(Note: This report is best viewed with a phone, not a computer or tablet.)

With the recent passing of The Local Legend in the cycling community, I have been reflecting upon my own life with regards to the bicycle.

The Local Legend lived from August 28, 1929 to October 14, 2022. He died a few days after his last bike ride. He was 93. I had an opportunity to ride with The Local Legend for several years during the mid 1990’s. In 1995 I was 33 and he was 66. It was “The (My) Golden Age of Cycling” and I hope it was “golden” for The Local Legend as well. I like to think maybe it was.

The Local Legend was a paradigm of hard work and toughness. At one point, when he was riding really well, he informed us that he would need to get triple bypass surgery! Oh no! He’s been riding with clogged arteries and he’s still really hard to keep up with! Sure enough, after his operation he was stronger than before.

Bike saddles in the 1990’s were not very advanced. We were discussing men’s health during an easy ride one day and the very real threat of erectile dysfunction caused by these saddles. The Local Legend asserted that he didn’t care if his penis went numb – as long as he could ride!

In his late 80s, The Local Legend was still going strong when he got hit by a car and broke his neck. He was back on the bike in no time. 

Bicycles have brought me much joy in a large part due to the types of people you meet. My long friendship with Dr. Gino began around this time when Dr. Gino started showing up for club rides. Yet even when riding alone, the bicycle has a way of creating joy for its rider.

As a toddler in Denver I remember having a tricycle that brought me much enjoyment.

Later, as a teenager in Marin County I had a Schwinn Stingray frame that I converted into a BMX bike. It was a great bike and together we had some great times. 

At UCSD I had a cheap road bike that I would ride up and down Torrey Pines Road. Those were very nice rides.

After getting married, my wife and I traded in a Honda CVCC for two Univega mountain bikes purchased at Bud’s Cyclery in Claremont, California. She still has hers.

The Univega really changed my life for the better. I began venturing further and further from our home in Pomona. Soon I had climbed above Foothill Drive. Then I climbed above Baseline Drive. Then I ran out of paved road and discovered a network of fire roads above Claremont that would in the future become the Claremont Wilderness Park. I kept exploring upwards until I was surrounded only by sky (and smog.) I had discovered Potato Mountain! Over the years I would “collect potatoes” too numerous to count. I would also discover Evey Canyon on the back side of Potato Mountain as well as the single track trails of Marshall Canyon. My in-laws would then purchase a house at the base of the Marshall Canyon trailhead – which was perfect for me. Thank you Ray and Loretta.

Below, we have pictures of Potato Mountain and Marshall Canyon which together form a single, ten mile descent.

I would visit the area often over the years, sometimes with a road bike so that I could ride Glendora Ridge Road. As with Cerro Alto near my home, I would develop a special relationship with these places.

One day in 1989 while reading an issue of Outside magazine I saw a short article about a bike ride to “save Mono Lake”. Riders would gather at the reflecting pools in front of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. They would then collect water from the ponds and carry that water all the way back to Mono Lake – thus returning it to its source. I put some slicks on my Univega and went. We rode 400 miles over six days. There was one other rider who completed the ride on a mountain bike. All the other riders had road bikes. This would be my first introduction to “roadies”.

By the way, Mono Lake was saved. Sort of. There is still work to be done. Thank you Mono Lake Committee.

Soon after that adventure we moved to Atascadero, California. One of the first things I did was walk into the local bike shop and buy a road bike. The bike shop was Sunstorm Cyclery. The bike was a Centurion. 

I next met the president of the North County Cycling Club, Ned Horn. He recruited me and I started riding with the club. 

On these club rides I got to know The Local Legend. I was starting my career in teaching, he was newly retired from the profession. The Local Legend and the other guys in the club patiently coached me in the basics of group riding. We rode often. I started getting faster. The Local Legend was right there with me the whole time. He rode like a 33 year old! He would go on to compete regularly at the Senior Olympic Games where he would dominate all cycling categories for many years to come.

As I became a stronger rider, my club mates told me I should race – so I did. I quickly went from being a fast fish in a small pond to slow fish in a larger pond. Racing was hard, dangerous and humbling. Racing definitely “put me in my place” and maybe made me a kinder and gentler cyclist.

The years of riding with The Local Legend were hard to beat. We had a great bike shop behind us. We had a racing team. Team members were sponsored. As a team leader and club president, I saw the group as my own squad. 

In addition to The Local Legend, we also had on the team “The Potter” and “The Olympian”. 

