wheeler sitting in the garage that needs some love, wash ‘er off and go for a spin,” Boardman said. “I cannot convey to people enough how lifechanging riding a bike can be.”  

He said benefits can come from a short ride around the block or from longer, more challenging rides. Cycling can also “bring you to places you never thought you’d end up going in your entire life, as it did with me.” 

One of the coolest places he has biked was Africa, during the Tour du Rwanda. The race takes riders around the country and in and out of Kigali, the city center. 

“The crowds there, to this day, out of any race I’ve ever been to, are the largest I have ever seen,” he said. “We would be doing courses that would span 100 miles, from one end of the country to the other and, literally, there was not more than a 10-foot stretch where there wasn't a person standing there cheering.” 

One of the coolest people he’s met though biking is his wife, fellow professional cyclist Jess Cerra. They met while on a group ride in Southern California where they were both living. Cerra is from Whitefish and the two returned to her hometown in 2021. 

Boadman’s training and racing requires him to spend “a gargantuan chunk” of time away from home. Fortunately for the couple, Cerra is well acquainted with the rigors of professional cycling, and her current job is flexible enough to allow her to visit Boardman when he is training and racing in Europe. 

The pair recently pedaled in Nice, France, on “twisty, beautiful, winding roads through the mountains” with French villages and castles dotting the way. 

The couple created the Last Best Ride, a bike race held on the gravel roads around Whitefish. Boardman describes his role in the creation of the race as “box lifter emeritus” and said the race was Cerra’s vision. It’s become a fixture and the 2026 race will be its sixth iteration. 

The race is a fundraiser for the Barbara Mansfield Champion Scholar Award which provides scholarships for women in the Flathead Valley who wish to pursue a secondary education. The event has raised over $130,000 in five years. 

Whether you enjoy the race as a participant or as a spectator, be sure to cheer for the rider with a luxurious mullet and a rugged horseshoe mustache. 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support. 

HOW TO BECOME A CYCLING FAN 

Boardman suggests a three-step plan for people wanting to become a fan of cycling. 

First, get out and ride. 

"Cycling is one of the unique sports that offers amateurs of genuine, tangible way of enjoying the sport in exactly the same way as the professionals,” he said. “Our venues are not stadiums. They are not arenas that you can only access if you are professional. 

“Throughout the world there are races that have been held on roads in and around different cities and anyone can ride those roads,” he said. 

That way, people can get an intimate understanding of what the athletes are going through when they are racing. 

“If you’re thinking about going for a bike ride, just do it,” he said. 

Secondly, he suggests participating in a local cycling event. 

“If you are riding a bike and you enjoy ... having a day out with friends in a beautiful place maybe you've never been, consider signing up to an event,” he said. “I think this is one of the best ways to become engaged with the cycling community. 

“Cycling is one of those amazing sports that attracts all walks of life and some of the best people I’ve met, some of my best friends, my wife — I’ve met through riding a bike,” he added. 

Boardman's third tip is to watch a ton of racing. There are many broadcasters and a mix of channels and services providing coverage. Every team and most riders have a social media presence. 

“If you find yourself becoming a real cycling nerd, then you can browse certain cycling publications for upcoming races that you may be interested in watching,” he said.

    With his signature long hair and mustache, Sam Boardman is easy to locate during a race. (Photo by Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
 Luis Angel Gomez / SprintCycling   

    Sam Boardman racing with the Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team during the third stage of the Tour de Hongrie in 2026. (Photo by Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
 Luis Angel Gomez / SprintCycling   

    Jess Cerra and Sam Boardman atop the podium at the inaugural running of The Last Best Ride in 2021. (Photo provided)