Amber Pierce

Amber Pierce (née Rais; born March 25, 1981) is an American professional racing cyclist.

Pierce began her sporting career as a swimmer, breaking state and national records whilst still at high school. She earned an athletic scholarship to Stanford University to compete for their NCAA Division 1 women's varsity swim team. Following a shoulder injury, Amber began cycling and joined the Stanford Cycling Team. She has a B.A. in Human Biology and an M.S. in Earth Systems from Stanford University.

After graduating in 2006 with her master's degree, she moved to Austria, where she lived and raced full-time on the World-Cup circuit in Europe from 2007 to 2013. Amber became internationally recognized as a respected domestique in the pro peloton and helped her American compatriots earn Olympic berths whilst racing for the US National Team. Upon returning to America in 2014, she continued racing internationally as a pro for both American and European UCI World Tour teams.

In 2018 she retired from full-time road racing but continues to represent and compete for Cannondale. She also co-hosts the Ask A Cycling Coach Podcast presented by TrainerRoad.

Major results

2005 1st Collegiate National Championship Criterium 1st Collegiate National Championship Omnium 1st West Coast Cycling Conference Championship Criterium 1st West Coast Cycling Conference Championship Omnium 1st California Cup Series Omnium 1st NCNCA Criterium District Champion 1st Mt Hamilton Classic Road Race 1st Suisun Harbor Criterium 1st Giro di San Francisco

2006 1st Stage 5, Awbrey Butte Road Race, Cascade Classic 1st Stage 2, Gibbs Lighthouse Time Trial, Bermuda Grand Prix 1st Snelling Road Race 1st Land Park Criterium 1st University Road Race 1st Patterson Pass Road Race 1st Suisun Harbor Criterium 1st Esparto Time Trial 1st California Cup Series Omnium 2nd San Ardo Road Race 3rd U.S. Women's Prestige Series Best Young Rider Classification 3rd Stage 3, Mt Hood Cycling Classic 3rd QOM Classification, Cascade Cycling Classic 3rd Nevada City Classic

2007 1st General Classification, Tri Peaks Challenge 1st Stage 1, Mt Magazine Road Race, Tri Peaks Challenge 1st Stage 2, Epic Road Race, Tri Peaks Challenge 1st Stage 4, Individual Time Trial, Tri Peaks Challenge 1st Stage 1, Team Time Trial, International Tour de 'Toona 1st Cougar Mountain Classic Circuit Race 2nd Stage 5, Gila Monster Road Race, Tour of the Gila 3rd Stage 6, Blair County Road Race (Blue Knob), International Tour de 'Toona 3rd Quad Knopf Exeter Individual Time Trial, Sequoia Cycling Classic 3rd Stage 3, Tech Criterium, Tri Peaks Challenge 4th General Classification, Tour of the Gila

2008 1st Stage 2, Inner Loop Road Race, Tour of the Gila 1st Stage 6, Awbrey Butte Road Race, Cascade Cycling Classic 1st Chicago Criterium 2nd Tour de Nez Most Aggressive Rider, Stage 2, Nature Valley Grand Prix

2009 1st General Classification, Tour de Nez 1st Stages 1, Truckee Criterium, Tour de Nez 1st Stage 3, Northstar Circuit Race, Tour de Nez 2nd Stage 2, Reno Criterium, Tour de Nez 4th Individual Time Trial, U.S. National Championships

2010 1st Bischofshofen Kriterium, AUT 1st Schwaz Strasserennen, AUT 1st Schwaz Kriterium, AUT 1st Deutschlandsberg Strasserennen, AUT 1st Deutschlandsberg Kriterium, AUT 1st Hans Jöchl Einzelzeitfahren, AUT 2nd General Classification, Langenlois Rundfahrt AUT 2nd Stage 1 Einzelzeitfahren, Langenlois Rundfahrt AUT 2nd Schwaz Bergrennen, AUT 3rd Stage 2 Strasserennen, Langenlois Rundfahrt AUT 3rd Rieder Radrennen Kriterium, AUT 3rd Stage 3 individual time trial, Fitchburg Longsjo Classic USA 4th Stage 1 circuit race, Fitchburg Longsjo Classic USA 5th General Classification, Fitchburg Longsjo Classic USA 15th General Classification, Giro Trentino ITA

2011 1st Tour de Nez USA 8th Stage 2, Tour of New Zealand

Sporting Honors Shirley Schoof Club Sports Athlete of the Year, Stanford Athletic Department Athletic Hall of Fame, Reno High School 2x Collegiate National Champion, Stanford Cycling Team 2x Collegiate Conference Champion, Stanford Cycling Team NCAA Division I Scholarship Athlete, Stanford Women’s Swimming Pac-10 Swimming All-Academic Honorable Mention Multi-time State Champion and National Champion, USA Swimming Three-time Junior National Champion and record-holder, USA Swimming Multi-time State Champion and record-holder, Reno High School Swimming Four-time National High School All-American, Reno High School Swimming

Academic Honors Published author of two peer-reviewed scientific journal articles (h-index = 2) President’s Scholar, Stanford University M.Sc., Stanford University B.A., Stanford University Valedictorian, Reno High School