The Potter was ten years my senior and faster on the dirt than I was. He had been the overall champion at Team Big Bear’s Snow Summit Amateur Cup, which was a very competitive race. That success carried with it no small amount of credibility. He was the best training partner I ever had. He would ride at the drop of a hat. We pushed each other hard.  

The Olympian was 20 years my senior and on a good day could beat me on any climb. 

I still see The Olympian often. He is a quiet person. I had been riding with him for some time before I discovered that he had worn the stars and stripes jersey representing the United States at some big race in South America. I believe he even met El Presidente! One time we got chased down by a cop for running a stop sign. I eventually pulled over and received a ticket. The Olympian escaped and hid in the creek!

We had a newsletter called  “SloCoNoVeloNews”. In it I wrote a column called: “Hammertime”. We organized an annual bike race which eventually grew to a total purse of $10,000 (which attracted some pretty fast riders.) 

I would ride hours and hours with The Local Legend, The Olympian and The Potter – all older than me but just as strong. 

The shop guys (Jim, Keith, Bret and Paul) were also very patient and supportive.

We would do lunch rides together and Sunday mountain bike rides outside of town. If there was a race I wanted to do, I could often get one of the shop guys to come along and do the race with me. They shared their tools and workspace, taught me repair skills and proper tool usage and could usually get me a sweet discount on parts. Bret in particular was a good coach. We did quite a few practice criteriums around the industrial park in SLO where the sourdough bakery used to be located. There I got to know some more good riders and learned some important skills like sprinting and breaking away. 

After much suffering, I finally won a mountain bike race: The Shuteye Peak Challenge. I also managed to stand on the podium at a few other races. After completing my bike racing goals, I moved away from racing to focus on family. Much of my suffering had been shared with my wife, who had to endure all manner of selfishness on my part. Prior to The Shuteye Peak Challenge she declared: “You better win this one!” It had been a challenging trip complete with a roach infested motel.

I would eventually replace every single part on the Centurion. It became a new bike. The old parts were used to make a wind chime.

My next bike was a shiny Specialized S Works road bike made in Morgan Hill, California. I crashed it in front of the Supergo bike shop where I was test riding it in the parking lot. (It wasn’t even paid for yet!) The bike and I came to rest on the hood of a shocked and angry shopper. The bike, me and the car were all fine.

One day at work, a colleague of mine mentioned that he could get a friends and family discount on Masi bicycles. As a favor I researched the company and picked out two matching bikes: one for the friend (my colleague) and one for the friend of the friend (me.) My colleague and I traveled to Masi headquarters to meet Masi’s graphic artist who designed the paint job on the 2015 Masi Evoluzione and pick up the bikes. This is the road bike I currently own.

Sunstorm eventually closed and the North County Cycling Club disbanded. Even the building where the old Sunstorm bike shop resided was torn down. The club and the shop had spoiled me forever. I would never again be satisfied with other bike shops nor with other group rides. I don’t think I will ever rediscover that “great bike shop” or that “almost perfect paceline” again.

Every cloud has its silver lining though. The former owner of Sunstorm Cyclery had three girls. One of them married a good cycling buddy of mine. They now have two beautiful daughters and live just a few miles away.

I rode with the “new club” out of “the new shop” for a while and it was fine. I didn’t feel the magic, coolness and excitement of my rides with The Local Legend and the others during The Golden Age of Cycling. I eventually left the club to pursue surfing full time with my son. That’s another story. 

With the advent of Strava, riders were publishing every detail of every ride. I embraced the Strava platform for a year or two and had fun chasing KOMs around my local neighborhood. But I eventually deleted my account. 

In the good old days we would do “stealth training”. It was the opposite of Strava. Riders would sneak out during bad weather to clock extra training miles or go on a “vacation” where all they did was ride hard – usually at altitude. When asked “Have you been riding” the response was always “No, not really.”

One of the sweetest chapters of my life on a bicycle was when my college roommate and best friend invited me to ride his fundraiser: Ride for a Reason. It is a ride from Oakland, California to Sacramento. Its purpose is to raise money for education and to raise awareness for the need to fully fund our public schools. I have completed this rewarding ride numerous times now.

In the  spring of 2022 I climbed Fremont Peak on my bike and did an 80 mile ride outside of Pinnacles National Park. I completed the 90 mile Fondo Carmelo at the 2022 Sea Otter Classic and completed the 75 mile Nova Eroica ride out of Cambria.

I also completed the 2022 Ride for a Reason, riding 112 miles that day.

