Amber Neben

Amber Leone Neben (born February 18, 1975) is an American racing cyclist, who most recently rode for UCI Women's Continental Team. Neben won the UCI world time trial championship in 2008 and 2016 as well as the U.S. national road race championship in 2003 and 2017.

Early life
At the age of four Neben survived a bout of spinal meningitis, which left her in a coma for three days. Doctors told her parents that she was unlikely to survive, and that if she did, she would probably have endured brain damage and have lost her hearing. Neben played soccer and ran cross-country in junior high and high school. She attended the University of Nebraska on a track and cross-country scholarship. Stress fractures stopped her running and she became an undergraduate assistant coach in distance running. She took up cycling after graduating from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. She then obtained a master's degree in biology from the University of California, Irvine, having originally commenced studies for a PhD. Whilst she was at UC Irvine she scored a top 10 finish at the national collegiate cycling championships, which persuaded her to exit with her master's degree and focus on professional cycling.

Professional career
She concentrated first on mountain biking but her greatest success was on the road. She won the Rupert to Pomerelle stage of the 2001 Women's Challenge race with its long, steep climb to the finish, the fourth American to win a stage at the Women's Challenge since it became a UCI event. She then concentrated on road cycling and was picked for the road world championship team in 2001 and 2002.

Neben raced again in 2004. She missed placing first by eight seconds in the time trial selection race for the Olympic Games. In spring 2005, she won the Tour de l'Aude in France. She won again in 2006. She was picked for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and came 33rd in the road race event in Beijing. Later in 2008 she became the World TT Champion.

Neben made the 2012 U.S. Olympic team for the Women's road race, along with Kristin Armstrong, Shelley Olds and Evelyn Stevens. In the Women's time trial she finished 7th.

Doping suspension
Neben tested positive for the banned substance 19-Norandrosterone on May 31, 2003, after she won the Coupe du Monde Montreal World Cup race. The test results were not confirmed until after her "A" sample and "B" sample both returned 6.9 ng/ml, which is above the 5 ng/ml cutoff. Neben appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] and accepted a provisional suspension from mid-July 2003. Neben said the positive test came from contaminated supplements. As she was a member of the T-Mobile Women's Cycling Team, a trade team owned by USA Cycling, she enlisted USA Cycling top management as witnesses in her defense. Sean Petty, VP of Marketing of USA Cycling, Gerard Bisceglia, CEO for USA Cycling, Steve Johnson, COO and director of athletics for USA Cycling, Bob Stapleton, Vice Chair for T-Mobile USA all testified on her behalf. The North American CAS ruled in October 2003 that doping had occurred but that it was not intentional. Neben was suspended, in a split decision, for six months, starting from the provisional ban beginning on July 13, 2003. The ruling also stated that all competitive results which occurred on or after May 31, 2003 were cancelled. Therefore, her win at the Coupe du Monde Montreal on May 31 was cancelled, but not her Elite Women's Road Race National Title, which occurred on May 22. She would have to be tested for drugs regularly for the following 18 months.

Personal life
She is married to Jason K. Neben, associate vice president of Data and Technology, and Founding Chair of the Data Governance Committee at Concordia University Irvine.

In 2007, she underwent a successful program of treatment for melanoma.

Major results

 * 2001
 * 1st Time trial, California State Road Championships
 * 1st Overall Cascade Cycling Classic
 * 1st Stages 1, 2 & 3
 * 1st Stage 1 GP Féminin International du Canada
 * 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
 * 5th Overall Women's Challenge
 * 1st Stage 1
 * 10th Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic


 * 2002
 * 1st Overall Gracia–Orlová
 * 1st Mountains classification
 * 1st Stage 3
 * National Road Championships
 * 2nd Road race
 * 2nd Time trial
 * 2nd Housatonic Valley Classic
 * 6th Overall Women's Challenge
 * 9th Overall Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale
 * 10th Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal


 * 2003
 * National Road Championships
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG Road race
 * 3rd Time trial
 * 1st Overall Tour du Grand Montréal
 * 4th Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic
 * 4th Overall Sea Otter Classic
 * 4th Overall Gracia–Orlová
 * 1st Stage 2 (ITT)
 * 7th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
 * 7th Tour de Berne


 * 2004
 * 1st Overall Tour of the Gila
 * 1st Stages 1 & 2
 * 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 5th Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal
 * 7th Overall Giro della Toscana
 * 1st Stage 2
 * 9th Overall Tour du Grand Montréal


 * 2005
 * 1st Overall Tour de l'Aude
 * 1st Stage 3
 * 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 4th Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile
 * 5th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
 * 9th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine


