Payson McElveen, the Fort Lewis College cyclist who put together his own sponsors over the winter to create a one-man pro team, has found a new partner. This one’s for charity.

The 21-year-old has hooked up with the nonprofit More Than Sport, which describes itself as “a global network of professional athletes, corporations, charities and everyday heroes who are passionate about inspiring others and transforming communities.”

McElveen, coming off a broken wrist suffered in March, won a state series mountain bike race in his home state of Texas on Sunday. He is headed to Pennsylvania to compete in the seven-day Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike event starting Sunday.

McElveen is working specifically with World Bicycle Relief, whose mission is to provide bicycles in spots where they can change people’s lives by providing quicker transportation for school, health care, business and other basic needs.

“I’ve often regretted the selfishness that being a pro athlete requires, and have long wished for opportunities to do charity work, on a larger scale,” McElveen said in an email to the Herald. “This More Than Sport opportunity fell into my lap, and is so perfect.”

McElveen said his goal is to collect enough donations during the Trans-Sylvania Epic to buy seven bikes – one per stage. It’s $134 for a bike, $50 for a mechanic’s toolkit and $25 for a wheel set.

More Than Sport was set up by triathlete and former Ironman winner Chris Lieto. On its website, More Than Sport says its mission is “creating opportunities for athletes to give back in the communities where they live, work and play.”

Among the ways More Than Sport says it helps are by building homes for families in need, helping those with physical challenges and providing bicycles to those in Third World countries.

Lieto, in a news release, said it’s athletes such as McElveen that prompted him to start More Than Sport.

“I am so happy to see someone at 21 years old, who makes a living racing a bicycle, already on a leadership path to helping others,” Lieto said.

World Bicycle Relief, one of several charitable organizations affiliated with More Than Sport, was set up in 2005 in response to the tsunami that hit several Indian Ocean countries. The organization provided 24,000 bikes to survivors. Now it has bikes in several Asian countries as well as 13 African countries.

After taking off the spring semester to race, McElveen plans to enroll again at Fort Lewis for the fall semester. In the meantime, he hopes to qualify for the U.S. Under-23 team to compete in the mountain bike World Championships in September in Norway.

johnp@durangoherald.com

On the Net

Payson McElveen’s More Than Sport page: www.morethansport.org/athlete/37911

World Bicycle Relief: www.worldbicyclerelief.org

McElveen’s blog: www.paysonmcelveenracing.com