After a few weeks of rest I went out and clocked a personal record on my local hill.

Then I took a break from road riding and hung up the Masi for awhile. It’s hanging in the garage. It is a road racing bike, designed for going fast on the road in a group. It’s uncomfortable and not all that safe. These are the sacrifices a rider makes in order to compete in road riding. I now ride a gravel bike which has more rubber on the road and a more upright riding position. 

I also bought a new mountain bike: a carbon “hardtail” with 29 inch wheels. It is perfect for mellow cross country single track, which is something we have around here. 

I have always considered myself a mountain biker first and a roadie second. It feels good to be returning to my roots. Once again I am on a new, magical machine that can take me beyond the pavement – alone and up to the top of the mountain where I am surrounded only by sky.

Footnote: When I die, I don’t want a memorial ride. I want a bench – a bench with a cool quote in a nice place. Then find and publish my “Last and Final Trail Report”. Thank you.

The Rides and Races

My first race was a mountain bike race in Loma Linda, California. I almost missed the start because I lined up next to some spectators instead of with the field at the actual start line. I barely made it to the start line in time. I finished third!

My next big race was the Team Big Bear Snow Summit Amateur Cup. It was a three race series. I competed in the “sport” group. Although I had not yet met “The Potter”, he would be competing in the same event, albeit in a different category. I would finish in the top third overall. The Potter would take first place overall in his group. That was quite an achievement. It was a very competitive race series.

The Norba National Championship Race at Mammoth Mountain (1992) was one of my best races. It was long and at altitude with lots of climbing. By the top of the big climb I was in 9th place. I finished 13th. At this point I felt like I could actually race a cross country mountain bike.

Prior to Mammoth, I had dislocated my shoulder on a training ride – far from the trail head. An actual fur trapper with a truck full of hound dogs drove me back to the trail head. It was a long, bumpy and painful drive. When I finally reached the ER for surgery, they pumped me full of twice as many drugs as my wife had delivering our first child. I guess I am the baby.

I had strict doctor’s orders to stay off the bike for six weeks. Although I was not supposed to be riding, let alone racing – I did so anyhow. I confessed to my physical therapist my plans to do a bike race. His advice was to “not crash”. So I crashed. As I was doing a human air torpedo over a long steep fire road, I had the presence of mind to rotate my body along its longitudinal access from a prone “Superman” position to a blind “belly up” position while at the same time clutching my weakened shoulder close to my body with my good arm and descending to a smooth but rocky landing. My bad shoulder remained uninjured and intact!

My proudest cycling moment was taking first at the “Shuteye Peak Challenge” where I came in a full ten minutes ahead of the next competitor. Although the “trophy” looks like something out of a fifth grade crafts class, I consider it as worthy as The Yellow Jersey. It was my kind of race: a nine mile climb from 5,000 feet elevation up to around 8,000 feet.

One year at Laguna Seca I took home a fifth place ribbon. There were so many competitors that we had to race “heats” to see who would make it to the final. I won my heat! My wife was there and she became so excited that she started yelling “Yay, Dave!” When my fellow racers heard her cheer, they all joined in by yelling “Yay, Dave!”

Laguna Seca also had a road race. The Category IV racers did three 22 miles laps. It was hilly. When my teammate pulled his foot out of his pedal, I waited and then paced him back to the group. I had to chase hard for a good fifteen minutes before I reached back up to the main pack. By then he was gone and I had wasted my energy for no good reason. I barely hung on to finish the race. At one point, I needed water so badly that I snatched a bottle from the hands of an innocent bystander as the pack raced by at 25 miles per hour.

The Downieville Classic was another very good race with a big climb of around eight miles at the start followed by a good twenty miles of descending. On the climb riders would just pull off and stop. I kept going. There was a German behind me offering encouraging words. I couldn’t turn around and look at him and never saw him – even after the summit. He kept telling me to “catapult”. So I did. It worked. I had a great race but never found him afterwards to thank him. 

Downieville also turned out to be a great camping trip for the family. There was a decent sized earthquake while we stood on a bridge above the river. The family came along on numerous bike trips with me and had lots of fun.

I was pretty good at time trialing. I could average close to 25 miles per hour for one hour. One year the San Luis Obispo bike club (Velo SLO) sponsored a time trial, so I showed up. These guys were pretty fast and they were not expecting anyone from the “north county” to steal their glory. I had the fastest time of both the Category IV and Category III racers that day. No one knew who I was. That felt pretty good. They gave me some jerseys.

