# Amber Neben

Amber Leone Neben (born February 18, 1975) is an American racing cyclist, who most recently rode for UCI Women's Continental Team Cogeas–Mettler–Look. 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.

## Career
### 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 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 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 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 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 Team time trial (with Ellen van Dijk, Charlotte Becker, Evelyn Stevens, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg and Trixi Worrack)
       4th Road race
       7th Time trial
    1st Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
    1st 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 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 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 Road race
       1st Time trial
    3rd Chrono Gatineau

### 2018

    1st Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
    1st Time trial, National Road Championships
    1st Chrono Gatineau
    1st Chrono Kristin Armstrong
    7th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships

### 2019

    1st Time trial, National Road Championships
    1st Chrono Gatineau
    2nd 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 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 Time trial, Pan American Road Championships
    3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
    10th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships

### Major championship results

| Event | Event | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Olympic Games | Time trial | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | 7 | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | 5 | Not held | Not held | Not held | — |
| Olympic Games | Road race | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | 33 | Not held | Not held | Not held | 36 | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | — |
| World Championships | Time trial | — | 15 | — | — | 5 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | — | — | — | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 | — | 8 | 10 |
| World Championships | Road race | 30 | DNF | — | 46 | 33 | 12 | 16 | 22 | DNF | 17 | 73 | 4 | — | — | — | 98 | 73 | — | — | 69 | — | — | — | — |
| World Championships | Team time trial | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | Did not exist | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held |
| National Championships | Time Trial | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| National Championships | Road Race | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 5 | 3 | 3 | 14 | — | — | 9 | 7 | — | — | 4 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 14 | — | 7 | — | 13 | — |