Nothstein was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, one of five children to Gail Benner Nothstein and Wayne Nothstein, owner of Nothstein Motors, a local automotive business. Nothstein's paternal great grandfather was an accomplished bicycle racer and bare-knuckle prizefighter.
Nothstein began cycling in 1987 and made his international debut in 1989 at UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Lyon, France.[citation needed]
Nothstein won his first world championship medal in 1993, winning silver in the keirin. He became a double world champion in 1994, winning both sprint and keirin events at the 1994 World Championships while nursing a broken heel bone. Nothstein again rode with a fractured bone, his kneecap, as part of the U.S. print team that won the bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships.[4]
Nothestein represented the United States in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where he won the silver medal in the cycling spring. Four years later, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he became the first American cyclist in 16 years to win an Olympic Games gold medal, winning the Olympics' cycling sprint.[citation needed]
In March 2001, he turned professional with the U.S.-based Mercury Viatel team. The following year,l in 2002 he moved to the Navigators Insurance Cycling Team, where he remained for four years until ending his career in 2006.[citation needed]
In 2004, in order to transfer to road riding, he lost 30 pounds compared to normal weight at the 2000 Summer Olympics.[5]
Nothstein won two races in the 2007 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season. The first was at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida in the series’ season opener. The second was in mid-July at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois. He finished 11th in points in the 2007 NHRA Alcohol Funny Car season.[7]
In November 2020, U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith dismissed Nothstein’s lawsuit against USA Cycling over its disclosure of a sexual misconduct allegation against him.[10][11] Smith also held that the decision to suspend Nothstein’s license to compete as a cyclist and place him on a list of suspended riders was within its responsibilities under the federal law that created the United States Center for SafeSport.[10][11] In April 2021 Nothstein dropped his appeal of the judge's decision.[12]
In December 2021, Nothstein was arrested in Allentown and charged with two counts of stalking and defiant trespass, and a single count of criminal trespass.[13] He pled guilty to these counts in February 2023.[2]
Nothstein also ran in special election for Charlie Dent's former seat in Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district.[17][18] Nothstein was defeated by Wild in this election as well, receiving 129,593 votes to Wild's 130,353 votes.[19][20]
Major achievements
World Championships
3-Gold Medals – Keirin (1996), Sprint and Keirin (1994)
2-Silver Medals – Match Sprint (1996), Keirin (1993)
2-Bronze Medals – Keirin, (1997), Team Sprint (1995)
