[Editor's Note: We had the good fortune to profile Jack Diemar ’24 in the latest issue of Holderness School Today. Read the entire story here.]

As the world’s top athletes converge on Paris for the XXXIII Olympiad, one recent Holderness graduate is already eyeing the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles – and he’s racing to get there just as fast as he can.  
 
It’s been a breakout summer for Jack Diemar ’24, one of the nation’s top up-and-coming cyclists. As a member of the Primal-Audi Denver Elite cycling team, Jack has secured several impressive podium finishes this summer – and his momentum shows no sign of slowing down.

Just two days after earning his Holderness School diploma, Jack nabbed third place in the Tour of Summerville in New Jersey, America’s longest-running bike race. He kicked things into high gear in June at the Tour of America’s Dairylands, a seven-day stage race through Wisconsin. While racing through the Badger State, Jack won three stages, briefly donned the race leader’s jersey, and took home the jersey for best overall sprinter.
 
Jack’s remarkable achievements come as no surprise to anyone who watched hi compete for Holderness in mountain biking, road biking, and Nordic skiing – all while balancing schoolwork and other extracurriculars.
 
“I'm super, super excited with how it's gone so far,” Jack said while taking a break between races at his home in Colorado. “This summer and second half of the season is where I've really hit my stride.”
 
Jack’s success at the Tour of America’s Dairylands earned him a spot on an even bigger stage – an invitation to compete for the USA National Team at the Tour de l’Abitibi in Val d’Or, Quebec. The Tour de l’Abitibi is a weeklong stage race that serves as a UCI Junior Nations’ Cup Circuit event - the highest level of racing in the junior cycling world. While a crash on the first day of racing effectively ended Jack’s chances of leading the tour, he did manage several top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish on the second stage.
 
“I was up there for about a week or so, did seven stages, six road races, and one time trial,” Jack said. “That was a great experience overall, and just some super-fast racing with some super-fast guys from all over the world.”
 
Jack’s summer of racing against the nation’s best cyclists is hardly over. In the first week of August he’ll travel to Redmond, Washington to compete in the USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships. He’ll then return to Colorado to race in SBT GRVL, a challenging gravel bike race in Steamboat. At the end of August, he’ll fly to the East Coast for the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont, and then roll into fall at the USA Cycling Gravel National Championships in September.

Jack’s successful summer marks the start of a gap year that will be focused on cycling. He plans to use his gap year to train, hopefully join a more competitive U23 team, and perhaps race in Europe or Australia. When Jack enrolls at Colorado State in the fall of 2025, cycling will still be a big priority: his ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
 
“The number one goal for me right now is LA in 2028, whether that's on the track or on the road,” Jack said. “That's something I've kind of picked out for myself and it's a big goal for me. The road to get there will be hard for sure, but I'm excited for it.”
 
Even as Jack works towards the Olympics, he is quick to put his cycling career into perspective. It’s a balanced, low-key approach that helped keep his nerves at bay while competing in bigger races this summer. “I try to remember that whatever happens, it's just a bike race and doesn't matter too much,” Jack said. “Obviously it helps if you do well, but at the end of the day, you’re just riding your bike.”
 
Jack says his well-rounded Holderness education helped him keep his riding in perspective this summer. He’s also thankful for the support he has received from Head of School John McVeigh, former Head of School Phil Peck, Ms. Feeney, Ms. Hamil, Dr. Donovan - and friends Johnny Schaeffler ’25, Evan Gras ’24, and Alex Roguet ’24.
 
“The big thing with Holderness was that it made me make sure that I wasn't just focused on one thing,” Jack said. “Whether that was doing other athletics outside of cycling, or making sure I was still a kid and still doing fun things and not just hyper-focusing on one aspect of my life. It made sure I was a well-rounded individual.”