Our club organized a time trial as well. After registering the riders and seeing them off on their staggered starts, I started my race. Going last was a big disadvantage as the wind had kicked up. I had a stiff headwind most of the way on a hilly course. I finished the 40 kilometer time trial in one hour and five minutes to take second place. Not bad!

Once a month we would also have a club time trial. That course is now immortalized on Strava as a segment named after The Local Legend.

Putting my time trial skills to use, I finally completed the Lighthouse Century in around five hours.

The Death Ride was just as it sounds – long and hard. I finished that ride in a high speed descent on wet roads with hail pounding down.

At the Santa Barbara Criterium one year I took second after employing a primal scream inspired by Greg Lemond’s win at the Road World Championships in 1989. I thought the scream might propel me into first. It did not.

Centuries ridden included the Solvang (3x), Marin (2x), Wildflower (3x), Lighthouse (5x), Windmill (2x), Best of the Bay (1x), Central Coast Century (1x) and Cool Breeze (2x).

One winter some of us bike racers joined a roller blade hockey league. We were pretty terrible – except for Bret , who could actually skate.

My biggest pay day was a first place finish at the Bakersfield Criterium: $50, plus another $25 from Sunstorm Cyclery as part of our sponsorship deal. 

In addition to completing many versions of “Ride for a Reason”, my best friend Mike also organized long bike weekends on the Russian River. These were called “Grand Fundos”. Once the river house was sold, the Grand Fundo gang started experimenting with “The Big Surreal” – a week of cycling and camping on the Big Sur Coast.

Grand Fundos:

The Big Surreal:

Near the end of my teaching career I was happy to encounter a fellow cyclist new to my department. He and I had many grand cycling adventures together, including riding the Sagan Fundo in 2018.

I also rode for about a year with a group of retired teachers who all rode electric mountain bikes. That was some of the hardest riding I had recently done as I was not on an electric mountain bike.

One other great race was The Visalia Cycling Classic. On that day I was able to lead out my teammate Dave for the final sprint. He took fourth that day and got his name in Velonews! Dave just finished designing and building the new Skyline Trail in Big Bear.

I am not sure where eventual professional bike racer and bike magazine editor “The Professional” was during The Golden Age of cycling with The Local Legend. I imagine he was going to high school and racing mountain bikes. Near the twilight of my involvement in the local North County cycling scene I would have the opportunity of riding with The Professional a few times. Upon turning pro he rented the apartment above The Potter’s studio, so we would see him often. He lived a quiet lifestyle – waking up early to complete his intervals, returning home, drinking a smoothie and then napping. He once passed me at Big Bear during a race. He was hardly breathing. He gave me an encouraging “Good job, Dave” as he smoothly pedaled by. He was always hardworking and kind. He was always a gentleman. 

In later years, some very good riders would move to the area, but none were as gracious as The Professional.

Near my house is a large, private ranch made up of many smaller “ranchettes”. Back during The Golden Age of Cycling I would ride back in the ranch often. I was soon taking The Potter and The Olympian with me. We had a nice circuit laid out. As long as we rode early or late in the day, we seldom saw anyone. I even took The Professional back into the ranch on one occasion.

We eventually swore off riding in the ranch. We were starting to feel guilty about trespassing – a little. That was over twenty years ago. Just recently I revisited the ranch. This time it was by invitation. A large landowner (1,000 acres) wants to have weekly hikes on the network of trails he has been building by hand. His trail network totals about ten miles. It was nice to see the ranch again after all this time. He is a bit of an environmentalist and naturalist, so we get along just fine. And he rides!

For now, cycling has become a means – not an end.

PHOTO GALLERY

Another Legend is of course Keith Schmidt. (Here we have the kids at the Sea Otter Classic bike festival enjoying their new bikes purchased at Kman Cyclery.) Keith has always been a very generous contributor to our community. Thank you, Keith. Keith is related to The Local Legend by marriage, so I imagine he is also a great amount of support to the family right now. I am sorry for your loss, Keith.

MORE RACES AND RIDES…

BRIAN HEAD, UTAH…

For nearly thirty years, beginning in 1970 my family owned a cabin in Brian Head, Utah. My Dad built it. I helped. It sat on a ridge at 10,000 feet elevation. Once I had my first mountain bike I started riding there during the summer. The altitude was great for my training, as well as the many big climbs in the region. It’s now on the map for gravel and mountain bike riding. Cedar City is officially a bike town. The Tushar Mountains are not far away. And there now exists a hut to hut trail system along the Aquarius Plateau. Brian Head proper also has mountain biking on the slopes in the summer.

