Evelyn Stevens burst into professional cycling with an irresistible backstory, an ideal engine for endurance and -- as she was always quick to mention -- the very rawest of bike-handling skills.?Shell end her career seven years later at the world championships tucked into the precise formation of one of the sports top teams in its most technical event.?Stevens, 33, never could have imagined the topography of the path from her former desk on Wall Street to Sundays team time trial in Doha, Qatar.?Hooked after entering a cyclocross race on a whim, Stevens signed up for a road cycling clinic in New Yorks Central Park in 2008. The following year, she quit her job in investment banking, sold or gave away most of her possessions and began pedaling toward parts unknown.?She signed her first pro contract before the 2010 season and learned racing from the ground up, sometimes literally. Along the way, she carved out an identity as one of the most versatile riders in the peloton: a time trialist and climber as well as an intrepid super-domestique who helped other riders close out victories.I rode for the best teams, with the best women and the best equipment, Stevens said from Nice, France, where she was training for worlds last week. Theres no event that I didnt do that I wanted to do. I didnt accomplish all of my goals, but I got the chance to go after them.?A two-time U.S. individual time trial champion and double world championship time trial medalist (silver in 2012, bronze in 2014), Stevens also won the prestigious La Fleche Wallonne one-day classic and several stage races around the world. But her distinction was as a rider who drew her own finish lines.?In 2014, frustrated by the arbitrary length restrictions on womens stage races, she devised her own Grand Tour, stringing together 17 consecutive race days in Europe starting with the womens Giro Rosa and continuing with Germanys Thüringen Rundfahrt, which she won.?Last February, Stevens set a new womens hour record -- covering 47.980 kilometers in the allotted time -- in Colorado Springs, an accomplishment that drew 50,000 viewers on a livestream. She still cant believe that many people wanted to watch her ride around in circles.?Looking back on it, it was insane I even thought to do that, she said. Im gonna go out and ride for an hour, close to 48k, have everybody watching me -- pretty much all you can do is fail. Now Im so proud of it, as I get farther away from it. Proud of the result, taking that risk, the experience, the people around me who helped me with it. Its a lovely process to get to these goals.?It was a process Stevens knew nothing about as a wide-eyed newbie whose only prior team experience was as a tenacious baseliner on the Dartmouth College tennis team. She was initially stunned that teams employed someone to fill her water bottles and do her laundry, but she got used to it.?Other adaptations came a lot harder. It took years for Stevens to feel comfortable in the tight quarters of the peloton. She forced herself to fight crosswinds and navigate wet roads, but bad-weather riding was never her strong suit. She refined her descending skills by following young superstar Taylor Phinney on the roads around Boulder, Colorado -- part of the Phinney familys larger embrace that included mentorship and a second home.?Stevens carved careful tracks down the ski slopes of her youth rather than schussing down at full speed. Much about road cycling remained a mental stretch for her naturally risk-averse personality. Every day I got on the bike, I was facing fears, she said.?Those fears came partially to fruition in March 2013, when Stevens crashed heavily on a traffic circle in a race in Italy. She suffered a concussion and required 40 stitches and some dental work to reconstruct one of the most contagious smiles in cycling.?Stevens had a quiet Olympics in Rio. She rode valiantly in support of Mara Abbotts heart-cracking fourth-place effort in the road race, but blustery conditions on the day of the time trial thwarted her quest for a medal in her second Summer Games.?She is leaving the sport with no regrets, including her late introduction to it. Stevens was comfortable in her own skin, if not always in the saddle, when she dedicated herself to cycling in her mid-20s. She knew she always had the safety net of a college education and work experience if things didnt work out.?Stevens success obviated the need for that exit strategy until now. Shes contemplating picking back up in the financial field, although she frets at the thought of a more sedentary lifestyle and already envisions fidgeting at a standing desk. Mostly, shes looking forward to more time in San Francisco with her husband of one year, Brett Baker, a program manager at Twitter.?I think what made me a successful bike racer and made me who I am on the bike is the fact that I started late, Stevens