Mountainside Ski & Sports Cycling: intergalatic farming

Mike Funk

Mike has been racing for 21 years and says his favorite race is Michaux Maximus because he “loves the rocks!” Riding his Specialized S-Works Epic , in 2010 he placed 1st Expert Master at Greenbriar, French Creek, Cascade Classic, Long Pine, Neshaminy, and 2 of the Bear Creek race series. He won the overall MASS Series Expert Master 2. He took 2nd at Tour De Tykes and Massanutten Hoo Ha. And he placed 8th Expert Master at the Windham Race the Worlds event. His 2011 racing goal is to win the MASS Expert Master class. Mike also enjoys road cycling, skiing and spending time with his 20 year old daughter.

Nathan Goates

Nathan, also known as Dr. Goatsauce by his students, is a professor of management at Shippensburg University, where he also volunteers as coach for their cycling team. His competitive racing experience began in 1987 when he started showing up to the local mid-week club “training races” at age fourteen in Boise, Idaho where he grew up. In 1989 he bought a USCF racing license and raced as much as he could through 1992. He was almost always the youngest rider in those groups. After high school he took a ten year hiatus, and then started riding again in 2003, while living in Nashville. It wasn’t until 2005 that he started racing again as a 32 year-old graduate student, where he was the oldest rider. In 2006 he raced in the Collegiate National Road Championships, a career racing highlight for him. Nathan owns a bike (or two) for every occasion and particularly enjoys racing them in extra long and extra hard races. “In the great races, the racers suffer. That truth is the heart of bicycle racing.” While suffering in those great races he is cheered on by his wife, who is a class C USA Cycling official, and his three children, ages 12, 9 and 2.

You can follow Nathan on his blog: goatspeak

Janice Morris

Three years ago was Janice’s first year racing and she quickly claimed the following wins: MASS series Championship Womens Sport II, National Championship Mt. Snow Womens Sport 35+, State Cross Championship 3rd. It’s too hard for her to pick a favorite race, she liked Greenbriar, Iron Hill and Mt. Snow. Her 2011 goal is to not fall as much while riding her Independent Fabrication Hardtail and Specialized Women’s epic comp full suspension. Janice is a Territorial Manager for Lackawanna Casualty.

Sally McClain

Sally recently traded in her 10 year reign as a stay-at-home-mom for a full-time job as a speech/language clinician and graduate student. She was dubbed “Smiley”by another racer who thought she wasn’t working hard enough because she was smiling rather than drooling. Since she was the 2007 MASS Expert Women Series Champ, I think we can disagree about the smiling vs. drooling theory. Sally prefers riding her Specialized Epic on rocky terrain and says there’s no way she could race without the support of her husband and sons. Her favorite cheer is “Go Mommy, go Mommy!”

Mike Laub

Mike’s the ring leader of the Mountainside race crew and a Coach of the Year award recipient. When he’s not on the bike he’s earning race entry money working at Tyco. Mike’s impressive race results for 2007 include National MTB Series Champion Master 45+; 1st, Deer Valley National, UT; 1st, Sugar Mountain National, NC; 1st, Maryland State Champion, Greenbriar; 2nd, Bulldog Rump, NJ; 3rd, Arizona National; 4th, Fontana National, CA; and 2nd, Master 45+, PA State Cyclocross Championships. He rides an Ellsworth Sub 22 & Ellsworth Truth and his favorite race is Mt. Snow because “it has lots of climbing and a great technical downhill, and its always wet and gnarly.”

Dave McClain

Dave started racing competitively five years ago and in 2009 took first place (master men) at Michaux Dark Hollow 10 miler. Riding his Yeti ASR, his 2011 goal is to just do his best in the Sport Master class and to make sure he is never in front of his wife (and also fellow teammate), Sally, on a technical, killer downhill. Dave is a custom woodworker, enjoys fly fishing and being outdoors with his family skiing, hiking, camping and backpacking. He is thankful to have a “super awesome wife and boys.”

Melissa Mertz

This is Melissa's first year with Mountainside Racing, although she's been racing for two years on her Niner - EMD. Which she affectionately calls "Amanda" after a SUM 41 song she likes. In 2010 she racked up a few podium spots: 1st Rattling Creek Marathon, 2nd On the Rocks at French Creek and Bear Creek Challenge, 3rd Bear Creek MASS Finals. Melissa, also known as Nash, enjoys racing the most at Bear Creek because "it's fast and swoopy on one side and then extremely technical on the other." When off the bike, she works for PIAA and plays field hockey, soccer, basketball and adventure races. She has six year old twins, Ryder and Hailey.

Jennifer Kulas

Jen has been riding road and mountain bikes on and off for the past 20 years. It all started when husband, Judd, took her out for her first mountain bike ride on “graves ridge” in Michaux. Her college roommates hated every minute of the rocks, heat, and bugs and vowed never to go back. For whatever reason, Jen kept returning and has been hooked ever since. In the years that followed, Jen raced mountain and road bikes and developed a passion for being in the outdoors on bikes, hikes, kayaks, and canoes. To support purchasing a garage full of toys, Jen enjoys a career as a High School Counselor. It has been about 4 years since Jen’s last race. She is looking forward to getting back into the racing scene in 2011 on her Giant Anthem with the Mountainside Team.

Judd Kulas

Judd has been riding bikes and racing for about 30 years. It all started for him on the local BMX dirt tracks as a young kid. His passion for bikes and being outdoors only grew stronger over time. He has been a competitive road and mountain cyclist through much of the 90’s and early 2000’s. He very much looks forward to a great 2011 mountain bike racing season on his Turner Flux as part of the Mountainside Team. When not on a bike or doing something outdoors, he enjoys a career as a Licensed Professional Counselor with practices in Carlisle and Camp Hill.

Chad Cherefko

Age 32 - Category Expert - Years racing 16 - Disciplines Mtn and Road.

Chad has been racing since he was 16, when he joined a regional Mtb team named ForceLyte based out of New Brunswick New Jersey. He went to college at WVU where he went to collegiate national championships for road, mountain, and cyclocross. Chad was on the team when they started the longest run of mountain bike series championship titles for the ACCC conference that lasted 10 straight years. He was president of the cycling team there and also began promoting a cyclocross race series in WV. Most recently, he raced in Oregon for Bicycleattorney.com team in cyclocross, road, and mountain, the latter of which saw him with routine top 3 finishes and a focus on endurance events. He promoted the Willamette Valley Cyclocross series and the Oregon Cyclocross State Championships for 2 years. Chad has competed in the Transalp Mountain bike stage race and rode his bike all over the US and Europe.He has 4 cadaver ligaments that were used to reconstruct his left knee, twice, but he still loves to ride and race and it drives him to work harder. Chad has been off the race scene since 2008, but looks forward to racing in road and mountain this year and seeing just how far he can push himself for that elusive Elite upgrade!

Don Pagano

Physical Therapist Assistant since 1995.

Mountain Biker since 1994.

Don's first race was the IronMaster in Michaux on a ProFlex! Riser with bar ends and flat pedals! He's been hooked ever since. Don loves mountain biking, was pretty serious about racing a few years back and won a bunch of races in his categories over the years, but got kiind of burned out after a few years racing expert. He won some expert races, mostly on a singlespeed, but really missed having fun, and that is what he concentrated on the past few years. Shoulder surgery to repair a bad rotator cuff tear in August kept him off the bike all fall and winter, but now he's anxious to get back in the saddle and do some more racin' in 2011. He's 49 and considers Mike Laub his idol! Don is honored to be part of the Mountainside team and hopes to put in some good performances this year while having fun.

April 7, 2011

intergalatic farming

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