Introductions

[Dan B.]

Hey, all.

My name is Dan Blumenfeld; I'm a software geek living on the North
Side (Brighton Heights), with a highly tolerant wife and a toddler who
thinks that proper bikes involve leaning W-A-A-Y back :-)

I act as the Webmaster for the Western PA Wheelmen cycling club, as
well as the route guy for a newly formed Pittsburgh randonneuring
group. Oh, yeah, and I'm the creator/moderator of this group.

My primary ride is a Lightning P-38; that's my bike for training
rides, randonneuring, some commuting, and general cruising. I've also
got a RANS Rocket that I use for foul-weather rides, hauling trailers
(child and cargo), and miscellaneous errand running. Finally, I've
been given an Optima Baron (yummy bike!) on loan by Rob at RBR, so
that I can start training to race for his shop.

As far as rides go, I do a lot of distance stuff; most weekends, I do
a metric century or more, usually starting early Sunday morning. I'm
not an utter hammerhead, but I do like to keep up a good pace on road;
I'm not adverse to the occasional trail ride, however, and I love
exploring new territory.

--Dan

[Andre...@gmail.com]

Thanks for the introduction and for creating this group.

I'm Andrew Baloga an art director/marketing genius for a major
construction company. Like Dan, I too have a very tolerant wife (well,
maybe not as tolerant as his) and four children. My youngest at 17
months is already a confirmed bike nut. I realized this last week when
he was climbing onto a new Trek Madone at the Trek Store in Cranberry;
yes, I know, I have to teach him that bikes are to be ridden while
lying down.

I reside in Marshall Township and have access to more rolling two lane
scenic roads than I have a right to. The hard part is finding the time
to ride and not interfere with my family schedule. That usually means
waking up at 4:45 to start a 5AM solo ride. Yes, that's weekends too.

I own two bikes, a '73 Raleigh Super-something that I use as my trans-
modal commuter and my bike of choice, an ATP Vision R40 with 26"
wheels--front and rear. It's hard to miss me out on the roads; I'm the
guy on the odd-looking orange Barcalounger. I did have a deposit on a
shiny new Volae, but a few financial challenges put that on the back
burner for now.

My riding style is more of a “stop and smell the roses” theme, with a
newly kindled passion to climb any hill I can find. There is a huge
rush in cresting the top out of breath and getting ready for a
downhill run that is nothing short of exhilarating.

[Sean Monaghan]

I'm Sean Monaghan, technical consulting whiz and all-round customer
babysitter for a pharmaceutical software company. Unlike the other
two fellows, I have no wife, but I do have a girlfriend who puts up
with quite a bit. No kids, but my nephew thinks the recumbent is a
cool bike.

My primary ride is a Rans Rocket and I also own a Jamis upright and a
Dahon folder. I live in Ross Township, but I'm closer to Bellevue
than anywhere. I like to hit the Northside River trail near the old
prison and ride down to the ballparks and go where my whims take me.
Needless to say, I'm not a fan of casino construction. I like rides
mostly in the 30 mile range or so, but I'm not against some of the
longer rides that pop up every once in a while. We all can't do 300K
rides non-stop like some people! :) I also try to ride at least MS150
a year (this year, it's the Bike to the Bay in Delaware).

I look forward to seeing you guys out on the trails as I plan on
getting out more often now that my front tire is back in working order
(thank you, Dan).

[Zarky]

My name is Zarky Rudavsky, but I answer to "Z" if you can't remember
that. I live in Squirrel Hill, and work in Squirrel Hill as an
Optometrist. I am married, and have three adult daughters, all out of
the house. I have two recumbents, an older VRex and a newer Barcroft
Virginia GT. I use the VRex for commuting, errands, and trails. I
recently rode the trail to Washington DC on the VRex. There was a
report about this trip in this Sunday's Post Gazette, on the back of
the forum section. This was written by one member of the group who
did the ride.
The Barcroft I use for faster road rides. It's a great bike.

I try to ride before work when weather and daylight permit. I have
several loop rides going through Greenfield, Shadyside, Highland Park,
Oakland and Squirrel hill, that give me 12-18 miles, and get me home
in time to shower and go to work. I commute by bike to work, but
that's just a little over a mile. I also like to shoot downtown on
the jail trail or southside trail, and come back the same way, or go
through Lawrenceville and back through Highland Park if I have time.
I usually leave on my morning rides between 6 and 6:15 am.

I try to get longer rides in on Sunday mornings, but I like to get
back early so I can spend the day with my wife. This usually means
rides of 25 to 45 miles. I usually head up into the north hills for
these rides, but any direction is valid.

Last year I did a charity ride in Israel. I shipped my VRex in a
box. I wanted to take the barcroft, but it wouldn't fit in the box.
It was 5 days of riding, about 300 miles. There were lots of hills
and hot weather. The high was 112 degrees F. The first day we rode
from Jerusalem, which is a city of hills, straight down to the Dead
Sea, the lowest point on earth. From there on it was all up!

Thanks for organizing this group Dan.