Races, clubs have come a long way

Clubs, races and Florida's multisport enthusiasts eventually come of age.

Leading the way for locals at St. Anthony's Triathlon is Steve Meckfessel, preparing for a 20th anniversary celebration at the season opener April 26-27.

The hometown St. Pete Mad Dogs club has hit the 10-year mark alive and well, with 2,000 members.

Their team uniforms alone are enough to motivate even the most dedicated couch potato.

The back of their t-shirts proclaim, 'If you can't race with the Mad Dogs, stay on the porch and don't bark!" Wellness and Florida's active lifestyle are an integral part of the multisport culture. That's what Escape From Fort DeSoto Triathlon organizers Joe Fernandez and Fred Rzymek have been saying all along.

Rzymek, of Safety Harbor, can recall the days before triathlons, or even women's cycling, were Olympic events. And the Tampa Bay Triathlon was held at Fort DeSoto Park, not at its' current venue in Straub Park.

"The first original training group we had was called the Pier 60 Triathletes," Rzymek said.

"We started back in 1983 and in 1984, Al James was the head lifeguard at Clearwater Beach. James held a triathlon with Pat Dallman and the group from West Florida Y. It was called the Clearwater Triathlon Challenge," Rzymek said.

Other local pioneers included Mike Sandford, Mark Sappington, Mike Hofstetter, Bob Smith, David Lonacre, Cheryl Durstein-Decker, George LaBanca, Jack Crochet, John Voorhis, Shelly Allen, Bill Castleman, Mike Platt and John Sinibaldi Jr.

"Freddy has done more for the sport of triathlon than any other single person in Tampa Bay," Sinibaldi said. "He organized the first training rides in Pinellas county.

"He has promoted races, as well as helped other race directors. And, without those events, you don't have a sport. He is simply the best."

PIER 60 REUNION: Rzymek will play host to a reunion day for the Pier 60 Triathletes on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at Fort DeSoto Park.

The reunion includes a bike ride, a 2-mile run, breakfast, lunch and dinner at several restaurants. Storytelling and a photo exhibit will provide some of the entertainment. Call Rzymek for details at: (727) 420-4666. GAINESVILLE CHAMPIONS: Leading the way for Florida's mountain bike racers, Team Chainwheel Drive teammates Susie Marston (expert women) and Ed O'Dea (sport men) won their categories Sunday at Haile's Trails in Gainesville.

"I got the holeshot, and just took off," O'Dea said. "It was pretty muddy, but the rain actually held off for our race.

"I got a bigger gap on the next couple of laps, on the 4-mile course, and it was tough, but I was having fun, slipping and sliding."

O'Dea and Marston lead the Florida Spring Series heading into the next mountain bike races in Reddick on March 16. For information visit www.goneriding.com. BATTLE OF BRILLIANCE: The toughest criterium racers in Florida live in the bay area, as proven by the large local turnout Sunday at Dade City's stormy, Battle Of Brilliance.

Team American Classic Mark Stein of Tarpon Springs won his third race of the year, scoring in the masters 40-plus event.

Bill Cogray (Gearlink.Com), of Palm Harbor won the field sprint in the Category 5 race, and junior Jacqueline Crowell of Orlando won the women's Category 4 event.

An award for most aggressive racing styles should go to Tampa's Janie Quigley (Team American Classic), 32, a former Olympic track team member, who made numerous efforts to bolt from the field during a downpour that had the Category 1-2 women sloshing through several inches of water in the turns.

Another aggressive racer was Palm Harbor firefighter Kurt Fritz (Team BBC), who launched repeatedly from the main field up the small backstretch hill, attempting to chase the Team Mapei breakaway in the Category 3 race.

In the opening laps, the speeds of the Category 3 event were among the fastest of the day, with many locals just hanging on through the slippery, bumpy cobblestone S-curve.

U.S. Coast Guard helicopter mechanic Steve Miujeak, 32, of Apopka, survived the 35 m.p.h. attacks to get 14th place in that race.

Miujeak, who trains in Clermont with Olympic triathlete Hunter Kemper and former Russian triathlete Alec Rukosuev, saw his red-white-and-blue United States Armed Forces champion jersey turn black from the spraying puddles.

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