The Low-Down on George Saunders:
George has always been into some type of fitness, and being active/exercising has been an outlet for him. Weight lifting was always a staple in his life, but 10 years ago he made his way into the endurance world with Obstacle Course Racing. He excelled, but realized he wasn’t a natural endurance runner. After needing Achilles and ankle surgeries, through cross training, he found his love for the bicycle. George was instantly excelled in cycling more than he had at any other sport. The ability to transition from road cycling to gravel was also an instantaneous success as George was able to draw on skills honed riding dirt bikes in his childhood. He claims his work ethic and toughness comes from his father.
What He Coaches
Cycling
Favorite Events
Any flat time trial or gravel event.
Qualities George Admires In His Students
Work ethic and toughness.
Defining Moment In George’s Career
George beat every Cat 3 by at least 1min 25sec in the TT at Commerce Stage Race in Georgia in 2022. This placed him in 4th vs the Cat 1 racers, beating the U23 hour record holder. Another big one that stands out to George is the prologue TT at Hell Hole Gravel Grinder Stage Race. He placed 1st, but also beat the course record. In life, it’s definitely the recovery he’s going through now. On February 23, 2024, George was hit by a 6,000lb work van that was traveling 60 mph while he was training on his TT bike. The suspect did not stop; leaving George stuck in a ditch for 40 minutes with many broken bones in his ribs, leg, neck, and back (6 places). He prayed to God, and made it to his phone while being paralyzed from the waist down. His L1 and L3 vertebrae were crushed, requiring emergency spinal cord surgery. George spent over 17 days in the hospital learning how to walk again. His back is full of permanent hardware, he lives through pain everyday, but pushes through keeping his promise to God.
Best Part About Being A Without Limits Coach
George is blessed to be able to work in a field he’s passionate about after the hit and run incident. It gives him a way to help others while still being in the cycling community. Without Limits started a new chapter in his book.
Accolades & Accomplishments
1st place
- Course record holder Hell Hole Gravel Grinder Time Trial 2021
- Commerce Stage Race Cat 3/4 Time Trial (4th vs Cat 1) 2022
- Commerce Stage Race Cat 3/4 Road Race 2022
- Commerce Stage Race General Classification Cat 3/4 2022
- Tour of North Georgia Time Trial (6th vs Cat 1) 2022
- Hell Hole Gravel Grinder Stage 1 2022
- Hell Hole Gravel Grinder Stage 2 2022
- Holly Shelter Gravel Grinder 2023
- Holly Shelter Gravel Grinder 50 mile (mountain bike division) 2021
- Rocky Point Gravel Grinder 2021
- Rocky Point Gravel Grinder 2022
- Tour of North Georgia General Classification Cat 4/5 2022
- Washington Mid-Atlantic Ultra 100 mile 2021x
2nd place
- Hell Hole Gravel Grinder General Classification 2022
- Hell Hole Gravel Grinder Stage 2 2021
- Tour of North Georgia Stage 4 2022
- Tour of North Georgia Time Trial Cat 3/4 2023
- Love Valley Roubaix Hill Climb Time Trial 2022
- River Lights Time Trial 2019
3rd place
- 6 hour mountain bike race for Ben Brown at Browns Creek 2022
- Washington Mid-Atlantic Ultra 100 mile 2019
4th place – US Open Beach Championships 2022
5th place – Love Valley Roubaix Omnium 2022
Top songs on his playlist:
He can’t just give you a list of top songs, his head is like an iPod with infinite gigabytes of memory. George loves pretty much everything except pop country. His top Pandora stations differ depending on the ride he’s doing. For hard intervals/rides he loves the EDM Hits Radio and 80’s Cardio stations. Godsmack and Alice in Chains radio are often in rotation as well. When those genres aren’t working, DMX Radio it is. For recovery rides George likes Ini Kamoze Radio, as reggae helps him stay chill.
Guilty Pleasures:
Post race beer, especially after a win…