 * 2006
 * 1st PanAmericanJersey.png Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
 * 1st Overall Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
 * 1st Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic
 * 1st Stages 1 (ITT) & 2
 * National Road Championships
 * 2nd Time trial
 * 3rd Road race
 * 2nd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
 * 2nd Overall Gracia–Orlová
 * 2nd La Route de France
 * 2nd L'Heure D'Or Feminin
 * 5th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
 * 10th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships


 * 2007
 * 1st Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic
 * 1st Stage 2 (ITT)
 * 1st Overall La Route de France
 * 1st Stage 1 (ITT)
 * National Road Championships
 * 2nd Time trial
 * 3rd Road race
 * 2nd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
 * 2nd Chrono Champenois – Trophée Européen
 * 3rd Overall Giro di San Marino
 * 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
 * 4th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
 * 5th Overall Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
 * 9th Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal


 * 2008
 * 1st Jersey rainbow chrono.svg Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
 * 1st Overall Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche
 * 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile
 * 3rd Grand Prix de Suisse
 * 3rd Chrono Champenois – Trophée Européen
 * 5th Overall Iurreta-Emakumeen Bira
 * 5th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
 * 5th Memorial Davide Fardelli
 * 5th Chrono des Nations
 * 8th Overall Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin


 * 2009
 * 1st Stage 2 (ITT) Giro d'Italia Femminile
 * 2nd Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic
 * 2nd Memorial Davide Fardelli
 * 4th Overall Gracia–Orlová
 * 1st Stage 3 (ITT)
 * 4th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
 * 5th Overall Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche
 * 6th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
 * 6th Overall Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
 * 1st Stage 2 (TTT)
 * 9th Liberty Classic
 * 10th Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal


 * 2010
 * 1st Memorial Davide Fardelli
 * 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 2nd Overall Women's Tour of New Zealand
 * 1st Stage 4 (ITT)
 * 2nd Chrono des Nations
 * 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
 * 4th Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic
 * 1st Prologue
 * 6th Chrono Champenois
 * 7th Chrono Gatineau


 * 2011
 * 1st GP Stad Roeselare
 * 1st Chrono des Nations
 * 1st Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT
 * 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 2nd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
 * 2nd Chrono Champenois
 * 3rd Bronze medal america.svg Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
 * 3rd Chrono Gatineau
 * 3rd Memorial Davide Fardelli
 * 8th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships


 * 2012
 * UCI Road World Championships
 * 1st Gold medal blank.svg Team time trial (with Ellen van Dijk, Charlotte Becker, Evelyn Stevens, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg and Trixi Worrack)
 * 4th Road race
 * 7th Time trial
 * 1st PanAmericanJersey.png Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 1st Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT
 * 1st Chrono des Nations
 * 1st Stage 2 (TTT) Holland Ladies Tour
 * 3rd Grand Prix el Salvador
 * 3rd Chrono Gatineau
 * 4th Overall Vuelta a El Salvador
 * 1st Points classification
 * 1st Mountains classification
 * 1st Stages 2 & 3b (ITT)
 * 6th Overall Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs
 * 7th Time trial, Summer Olympics


 * 2013
 * 6th Grand Prix de Oriente
 * 6th Chrono des Nations
 * 8th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine


 * 2014
 * 2nd Overall Cascade Cycling Classic


 * 2015
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall San Dimas Stage Race
 * 1st Stage 1 (ITT)
 * 2nd Overall La Route de France
 * 2nd Overall Redlands Bicycle Classic
 * 2nd Winston-Salem Cycling Classic
 * 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 3rd Overall Joe Martin Stage Race
 * 3rd Overall Cascade Cycling Classic
 * 3rd Giro dell'Emilia Internazionale Donne Elite
 * 4th Tour of California Women's Time Trial
 * 4th Chrono Champenois
 * 4th Chrono des Nations
 * 7th Chrono Gatineau


 * 2016
 * 1st Jersey rainbow chrono.svg Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
 * 1st Overall La Route de France
 * 1st Stages 4 (ITT) & 5
 * 1st Chrono Gatineau
 * 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 4th Chrono Champenois


 * 2017
 * National Road Championships
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG Road race
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG Time trial
 * 3rd Chrono Gatineau


 * 2018
 * 1st PanAmericanJersey.png Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 1st Chrono Gatineau
 * 1st Chrono Kristin Armstrong
 * 7th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships


 * 2019
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 1st Chrono Gatineau
 * 2nd Silver medal america.svg Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
 * 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships


 * 2020
 * 6th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships


 * 2021
 * 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
 * 5th Time trial, Summer Olympics


 * 2022
 * 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 3rd Chrono des Nations


 * 2023
 * 1st PanAmericanJersey.png Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
 * 2nd Chrono Féminin de la Gatineau
 * 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
 * 5th Chrono des Nations
 * 8th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships


 * 2024
 * 1st PanAmericanJersey.png Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
 * 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships