Former Sleepy Hollow resident João Correia is back in the saddle and embarking on the ride of his life.

Correia is the newest member of Cervélo TestTeam – one of the world's premiere professional cycling teams. It's a dream for Correia, who is returning to the sport after almost a decade of absence.

"It's been great to make this journey back," he said. " Yesterday, I rode five hours in 38 degree rainy weather and I am not joking when I say that I had a smile on my face the entire time."

Correia was born in Portugal but spent most of his youth in Sleepy Hollow after his parents moved here when he was 11.

"I grew up in Sleepy Hollow and still consider it home," he said.

Correia's love of cycling was also nurtured in town. His childhood consisted of living in the Sleepy Hollow Bike Shop and riding some of the longer road loops in the area. The roads are perfect for training, he said, and he returns often to make the same rides he did as a kid.

"Generally I start from Tarrytown so that I can go up 448 and over Pocantico Hills," Correia said. "I grew up doing that loop and the Sleepy Hollow loop and it always brings back memories for me when I'm pedaling on those roads."

As a teen, he excelled in cross country and used the support of the school district to pursue his cycling ambitions along side his academics.

"I was fortunate that Sleepy Hollow High School was very supportive of my cycling," he said. "I spent probably a total of two and a half years physically in high school and did most of my work either early or late with the help of some great teachers and a fantastic guidance counselor Mr. Burnette.  I actually still stay in touch with one or two teachers from school."

It was a balancing act he wasn't able to keep up after High School. He enrolled in Fordham University and tried to race for a team in Portugal at the same time. The commitment took its toll and he eventually had to stop racing to concentrate on his studies.

After university, he landed himself a job in the New York publishing industry and was most recently an associate publisher for Bicycling Magazine. He began training again in 2006 after taking some advice from a client.

But getting back into professional cycling at the age of 35 is almost unheard of, especially in a sport that boasts such young competitors (the average age of his team members is about 27 years old).

"With age you come to appreciate things more and I am enjoying the training and sacrifice needed to be a bike racer more than I did before," he said.

There have also been changes to the sport since the last time he rode professionally – most of it having to do with the rapid advance in technology.

"The basics of the sport remain the same but a lot has changed in terms of bike technology, training methods and nutrition," he said. "You look at the equipment we ride today and the frames are made of high-modolus carbon fiber and shaped to be as aerodynamic as possible.  In the old days most bikes were made of steel with round tubes so the difference between manufacturers wasn't great."

Racing for Cervélo TestTeam means Correia gets to try out all of the latest gear aimed at skimming fractions of seconds off the end result. He also gets to push himself everyday next to some of the world's greatest athletes. His two most well known team members are Carlos Sastre, winner of the 2008 Tour de France, and Thor Hushovd, the winner of the Green Jersey and a stage at last year's Tour de France.

"They are some of the most down to earth professional athletes that I have ever met," Correia said. "Carlos took me aside on the last night of the first camp and said, 'hey let's go have a drink.' We had a great chat about everything in life.  I remember thinking, here I am, a nobody, and this guy who won the Tour is taking an hour to talk to me and get to know me. Thor is the same."

For the first half of the year, Correia has some stiff competition. He is already on board for the Tour of Catalunya in Spain and the Tour of California in the US. Correia will be working for the team leaders, trying to make sure the team is in good position to secure stages.

"My first year I am focusing on doing my job for the team and getting to the finish line after working for the team," he said. "Whether that is working at the front to bring a break back, getting in the early moves to represent the team or getting bottles for my teammates. Then if I finish 15 minutes down it doesn't matter because at the end of the day that will be the contribution that I can make which would bring me the most satisfaction."

Correia will be living in Europe and training in the south of France and the Chianti area of Tuscany. His wife and son continue to live in Brooklyn while he is pursuing his cycling career.

"In this sport that requires so much physical commitment and mental focus it is really easy to get into a cocoon and forget about the outside world," he said. "When you're a continent away that is even easier. For me on a personal level I need to make sure I stay focused on my family because without them this would't be possible."

And if Correia has his way, he and his family will be coming back to claim the roads around Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow someday soon.

"We always stop in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown... and I'm obsessed with looking at real estate in the towns," he said. "I've been trying to get my wife to let us move back there for years now.  Soon, one day I will convince her."