Kevin's first cycling team was the Spirits of St. Louis. He joined the team at 15 and raced with the juniors. At the time, they were the strongest junior team in St. Louis and also, one of the best in the Midwest. Kevin had to contend with some fellow strong teammates but soon he started to get some racing experience and display his own raw talent. Jim Schneider, the tea's coach, was the driving force behind the team's success. Today, Kevin gives most of his credit to Jim's encouragement and discipline.

Kevin was not an overnight success story. He didn't just win all his first races and then begin the rise to the national scene. When he joined the team, he was very young. There would be one solid year where he looked up to some of the older juniors and even worked for them during races. But, by the end of his one year apprenticeship, he was becoming a star of his own. He began beating his teammates in races and climbing with senior riders on practice rides. Jim Schneider took notice, and began to play the role of mentor both on and off the bike. He prepared Kevin for what lied outside the Midwest racing scene, and began to focus him on other national races.

Kevin's big win came soon thereafter. In 1991, the Junior Worlds Trials were being held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The course would take the juniors through the Garden Of The Gods Park. It was a long course with many big climbs. The race was set up so that the top placing juniors at the Trials would gain a spot on the U. S. Junior Worlds Team. That team would race on the same course a few weeks later to represent the U. S. in the Junior Worlds. Kevin desperately wanted to make the team but his competition included some already noteworthy opponents such as George Hincappie. Kevin quite possibly even surprised himself at the Trials race. He rode away from the field on a long climb and ended up winning the race after a very long solo break. His launch into the national scene had begun. It was time to leave his St. Louis comrades and join the U.S. National Team.

Still, there was nowhere to go. By fall of 1991, he was a member of the U.S. National Team living in St. Louis, Missouri. The team flew him to races all around the country and even different parts of the world, like South America. Still, there was no salary. He was 18, and it was time to choose between racing bikes and going to college. His family, always supportive, urged him to stay with the racing and hone his talents. Kevin agreed. He moved to Boulder, Colorado to live with his brother, John. It would serve as the perfect base to train and look for a paying team to pick him up. Many teams at the time, including 7-Eleven, were based out of Boulder.

By the end of the year, some good fortune came Kevin's way. Warren Gibson, the coach of the newly formed Saturn Cycling Team decided to give Kevin the only amateur contract on his new squad. Kevin had met his next mentor.