LAKE TAHOE…

LE TOUR DE FRANCE…

LOCAL RIDES…

MAMMOTH…

CHINA CAMP (MARIN COUNTY)…

MORRO BAY BIKE RIDE…

MOUNT DIABLO CHALLENGE…

This same year I did the Phil Gaimon’s World Hill Climb Championship Race and was not last!

Same number as the Diablo Hill Climb!

MOUNT HOOD…

THE SEA OTTER CLASSIC…

THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR’S BIKE…

There was even a period when I would do local rides with The Peaceful Warrior, The Catcher and my wife.

RIDING IN YOSEMITE…

NOW RETIRED…

Addendum: The Tour of California

When the Big Race came to town!

2006 Tour of California

Monterey to San Luis Obispo

The longest stage of the tour closed with a mass sprint in San Luis Obispo, with Juan José Haedo taking his second stage of the race. Floyd Landis maintained the overall lead.

Took the kids and Karen!

San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara

Levi Leipheimer, true to his strength, took the King of the Mountain jersey by collecting the first place points on the biggest climb of the stage, the category 1 climb of San Marcos Pass, 15 miles (24 km) from the finish. He was caught, however, on the downhill.

Stood on San Marcos pass!

2007 Tour of California

Seaside to SLO

Stage 4 into SLO was completed in just over five hours for an average speed of  27 mph.

Solvang time trial

Went with Dr. Gino and saw Jens Voigt!

2008 Tour of California

Stage 4 again finished in San Luis Obispo.

2009 Tour of California

Visalia to Paso Robles

The finish was contested in another mass sprint, won for the second day in a row by Mark Cavendish.

I stood on the finish line!

Solvang Time Trial

I saw Lance warming up at the time trial!

2011 Tour of California

Peter Sagan won in Paso Robles. I missed this one! I rode up late!

2013 Tour of California

Jens Voigt wins in Avila. I think I saw this one.

2015 Tour of California

Pismo Beach to Avila Beach: Sagan won the sprint. Maybe this is the one I saw.

2017 Tour of California

Pismo to Morro Bay

Peter Sagan wins the uphill sprint on Harbor Street and takes the sprinter’s jersey. Saw this one with Karl.

2018 Tour of California

The race did not pass through SLO county. Egan Bernal won.

2019 Tour of California

Dr. Gino and I did the pre-ride. Teejay crashed on the way into the finish. 

Thank you Glenn for helping introduce me to the sport of cycling!

Honorable Mentions: Old cycling acquaintances who were great to ride with:

When we first moved to the area, one of my best friends lived in San Luis Obispo (SLO) and managed Woodstocks Pizza. We did many epic mountain bike rides together, along with a friend of his, his younger brother and the Peaceful Warrior. These rides include full moon night rides.

During the Sunstorm years I enjoyed riding with the Local Legend as well as Steve Lane and Doug Reynolds. It was also great to ride with the shop guys: Jim Amato, Paul Amato, Bret Dooley, Kieth Schmidt and “Weezer” Goshorn. On a few of these we were joined by The Professional (Neil Shirley).

Neil Shirley is a former U.S. professional cyclist whose most notable road-racing result was 3rd place at the 2007 USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship, finishing behind Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie. Other strong pro results included 4th overall at the 2010 Tour of Thailand and multiple stage podiums there, along with a long domestic professional career on teams such as Kelly Benefit Strategies and Jittery Joe’s. After retiring from pro racing, Shirley became a leading figure in gravel cycling, notably winning Gravel Worlds and becoming a five-time finisher of Unbound Gravel (formerly Dirty Kanza), where he was an early ambassador and expert on the event rather than a podium contender. He later served as Editor-in-Chief of Road Bike Action, helping drive the magazine’s gravel coverage, and subsequently joined ENVE Composites, where he has worked in marketing, content, and athlete-facing roles while remaining active in the gravel community.

Bret and I would also do Sunday morning practice criterium races at the industrial park where SLO Soudough used to be baked. It always smelled great. There we got to ride with Mauricio Argente, Mitch Garey and Sheldon Smith.

During my time riding with Team K-man I enjoyed riding with Steve LaChaine, Lance Fields, Louise Comar, Mark Glenesk, Kurt Burkhart, and later Kelly Clark.

In the Paso Robles area I enjoyed riding with Dr. Gino, Tony Gaspar and Andy Hays.

I was pleased to learn that John Richert has opened a bike shop in Morro Bay.