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Letter to the editor

Dabbling in triathlons, UF's Greene wins Top Gun

By JESSICA MUNDIE, Times Correspondent
Published August 15, 2007

University Of Florida senior Matthew Greene won the Top Gun Triathlon swim 0.25 mile, bike 10 miles, and run 3.1 miles at Fort DeSoto Park with a time of 54 minutes, 56 seconds on Aug. 4.

Greene (Tri Gators Team), 22, dashed out of the water in 8 minutes, 7 seconds, and his 24-minute bike split kept him at the front of the jam-packed field. Greene led the field of more than 700 competitors.

"I know that the spectators liked my fast cyclocross dismount at the end of the bike segment," Greene said. "But I never raced cyclocross or mountain bikes. I'm a nuclear scientist, and I plan to go in the Navy next year. I'm just playing at triathlons for now."

Women's elite division winner at the event was Melissa Miller, 25, of Wesley Chapel, with a time of 1:01:45. Masters winner Kathy Frailing (Team Outspokin), 40, of Largo, won her division in 1:00:15.

Division winners include: John Gerard Farese, 12, St. Petersburg; Lucas Caron, 16, Palm Harbor; Andrew Canning, 20, St. Petersburg; Art Halttunen, 57, St. Petersburg; George Chase, 60, St. Pete Beach; Mark Parish, 70, Clearwater; Hal Cook, 80, Tarpon Springs; and Clydesdale winner Rick Downs, North Redington Beach.

Winning women in the county included: Bethany Saunders, 14, Treasure Island; Erin Kowal, 34, North Redington Beach; Jill Voorhis, 47, St. Petersburg; Kathy Dodd, 55, Clearwater; Katie Knight-Perry, 72, St. Petersburg; Athena winner Laura Fauver, 28, St. Petersburg; and Athena 40+ winner Lori Worden, 43, of Palm Harbor.

FALL MOUNTAIN BIKING: The season for offroad racing is approaching, as flyers and posters are circulating around area bicycle shops to announce The 13 Hours Of Santos on Labor Day weekend at Santos Trails in Belleview, Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Practice riding and camping are allowed, and early registration is recommended. For details and other information on mountain bike racing, call Gone Riding's Terry and Dave Berger at (352) 873-9279 or visit www.goneriding.com.

FIXED GEAR BUFFS: Pinellas County Planning Department has a cycling advocate, dedicated bicycle commuter and antique bicycle collector in staffer Chip Haynes. The enthusiastic Haynes has written a dozen cycling books and guides, including the familiar green spiral-bound Pinellas Trail Guide.

Haynes is a fixture among the fixed-gear, single-speed bike crowd, and his collection includes numerous fixed-gear bikes, a rickshaw and a few antique cruisers. Even his Vespa includes a sidecar.

"My wife JoAnn and I just met Michael Davis, who owns a shop in St. Petersburg called 66 Fixed," Clearwater's Haynes said. "This group is also known as The Geezers Too Grumpy To Shift, but not exactly. ... I've been riding a fixie for years, so it was a blast to see all those great fixed-gear machines in one place."

For more information on collecting antique bicycles, contact Haynes at ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us To learn more about fixed-gear bicycles, call Davis at (727) 823-1563, or check out www.66fixed.com.

FORD IRONMAN FLORIDA: The following area triathletes will participate in the event Nov. 3 in Panama City Beach: Frailing, Parish, Bill Ballew, Dunedin; Joe Bonness, Naples; Matthew Bydalek, Lutz; Daniel Diaco, Tampa; Pete Dubbeld, St. Petersburg; David Geldbart, Pinellas Park; Anders Heidemann, Largo; Pam Kallio, Tampa; Lynne Krueger, St. Petersburg; Bob Moorehead, St. Petersburg; Charles Raska, Port Richey; and Chuck Stovall, Tampa.

Times correspondent Jessica Mundie can be reached at sptimescycling@ yahoo.com.

[Last modified August 14, 2007, 22:08:19]