When it comes to competition, Lauren Hall doesn’t seem like the type of person who does something halfway.

Two years ago, the Vicksburg native set a goal to run a marathon. Before long, the marathon became a triathlon. And once she started training for that, she quickly found a talent and passion for competitive cycling.

Now, just two years later, the 30-year-old is racing with some of the best cyclists in the world.

The Flowood resident was invited to race with the German Nurnberger Team at the Redlands Bicycle Classic in Redlands, Calif., this weekend. She’ll serve as a support rider for Amber Neben, a two-time winner of the Tour de l’Aude, the women’s equivalent of the Tour de France. The race begins today.

“It’s a huge opportunity. There’s a field of 150 women and I’m racing with one of the top three teams in the world,” Hall said.

Hall’s chance to ride with the best caps off a meteoric rise that she hopes is only just beginning.

After graduating from St. Aloysius, Hall went to Mississippi State and played soccer while earning her biological sciences degree. After leaving MSU, she played semipro soccer for a few years before moving on to other pursuits. One of those included training for a marathon, which quickly turned her on to competitive cycling.

“My brother talked me into running a marathon, and one of my goals was to do a triathlon,” Hall said. “Then the guys in the club I ride with said you have talent and you should try to take it to the next level.”

Hall started competing in races in Mississippi and Louisiana, plus a few in other parts of the country, and enjoyed some success. Unbeknownst to her, however a friend placed a call that helped her take the next step.

Through various contacts, the U.S. Women’s Cycling Development Program learned about Hall and started scouting her. The non-profit organization tries to find a handful of women’s cyclists around the country each year that have the talent and personality to compete with pro teams, and program director Michael Engleman liked what he saw. After seeing her race at the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic in Colorado last April, and then meeting her afterward, he signed her up for the Development Program.

“A lot of the athletes we work with go off of attitude as much as anything. It was pretty easy to see she had the talent, and once you talk to her you see even more that she has a great attitude,” Engleman said.

The Development Program doesn’t offer sponsorships or a contract, but it does loan riders equipment and helps them break in with pro teams. Given the small amount of sponsorship money flowing into the sport, Hall said that’s just as good.

“The bikes and wheels for some of these racing bikes can be $7,000. Just that in itself is a huge help. It’s not a contract, but it helps,” Hall said. “He’s got the contacts. There’s no way I’d know anybody with this team. It’s a really good deal.”

Given her shot at the big time, Hall will try to make the most of it. Although each team typically has one rider who races for a championship during an event, cycling is very much a team sport. Each team has between six and eight riders, and the support riders all play different roles during the various stages of a race. One time, it might be to give the superstar drafting help. The next, it could be keeping up with a pack of opponents who have broken away.

Showing she’s willing to be a team player is as important to Hall’s chances of landing another ride as her cycling ability.

“It’s not about the result so much as the effort. To use a football analogy, she’s more like a lineman than the quarterback,” Engleman said. “It’s a chance for her to learn, no matter what her results are. You ride with the best in the world, you’re going to learn something.”

And should Hall make a good impression, she’ll have a difficult choice to make. She might get a chance to turn pro. Engleman feels she has the talent to ride professionally, and even excel on that level.

“We call Lauren a sprinter. She’s tons of fast-twitch muscles. She’s fast. But she’s also a good time trial rider. She’s really an all-around rider. In a few years, to use the football analogy again, she could be that quarterback,” Engleman said.

As nice as that would be, though, it won’t pay the bills. And that’s where the dream turns back into reality.

“I’d love to make a career out of it. But the hard thing with women’s cycling is there’s no money in it. A contract you beg for is $3,000 or $5,000 a year,” said Hall, who works as a nutritionist for the Rankin County School District. “It’s a big decision.”

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com