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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, including 200 first-time triathletes.

"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. Miller's 3.1-mile run split of 18:51 helped keep her in the race lead.

Masters winner Kathy Frailing (Team Outspokin), 40, of Largo, won her division in 1:00:15. Frailing works as a local physician and finds the energy to rise at 4 a.m. to train for Ford Ironman Florida Triathlon, which will be held in Panama City Beach on Nov. 3.

Division winners included the following Pinellas triathletes: 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 of 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 must be approaching. Flyers and posters have been circulating around area bicycle shops, announcing The 13 Hours Of Santos on the southeast racing schedule for Labor Day weekend at Santos Trails in Belleview.

The 13 Hours Of Santos takes place Sept. 2, from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m., and Gone Riding organizers will offer cash and prizes for top team and solo divisions in most National Off-Road Bicycling Association racing categories.

NORBA scoring officials tally up the number of completed laps by riders.

Practice riding and camping are allowed, and early registration is highly recommended. For details and other information on mountain bike racing in Florida, 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 has now become a fixture among the fixed-gear, single-speed bicycle crowd, and his collection includes numerous fixed-gear bicycles, as well as a rickshaw and a few antique cruisers. Even his energy-conscious 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. Michael has been working on fixies for quite a while, you know. I've been riding a fixie for years, so it was a blast to see all those great fixed-gear machines in one place."

Haynes and his wife are also entertainers who met while in costume at a local medieval and renaissance festival. They have been lifelong bicycle commuters in Pinellas County.

"If you are looking to check out the other bike scene in Pinellas County - the one that does not involve either stretch Lycra shorts or black socks with sandals - you need to hang out at that shop a bit and soak up the ambiance. It is definitely worth a look at this collection."

For more information on collecting antique bicycles, contact Haynes at ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us To learn more about fixed-gear bicycles, including the ongoing Alleycat races such as Clearwater's Le Tour De Dank, call Davis at (727) 823-1563, or check out www.66fixed.com.

FORD IRONMAN FLORIDA: Spectators will be cheering for their local Ironman heroes, including the following area triathletes already signed up for Ford Ironman Florida Triathlon on Nov. 3: Bill Ballew, Dunedin; Joe Bonness, Naples; Matthew Bydalek, Lutz; Daniel Diaco, Tampa; Pete Dubbeld, St. Petersburg; Kathy Frailing, Largo; David Geldbart, Pinellas Park; Anders Heidemann, Largo; Pam Kallio, Tampa; Lynne Krueger, St. Petersburg; Bob Moorehead, St. Petersburg; Mark Parish, Clearwater; Charles Raska, Port Richey; and Chuck Stovall, Tampa.

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

[Last modified August 14, 2007, 21:43:43]