David Francis (cyclist)

David Francis
Born	David Allan Francis (1973-01-19) January 19, 1973
Education	Brigham Young University (BA) California Western School of Law (JD)
Occupation(s)	lawyer, cyclist

David Allan Francis (born January 19, 1973) is an American lawyer and former cyclist.

Biography

Education

Francis graduated from Dixie High School in St. George, Utah, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law. He was the first in his family to receive a bachelor's or a doctorate degree.

Cycling career

He is a former member of the United States Cycling Team (1989–1991) and was part of the next generation of American cyclists (after the success of Greg LeMond and Andrew Hampsten) to compete in professional cycling, a sport traditionally dominated by Europeans. His teammates included Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Bobby Julich and Jonathan Vaughters. He was originally coached by Bob Bills, but in 1990 USA Cycling Team Director Chris Carmichael hired former European professional rider, Rene Wenzel, to replace him. Francis traveled and raced internationally as a member of the United States Cycling Team for three years before leaving the team in 1991 to serve a two-year service mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Francis feels tremendous pride from representing his country in cycling and credits his time on the US National Cycling Team as a great teacher of personal responsibility, hard work and setting and achieving goals.

Cycling Achievements

• 1989-1991 US Cycling Team Member (Team USA)
• 1989 Junior Olympic Festival, Mexico City, Mexico - Gold Medal
• 1989 Tour of Pontivy, Brittany, France - 2nd Overall
• 1989 Tour of Pontivy, Individual Time Trial, Brittany, France - 2nd Place
• 1989 Mammoth Stage Race, Mammoth Lakes, CA - 2nd Overall
• 1989 U.S. Junior National Championships (Road Race) - 10th Place
• 1990 Glenwood Springs Professional Road Race, Glenwood Springs, CO - 10th Place
• 1990 Tour of the Future, Team Time Trial, Bisbee, AZ - 1st Place
• 1990 U.S. Junior National Championships (Road Race) - 2nd Place
• 1990 Utah State Time Trial Championships - 1st Place
• 2005 Southern Nevada/California Hill Climb Championships - 2nd Place
• 2006 Southern Nevada/California Hill Climb Championships - 1st Place
• 2007 LOTOJA Classic, Pro Division - 1st Place (Salt River Pass Record)
• 2008 LOTOJA Classic, Pro Division - 2nd Place
• 2009 High Uintah Classic, Evanston, Wyoming - 1st Place
• 2009 Sundance Hill Climb - 1st Place (New Record Time)
• 2009 Big Cottonwood Hill Climb - 1st Place
• 2009 Snowbird Hill Climb - 1st Place
• 2009 LOTOJA Classic, Pro Division - 2nd Place
• 2010 Intermountain Cup MTB, Jackson Hole Resort Pro Division - 1st Place

Personal life

Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Teton, Idaho his love for the mountains began at an early age. The son of an Australian immigrant, he is a dual citizen of Australia and the United States. Francis is the proud father of 4 boys, Samuel, Ethan, Aidan and Henry. He loves to be close with them and spend time with them. Francis was previously married to Emily Webster. Unable to emotionally process the gravity of the problems in his marriage to Emily, Francis turned to alcohol to escape the pain and confusion he was feeling and used alcohol as a coping mechanism to "keep moving forward on the broken path I was on." After a long journey through what Francis calls "the underworld" a "place where confusion, pain and hopelessness reign, but also a place where all things are possible" he has moved forward and is focused on living a meaningful life with his boys, family and close friends. Francis loves focusing on his physical fitness, his love for cycling, skiing and mountaineering. Francis has been writing and recording his experiences from his journey through "the underworld" and hopes to share those experiences with others.

Legal career

Francis became interested in the law and becoming a lawyer after his older sister, Suzie, was killed in a motor vehicle accident when she was 19. The poor manner in which the insurance company dealt with Francis' family after the loss of Suzie, left an impression on Francis that has stayed with him to this day. After graduating from law school, he accepted a job with Mainor Harris Lawyers, working directly with Richard Harris, one of its founders. After working directly with Harris, Francis later worked for Alverson Taylor and then Beckley Singleton, both large insurance defense firms in Las Vegas. Francis saw his time working for large insurance defense firms as an education into how insurance companies operate and treat victims of injury they are contractually obligated to compensate. While at Beckley Singleton, Francis practiced sports and entertainment law where he worked with The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Dana White directly. He founded the David Francis Law Firm, a civil trial law firm that specialized in personal injury law in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2007. Francis enjoyed success as a top civil litigator and trial attorney in Las Vegas. In 2009 he became the first trial lawyer in Las Vegas to receive a jury award in a medical malpractice case in over 10 years when the jury awarded his client $3.6 million dollars. Francis grew the David Francis Law Firm to over 35 staff and 6 attorneys. He is currently focused on expanding his practice to serve the Salt Lake City community.

Current Activities

As of 2022, Francis resides in Salt Lake City, Utah and is an attorney at Salt Lake City, Utah personal injury law firm, LifeLaw. Francis is also a member of the HEAL non-profit organization that is seeking to reduce the air pollution and "inversion" that plagues Salt Lake City's winter skies.

External links

• David Francis at Cycling Archives
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