Senior Cyclist Scores Major Bike Company Sponsorship

The+friendly+nature+of+cycling+is+what+attracted+Frimat+to+the+sport.

photo courtesy of Sebby Frimat

The friendly nature of cycling is what attracted Frimat to the sport.

Alex Stenman, staff writer

Since its inception in 2013, many Edina students have joined the Edina Cycling Team in hopes of having fun competing with other racers and finding success on the trails. However, few students have seen as much success as senior Sebby Frimat.

Frimat has been on the cycling team since his freshman year. When he was younger, he used to mountain bike with his dad while he lived in France, so it seemed only natural for him to take up mountain biking when he got older. After moving to the United States, he took up tennis as his main sport, and didn’t consider competitive biking again until the spring before his freshman year.
As a freshman, Frimat finished second overall out of all freshman in the state based on the cumulative point scoring system. Points are awarded based on finishing position in several bike races throughout the fall season. He finished several individual races in the top five and garnered first place in more than one.
This year, Frimat served as one of the captains of the team and finished in third place statewide out of all varsity cyclists. He’s also been partnered with Santa Cruz bicycles since his sophomore year. He’s now a full ambassador for the company, a position which includes perks like discounts on bike equipment, after starting out in their Grassroots Sponsorship Program.

“When I first submitted the application, I was just doing it as a joke,” Frimat said. “I wasn’t really expecting anything. Thankfully I eventually got into their Grassroots Program.”

This January, despite only being 18 years old, Frimat qualified for the U23 Pro Race at Cyclocross Nationals. According to Frimat, he was “the youngest guy by two years” to compete in the race. Despite not finishing in the top 20 in the race, it says a lot about his skill for simply qualifying for a race of that magnitude.

In the future, Frimat plans on cycling all the way through college. He has glowing praise for the cycling team after his four year tenure and highly recommends joining.
“If you’re trying to get into cycling, I’d say that cycling appealed to me because it was extremely friendly,” Frimat said. “It’s one of the very few sports where I think you’ll see [athletes from rival schools] riding together. Everyone, even your biggest competitors, are pretty much your friends.”