One can find Peter Moore ’23 cycling in the small town of Bernin—a quaint commune nestled in the foothills of the French Alps. Over the past five months, Moore has not been in the same place for more than two weeks. He has already traveled to ten different countries in three continents as he competes for the United States National Track Cycling Team.

Moore started riding bikes at the age of eight and began racing bikes when he was eleven, but it was only a little over two years ago that he decided he wanted to compete in the sport he loved full time. After completing his junior year this May, Moore set off on this expedition and moved to Europe to follow his dreams of becoming a professional cyclist.

“I was a cross-country skier and cyclist until the pandemic. I skied on the Nordic ski team my freshman year, and since then I’ve moved to Europe full time to pursue racing,” Moore said. “I’ve been continuing to race and [hopefully will qualify for] the 2024 Paris Olympics.”

Since his move to Europe, Moore has participated in a number of European track and road teams, competing in both track cycling and road racing and has qualified for the World Championship team this year. He is motivated by his continuous desire for perfection.

“I really realized this year that the actual race results themselves don’t matter as much as the performance that I can put out on the day. So, in training, in racing, I’m always looking for ways to be better,” Moore said. “It also helps that I’ve been able to ride my bike through absolutely stunning places all over Europe, South America and North America.”

Moore will begin winter training in France but then will go home for the holidays to see his family. After his quick trip home, Moore will go right back to Europe to compete in the Nations Cup, which will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, Cairo, Egypt and Canada.

His favorite part about traveling to all these places is that everywhere in the world, he has found a support network waiting.

“I think my favorite thing about cycling is that no matter where you go in the world, no matter what culture [they have] or what language people speak, there’s always this built-in group of friends,” Moore said. “They all have the same interests as you, and you always have something to talk about.”

Moore is taking two academic years off to pursue cycling and then plans to return to Bowdoin in the fall of 2024 to finish his biology major. Even halfway across the world, Moore still found a connection to the College in Bilbao, Spain, where he visited a recent Bowdoin graduate.

“I was there visiting a friend [from] Bowdoin, just to take a week off the bike and explore a bit, and we had a fun time in Bilbao,” Moore said.

Moore plans to continue to pursue professional cycling up until the 2024 Paris Olympics and will then re-evaluate to see what his future holds. Qualifications for the Olympics will not be held for another year, but Moore plans on working hard until then.

“I am always searching for that perfect performance,” Moore said.