Wes Hartman was always athletic.

In his four years at Oak Harbor High School he competed on the swim, track and cross country teams.

It wasn’t until Hartman, a 2001 OHHS graduate and life-long Oak Harbor resident, packed up and headed to Iowa State University that he found his true niche in cycling.

“I started about a year after I got to Iowa,” Hartman said. “I had some friends who did it, it looked pretty fun, so I gave it a shot.”

The decision turned out to be a great one for the 21-year-old.

In just over two years of riding Hartman has progressed at a rapid pace, making a name for himself as one of the top young cycling talents in the United States.

“It’s virtually unheard of for someone to move up this quickly,” Hartman said.

After two years of riding for the ISU cycling club, top-notch coaches started to see a special ability Hartman possessed. The most notable of those coaches was Robbie Ventura, a former teammate and training partner of American cycling legend Lance Armstrong.

Ventura, who leads the Advantage Benefits/Endeavour Cycling team, was so impressed by Hartman’s potential, he didn’t waste any time signing him on to his team in December.

“I am very fortunate to have been fed into his network,” Hartman said.

Hartman will begin his professional career in mid-February when he moves to Arizona and starts to race on the Union Cycliste Internationale circuit.

A senior at Iowa State, Hartman said he will take the spring semester off from school, as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

There’s no question his racing career will keep him busy. While competing on the UCI circuit he will participate in 110 races all over the country with the average race being 60 to 80 miles long.

“It’s what the NFL is to the Seahawks,” Hartman said of the UCI.

Hartman is listed a tier three athlete, which keeps his professional races in the United States, but he will still compete against the country’s top athletes, including Lance Armstrong.

Hartman’s contract keeps his UCI races in the states, but he will get the opportunity to branch out of the U.S. ths spring. He was asked by the national team director to be one of 18 individuals to head to Belgium in the spring to vie for a spot on the United State National Cycling team. If he finishes as one of the top six Americans, he would then get an opportunity to go to the World Championships in Madrid, Spain during the summer.

The possibility of a high finish at both events would be a huge step toward Hartman’s eventual goal.

“My dream would be to race in the Tour (de France) or in the Olympics,” he said.

Even if Hartman was unable to achieve such lofty aspirations, he has no doubt found a true passion in the sport of cycling over the past two years.

“I like the competition, the pushing yourself to the limit,” he said. “You’re pushing your body so incredibly hard, you just go numb — I love that feeling.”

As for Oak Harbor, Hartman says he has many fond memories of his former town. He hasn’t returned since he left a week after graduating high school, but it’s definitely on his list of things to do.

“I’ve been dying to return,” he said. “I just haven’t had the time or the money. Hopefully I’ll be able to come back sometime this season.”