RAHSAAN BAHATI
At Davis Middle School, in Compton, Rahsaan was known as a good kid, but a restlessly mischievous class clown and practical joker. A teacher, who was also a track cycling official, suggested that Rahsaan take up riding in the velodrome as an outlet for his boundless energy. At the same time, one of his Pop Warner coaches suggested track cycling as a sport for cross training for football and baseball. It was meant to be. From his first nationals competition, at age 13, Bahati was dominant.
The legendary sprinter and original Chocolate Rocket won over 100 races in his professional career and garnered 10 national titles including the 2008 United States National Criterium Championships. He is mentor to six champion cyclists who share his inner-city Los Angeles roots.
He established The Bahati Foundation which supports inner-city youth through inspirational speaking engagements and cycling outreach programs designed to motivate and empower kids toward higher achievement in education, music and sports. He created the pro cycling team Bahati Racing and is currently a principal and team member on the Methods to Winning Cycling Team.
His signature t-shirt says it best. Fear the Fro, Hug the Bro.
Bahati Foundation Bahati Racing INSTAGRAM Methods to Winning
JUSTIN WILLIAMS
The story of 31 year-old Williams, one of Bahati’s most promising protégés, is worth the price of admission. Justin’s parents emigrated to the United States over 30 years ago from Belize. His father, Calman Williams, was one of the most popular cyclists in a country where the year’s biggest sporting event is a cross country cycling race that takes place on the Saturday before Easter. His two uncles, together, won the race 10 times.
Even though he was an accomplished athlete in football, soccer and basketball, the urge to be like his father and ride was too great to keep him away. At 14 he got his first bike and just three years later he was signed as a professional with Rock Racing.
In his professional career, to date, he has 14 California State Road and Track championships and 11 National Championships including back-to-back Criterium Nationals.
He is the reigning National Criterium Road Champion, creator of CNCPT Racing, and founder of Legion of Los Angeles racing team.
CORY WILLIAMS
The 26 year-old is his older brother Justin’s partner in domination in criterium racing, a discipline that takes place on city streets like a NASCAR race on two wheels.
The younger Williams was a standout football running back at Crenshaw High School who saw four teammates go on to the NFL. Realizing that he was too small for pro football, he took up the family sport. He won the Junior National Championships as a 15 year-old and performed well in road races and criteriums throughout his junior years, winning the Crit Nationals in 2009 and finishing top 20 in the road race as a first year 17-18 in 2010.
He turned pro in 2010 and signed with Incycle-Cannondale in 2015. He is now a sprinting specialist on the Williams brothers’ team, Legion of Los Angeles. Justin and Cory split wins nearly equally during the Criterium Racing season, each supporting the other in final sprints.
He was Top 20 at national road races as a junior, has been a National Champion, and has won over 20 State Championships including last year’s contest.
Along with set up man, brother CJ, Cory and Justin Williams are the most dominant duo in US amateur cycling.
Cory Williams, Justin Williams, and CJ Williams
CHARON SMITH
A childhood friend of Rahsaan’s in South Central, Charon came to cycling at 30 years of age, a very late start. The two had lost contact with one another when Charon noticed Bahati on a poster for the Saturn Racing Team in his father’s office. Intrigued by the notion that there weren’t many black cyclists racing bikes, and Rahsaan had become a star, he bought a bike, got a kit from Rahsaan’s father, and started his racing career.
His first race series was in El Dorado Park in Long Beach. He was a winner almost from the very beginning, moving quickly through the rankings. Surf City Cyclery signed him to his first contract which lasted 7 years before he joined his old friend Bahati on the Methods to Winning team in 2017.
Charon has won 6 California State Criterium Championships, the prestigious Dana Point Grand Prix 4 times, and the Elmhurst Classic, in Chicago, in 2018.
Rahsaan Bahati and Charon “Mr. 200 Meters 2 Go” Smith, are a force to be reckoned with, when there is an all out sprint for the line.
