Tony Cruz made a name for himself as one of Lance Armstrong's lieutenants on the US Postal Team.

He's now racing for the BMC pro team. and he can trace the roots of his inspiration in the sport back to 1984, when his dad took him to see the cycling road races at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Tony knows how much the right training and motivation can mean to a young cyclists, so this past weekend, he left his Long Beach home and ventured north to Sonoma County, CA, to ride in the "Cycle With Champions" event in Santa Rosa.

Tony came to the ride to both serve as an example to the kids in the local Team Swift development program...and also learn from their example as he tries to build a similar program at home in Long Beach.

Click image to launch video

For more on Team Swift, go here.