said. I had to really play catch-up. It made for some big struggles on the bike. Maybe if Id started when I was 15 years old I would have been more comfortable in the corners. But would I actually have gotten myself in that position??She automatically qualified for the road race in Doha, but declined the spot. Her farewell will come with the Netherlands-based Boels-Dolmans team in the team time trial, which is contested by trade teams rather than national squads. Stevens was a member of Specialized-lululemons three straight gold-medal lineups in the event from 2012 to 14 and would love to go out on another winning note with Boels-Dolmans, the 2015 TTT silver medalist.?Im prepping for the team time trial, but Ive stepped back and realized how intense that lifestyle can be, she said. I started to itch for something else, to try another challenge.?I know I could physically continue to compete at the top level for a lot more time. But I almost feel like Im getting comfortable and kinda have figured out how to do it, and thats when you need to go. I love riding my bicycle. Not one ounce of me is sick of riding my bike. Now, do I want to go with 200 women and [speed] down a small street in Holland? No. Im done. Cheap Nike Air Max 90 All Gold . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). 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HONOLULU -- Kansas must venture to Hawaii for its season opener, but anticipation over the debut of Josh Jackson will not let attention wander.Rated as the No. 1 recruit as part of an incoming national class loaded with talent, Jackson is an addition the Jayhawks hope will enable them to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2012.That is the biggest goal entering a season in which Kansas is expected to rule the Big 12 again and tie the all-time Division I record of 13 consecutive conference championships set by UCLA from 1967-79.But first things first as the season begins Friday in the Armed Forces Classic against reigning Big Ten champion Indiana.The opener will be followed by a game Tuesday against top-rated Duke at the Champions Classic in New York.Hardly an easy start for any freshman, including Jackson, whose position is hard to define.Im just easing my way in, just trying not to think about making too many mistakes, Jackson said after playing four different positions in the second of two exhibition games the Jayhawks played.Just going out and trying to play basketball. Its just a game. I really enjoy playing each and every position. So, coming up this year, I think you guys will see me in a bunch of different positions.If he provides the expected impact, the No. 3 Jayhawks should be quite formidable. They return one of the most experienced set of small guards in America.Bullish senior Frank Mason never shies away from contact underneath and came within one assist of a triple-double in the Jayhawks first exhibition. Junior Devonte Graham was the most outstanding player in last years Big 12 Tournament when he was regarded as the most improved player on a 33-5 squad that bowed out in the Elite Eight against eventual NCAA champion Villanova.Each dealt with minor ailmeents in exhibition games -- Mason, a jammed thumb and sore shin; Graham, with cramping.dddddddddddd.We have to get (Graham) to where he can play 30-plus (minutes) along with Frank. Thats key for us, said Bill Self, who enters his 14th season as Kansas coach.Indiana was a blueblood that started poorly last season. A difficult opening stretch included a 1-2 mark at the Maui Invitational and a 20-point loss to Duke in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Yet the Hoosiers went 15-3 in the Big Ten and finished 27-8 with a loss to eventual NCAA runner-up North Carolina in the Sweet 16.Sophomore forward OG Anunoby came on late for the Hoosiers and should easily surpass the 13.7 minutes he averaged, while contributing in all areas.Hes a great example, said Indiana coach Tom Crean, of somebody thats getting better constantly, understands that it all starts with what you do with your defensive mindset and how important it is to make the game easier for everybody else.Others must seamlessly fit into the Hoosiers rhythmic ball movement, particularly after losing All-Big Ten point guard Yogi Ferrell.Pittsburgh transfer Josh Newkirk will step into that spot after recovering from microfracture surgery on his knee. Crean estimates Newkirks vertical jump has improved seven to eight inches since arriving at Indiana, then healing.Another guard, junior James Blackmon, recovered from an injured knee that limited him to 13 games last year. He offers scoring pop. Underneath, and high expectations exist for 6-10 sophomore center Thomas Bryant, who was a 68.3 percent shooter last season.We dont just want to be a good offensive team, cautioned Bryant. We want to be defensive, as well. ' ' '