My First Century Crosses the Finish Line

Training Pays Off at the Strawberry Century

It has been a long journey.  We kicked-off the My First Century program in January of this year. Ten athletes of all ages, genders and walks of life signed up for a life changing goal, to complete a 100-mile ride.  After training for six months, how did our MFC athletes do? Did they reach their goal?

Saturday June 8^th, nine of our ten featured athletes lined up at the starting line for the 2019 Strawberry Century.  They were joined by VeloPro Head Coach Adnan Kadir, MFC Team organizer and first-time century rider Jon Seaman, and VeloPro brand ambassador and ultra-endurance athlete/videographer Dave Anolik. 

Trevor Spangle, the event organizer, introduced the team and gave us the honor of starting the event at the front, following a police escort through beautiful Lebanon, Oregon.  From there, we were off through the countryside on America’s “Sweetest Miles by Bicycle!” 

It was a fantastic ride and we are pleased to report that eight of our ten athletes completed their first century! 

Huge congratulations go out to:

• Adam Fast – Crushed the ride in 5 hours and 12 minutes! Adam is a serious badass.
• Bethany Thomas – Rode with her husband and pulled him to the finish line in a tough headwind. Big thanks to Salem’s The Bike Peddler, who fixed her slipping chain at an aide station.
• Brian Jones – Our marathon runner, racked up another accomplishment as he raises money for kids with cancer and cystic fibrosis.
• Gina Ambrose – Rode the event with two friends and a smile on her face! She was surprised by her fiancé, who celebrated with her at the finish line.
• Ken Massheimer – Our army veteran sported a stylish beard. He burned up the ride and in true "Army Strong" spirit, lamented he wanted to go even faster.
• Peter Wendel – Our elder statesman at age 67, with two hip replacements, showed there are no limits. Peter is an outstanding athlete. It was fantastic to see his lovely wife Karen there riding and supporting him.
• Sam Nichols – Our sleep deprived Dad did the EPIC route with 4,500 feet of climbing in 5:35!
• Sari Hargand – She fixed a flat on the ride, rode the EPIC route, and still set two QOMs and finished in 5:39 minutes. What an amazing athlete.

Please click their names and check out their profiles. They are riders just like you.  We hope they inspire you to try, train and triumph. 

A very special mention goes out to Diana Fisher.  Diana has been recovering from a knee injury that had her in a wheelchair for six months.  The week before the event, she had a crash and her injured knee was swollen and bruised.  Despite this, she still lined up with the team and rode 75 miles, her longest ride ever! Best of all, she’s had an MRI and has been cleared to continue working towards finishing her first century.  We’ll be there all the way. 

We are very proud of all our athletes!!! Our goal with VeloPro and My First Century was to make cycling and cycling training accessible to more people.  We love cycling and sharing it with as many people as possible.  We know that structured training is the key to becoming a stronger, faster rider and accomplishing big goals. Training doesn’t have to be a drag.  It can be fun. Our MFC athletes and new brand ambassadors are riding proof!

Huge thanks to our generous sponsors who supported the team. On our journey we:

• Slathered ourselves in Chamois Butt’r
• Drank gallons of OSMO Nutrition hydration products, both in training and at our events
• Looked razor sharp in our VeloPro kits provided by Hincapie Sportswear and designed by Christy Hawkins

Finally, we couldn’t have done this without Trevor Spangle and Swift Summit NW.  Trevor and his team generously supported the MFC by giving our riders free entry into the Mohawk Metric Century, Strawberry Century and upcoming Swift Summit 200/100.  These are outstanding events.  We highly recommend them to anyone looking for beautiful and challenging rides in the Pacific Northwest.

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