Eugenio “Gene” Montecinos 🇨🇱 🇺🇸
From Santiago to the Summit: The Relentless Rise of Eugenio “Gene” Montecinos
There’s a certain quiet power in riders who don’t shout about their journey who just keep showing up, day after day, ride after ride. Eugenio “Gene” Montecinos is one of those riders. Based in Denver, Colorado, Gene carries with him not just the altitude of the Rockies, but the weight and richness of a life built across continents, careers, and challenges. Originally from Chile, Gene moved to the United States in 2015 with his wife and two children, rebuilding life from the ground up while chasing a simple goal: to be healthier, stronger, and better than yesterday.
Gene’s pain cave lives in the basement, where hard metal, glam, and classic ’80s rock echo through speakers at least when his wife isn’t around. Music, he says, isn’t optional. It’s fuel. And fuel is something Gene has learned to respect deeply. These days, his rides are bookended by strong, black coffee—no sugar, no cream followed by waffles, pancakes, eggs, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing the work is done. Indoors, his Kickr Bike and rocker plate transformed everything: comfort, accuracy, enjoyment, and longevity. Outdoors, his beloved “Belladona,” a Bianchi Sprint, waits safely while Gene does the hard work inside.
But Gene’s story isn’t just about gear or watts. It’s about reinvention. A former football goalkeeper and team captain in his teens and college years, Gene always carried a competitive fire. Life, as it often does, got in the way—career, family, responsibility and his weight climbed to 225 lbs. When he arrived in the US as a student nearing 40, unable to work due to visa restrictions and watching savings dwindle, cycling became both refuge and release. Cheap bikes turned into restoration projects. Restoration projects turned into opportunity. And eventually, a 1987 Bianchi Limited opened the door to epic endurance rides, centuries stacked week after week.
Winter brought Gene indoors. Early trainers and DVDs gave way to virtual riding, first out of necessity, then curiosity. When Zwift finally entered the picture, it clicked. The competition, the avatars, the tactics it awakened the racer inside him. His raw power and endurance delivered wins, upgrades, and lessons. Nutrition lagged behind fitness for a while, but Gene kept learning. Consistency, better fueling, and cross-training—especially strength work in the gym—changed everything. Not just on the bike, but in life.
What truly completed the puzzle was finding SISU Racing. After trying larger teams where he felt like just another name, Gene wanted something different—purpose, growth, spirit. SISU delivered. For him, SISU isn’t just a race team; it’s a family built on determination, courage, and shared struggle. It’s brothers and sisters pushing together through adversity, united by effort rather than ego.
That spirit is nowhere more evident than in Gene’s leadership of the ZRL Narhi team. What began as a strong C-grade squad evolved into a fearless B-grade development group not because it was easy, but because the team chose growth over comfort. Riders upgraded together. Challenges were embraced, not avoided. Gene calls them his “Band of Brothers,” and the phrase fits. They fight together, learn together, and show up—week after week.
Outdoors, Gene’s proudest moment came on the Triple Bypass. His fifth time tackling the iconic Colorado route, he rode smarter, fueled better, climbed stronger, and finished without walking, without bonking, and without regret. Wearing the blue SISU jersey, he didn’t just beat the course he beat every version of himself that came before. Eleven thousand feet of climbing, three mountain passes, and a sense of accomplishment that words struggle to capture.
Ask Gene what cycling has taught him, and the answer is simple: never give up. Pain is temporary. Strength lasts. Dentistry may strain the back, the neck, and the mind, but the bike resets everything. Training keeps him balanced. Racing keeps him hungry. And streaming his rides on the “ToothCyclist Channel” isn’t about vanity it’s about learning, sharing, and helping others improve. Even if that means watching yourself suffer at 180 bpm and ridiculous wattage.
Looking ahead to 2026, Gene’s goals are grounded and human: better nutrition, fewer kilos, more outdoor rides, more community events in Colorado. Off the bike, the priority is unwavering—family first. “I am no one without them,” he says, and you believe him.
Eugenio “Gene” Montecinos is living proof that cycling isn’t just a sport—it’s a second chance, a compass, and a way forward. From Chile to Colorado, from basement pain cave to mountain summits, Gene embodies what SISU truly means: resilience, courage, and the refusal to quit—no matter how steep the climb.