Thousands of ’cross fans erupted in cheers as Ryan Trebon crossed the finish line to take his first elite ’cross stars and stripes, but none yelled louder than Brigadier General Gregory Trebon — otherwise known as “Ryan’s dad.” The elder Trebon is a retired General in the United States Air Force, and holds an impressive list of major awards and decorations for service to his country.

But in Providence, Greg Trebon understood that he was proud father first and Air Force general second.

“Ryan grew up with his dad a General in the Air Force and a base commander, and Ryan was always ‘the General’s son.’ Now, I’m ‘Ryan’s dad,’” Greg Trebon said. “My identity has shifted, and it’s a fantastic thing as a parent to walk around at a place like this be Ryan Trebon’s dad. He’s no longer General Trebon’s son. It’s one of the coolest experiences.”

We caught up with the General, er …. father, as he watched his 25-year-old son accept his stars-and-stripes jersey.

VeloNews: Talk to me about how it has been watching Ryan climb the ranks as a professional bike racer.

Greg Trebon: It’s been really special. Getting to this level involves 10 or more years of living poor, being by yourself and sleeping on the floors at other people’s houses because you don’t have any money. Ryan most impressed me when he was interviewed last year and the question was “who is your favorite ’cross racer?” Ryan’s answer was, “that un-sponsored pro.”

Ryan has been there for a long time. As a dad I’m really impressed that he has a great heart and he’s humble, and little kids come up to him and he’s got time for them. I don’t understand a champion’s heart, and he’s got it. It’s really important for him to not just do well but to dominate. He reminds me of Dale Earnhardt.

VN: How old was Ryan when he first started showing a passion for bike racing?

GT: He was 14, and he was just this young kid with a passion, and as parents we supported him in his passion. It didn’t really matter how well he was doing. He really liked the scene and he felt really comfortable in it. In the last few years when he’s really found success he really focused on doing this and doing it good. You can tell, you can look in his eyes and see that he is really serious about it.

VN: As a parent, was it difficult watching your child try to pursue the life of a bike racer?

GT: Absolutely. When he was getting out of high school I was really encouraging him to go to college. One of his sisters is a lawyer and the other one is an emergency room nurse and I said you gotta go to college and race and do both at the same time. A year after doing that I realized that I was really holding him back.

His passion was in racing and I needed to support him in that. At that point we as a family decided to support Ryan 100-percent with his racing, that meant financially, emotionally and on all of those levels. He has added his dedication. I have absolute respect for these guys. I think a lot of people don’t know how hard they work training. It’s absolutely amazing for me.

VN: Were there results Ryan got that helped you make the decision to support his bike racing?

GT: No. It was his heart. You could tell that he was really passionate and serious about it. It wasn’t something that was going to last for just a moment, like it is with things that young people try. I could tell that this was something he really wanted to do. Frankly, in life, all of the good qualities he’s developed through racing will put him in good standing in life with whatever he plans to do. It was a difficult decision.

I remember the moment when I personally made the decision. I was at a three-month program at Syracuse University and I could tell there was a lot of friction between Ryan and me because I was pushing him in a direction of wanting to go to college because of financial implications of that for the future. I could tell that I was not supporting him emotionally in the way he needed to be supported. At that moment I just said okay. It wasn’t an argument, it was something that came to me on a quiet walk by myself.

I said I’ve got to support this kid because he is so passionate it about this. I mean, I’ve always supported and loved him, but I mean really support it. But still when we made that decision it wasn’t easy for him. It wasn’t like we handed him money and said go train. He had to support himself and live poor. That’s why I have the respect for him and Barry and most of these guys. I don’t think people realize how hard it is to do this. It’s not just ability. It’s training and spending time on the road and time by yourself. It’s hard to stay disciplined in life, and he’s done outstanding in that way.

VN: Was Ryan a talented athlete before he was a bike racer?

GT: Yes, he’s the kid who couldn’t sit still. He was moving all of the time. Obviously because he’s tall they wanted him playing basketball, and they had him playing varsity when he was a freshman. He was really good in soccer, and he elected to be the captain of the team as a sophomore. And of course we moved every couple of years because I was in the Air Force. But racing, specifically cyclo-cross, really got under his skin. I think he liked the competition, but he really liked the people. I think that has really made the difference with him.

VN: Does Ryan have to sit you down and explain bike racing to you?

GT: No, as father and dad I ask a million questions and he’ll answer maybe one of them, because that’s just one of those things between a father and a son. I’m a pilot and when he was young he was chasing me around all the time asking questions. It just blows me away the level of fitness they have. And the way they have to focus and sacrifice.

VN: Which national championship do you think means more to Ryan, the cross-country mountain-bike title or the cyclo-cross title?

GT: I think cyclo-cross because that’s where he started. For Ryan, finishing second the last two years was tough on him. I talked to him last year, I told him congratulations because I wasn’t at the race, you know there were 80 guys out there who wanted to win, second is outstanding. He said “Dad, it does not feel good to finish second two years in a row.”

So for this race there was a lot of pressure on Ryan. People expected him to win and that was a 10,000 pound monkey on his back, and I could tell it was weighing heavy on him. But I’m glad he could do it, and God kept the bike under him and he did it.