July rider of the month is KP Enderle.

KP has been mountain biking for 10 years, he was looking for a fun way to stay in shape and met Tommy Bryant at Sniders Cyclery (and who can't resist Tommy....).  After showing up for his first ride he loved the atmosphere of the club, everyone was really friendly so he kept riding and then got into racing.  KP currently rides a 2004 Specialized Epic, and says he'll buy everyone on the board a new Huffy if he wins the lottery!!!!

KP's favorite trail is Sand Canyon, and he rode the McGill trail for the first time on July 5th - crazily he enjoyed riding up more than coming down!!! He enjoyed riding among the mountains and trees, but didn't like the pot holes on the trail.  KP was also the instigator for a Memorial Day ride back in May.  Like so many of us, KP loves the camaraderie of the people who mountain bike and enjoys seeing new people come and experience the fun of mt biking and challenge themselves to make it up the hills.  We were glad to have KP (among others) at the May board meeting to support this mission of the club as a supportive and fun riding group.

He is bummed that our riding area in northeast Bakersfield is getting smaller and smaller.  But feels one good thing about the economic downturn is they've stopped building so we have a few more years before we'll have to travel out of town to ride hills. KP would like to thank everyone who makes the SSFTA happen, without your commitment sacrifice, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

Thanks for being part of the club KP - its great to have people like you out there riding.



 

June Rider of the Month is Jeff Marshall. Formerly known as Giant Jeff, not only for his stature, but also for his ride; he will now be known as Niner Jeff, due to his spankin new X-Large, flashy orange, Niner Rip Nine. Jeff loves the feeling of freedom when riding bikes and fondly remembers his BMX days as a kid and “skiing” full rigids down the face of Hang Glider Hill.  After 25 years of riding, his favorite trails today include Cactus and Toads in Bakersfield, and regional trails such as Just Outstanding and McGill. Jeff has been a member of SSFTA since 2000, and after several years away from the bike focusing on family priorities, he has been back in full force for the last year and a half. Jeff loved the club’s Mammoth adventure last year and can’t wait for the trip again this August. When not riding, Jeff is spending time with his wife and 4 children (2 biological, 2 adopted), providing foster care (18 children over the last 5 years), working as a Counselor Supervisor for the CA Dept. of Corrections, and taking the family RVing. He is considering writing a book about his family’s 26 day tour of the U.S. in 2005. So watch for Jeff on his new noble steed – you can’t miss that flash of orange as Jeff whizzes by on the trails, sure to be smiling.

May’s Rider of the Month is Deanne Renting. Deanne started mountain biking and road riding in 2004 in her home city of Perth, Western Australia. Her job as a petroleum engineer with Chevron brought her to the Bay Area in 2007 and then here to Bakersfield last spring. Not even a week as Bakersfield residents, Deanne and her husband James became SSFTA volunteers, helping with a trail maintenance day at Keyesville, and everything else since then. Originally on James’ old Mongoose Rockadile, she graduated to her own Santa Cruz Superlite in 2008, and loves to take it on anything fast and swoopy.  She enjoys the satisfaction of making it up (or down) something really tough. Just look for Deanne out on the trails – she’s the one with the Aussie accent who is always smiling, chatting, and organizing some after-event social gathering. Deanne says, “What I love about the SSFTA is the great friends and the fact that you can always ride and there will be someone to ride with, but also someone to go get a beer or some food with afterwards.” Never idle, Deanne finds time to ride (she just completed 2 metric centuries and is planning her first century ride) amidst her busy work schedule, yoga classes, book club, MBA classes (she’s receiving her MBA from Berkeley this month) and has recently stepped up to become SSFTA’s new Membership Coordinator. Thanks Deanne!

Cowboy Bob is our March/April Rider of the Month. Riding a mountain bike for 15 years, Bob joined SSFTA 3 years ago, and began leading Sunday afternoon beginner rides last year. Bob's successful Sunday rides are enjoyed by everyone and even our expert riders sometimes come out just for the fun, social vibe this group generates. Always a jokester, Bob takes his support of new riders seriously and will ensure riders are safe and having a good time. Bob says he loves to mountain bike because he enjoys the people and the outdoors. When asked how long he's been mountain biking, Bob responds, "Not long enough to burn off this fat belly!" Bob was a dedicated volunteer at the Keyesville race this year despite being sick, and he managed to feed the rest of the volunteers with his mean tri-tip. So go join Bob on Sundays and help him work off that belly!

February's Rider of the Month is Kari with a K's husband and favorite Valentine Kevin. Kevin, an IT guy who recently joined SSFTA, is responsible for the wonderful new SSFTA website. He has generously donated countless hours of website work to the club, since moving here late last year from Vermont. Riding a mountain bike since 1997, Kevin finds time to ride no matter where he is living, whether it be California, Utah or Vermont. While deployed to Kuwait (Kevin is also a Major in the Army Reserves who has done two overseas tours in Kuwait [1 year] and Iraq [9 months]), he purchased an $80 full suspension mountain bike and rode 5-mile laps inside the the base perimeter in the sand! Dedicated bicycle and trail advocates, Kevin and Kari were members of a trail advocacy club in their region of Vermont.  During Kevin's stint in Iraq last year, Kari came home to Bakersfield and found SSFTA. And the rest is history. Now, Kevin and Kari are closing escrow on a house out by the Foothills, and they join a growing number of husband and wife riders. Welcome to Bakersfield and SSFTA Kevin, and thanks for our cool new website!

January's Rider of the Month is popular ride leader Mark, an expert in the dirt despite only starting to ride four years ago. Mark, a former professional motocross racer, was introduced to mountain biking by his buddy Jerry. Mark, Jerry and Eddie all rode together in the foothills before finding SSFTA in 2007. Now, a few short years later, Mark consistently leads weekly foothill rides (particularly on Saturday), as well as organizes fun out-of-town rides. Mark's first ride of 2010 was the New Year's Day Kern Canyon Trail ride, which brought out over 30 riders! Mark may prefer a mountain bike to a dirt bike these days, but don't be fooled into following him up or down some of the "trails" he finds. Everyone who rides knows when NOT to follow Mark: it's when he decides to ride up or off a cliff just to see if it's "rideable." Daredevil and "fast guy" to the max, Mark still finds a way to keep rides accessible to all ability levels. And like his friends Jerry and Eddie, Mark is one of the nicest and most helpful guys you'll ever meet. He knows the foothills like the back of his hand, and he'll be happy to show all who are interested some great Bakersfield and out-of-town riding!

December’s Rider of the Month Lisa has had an SSFTA family membership (with her sons Michael and Thomas) for the last couple years. She’s a regular at all the SSFTA social gatherings, but she only recently became a rider herself. Sunday, November 29 was Lisa’s first ride on a mountain bike, and she did great! She encourages all new riders to come out for the Sunday ride (2 pm at Thorner School). Cowboy Bob leads the ride for beginners, and he provides on-the-spot riding instruction. Michael refused to come out and ride with his mom on Sunday, but he better stop pouting (Santa is watching Michael!) and get used to it. Lisa, who has lost 50 lbs over the past several months, appears to have caught the mountain-biking bug that we all carry. In fact, she’s so excited about riding that she is hosting the SSFTA Christmas Party at her house on December 12! Thanks for your membership Lisa; we’re excited to see you out on the trails!

   
Rider of the Month is our website administrator extraordinaire Jack!  Currently on the disabled list with Valley Fever, Jack will be back in a flash as soon as he gets the okay from his doctor.  Riding with SSFTA for a few years now, Jack is known as one of the fastest uphill riders (”Jack Rabbit”) and best bike mechanics.  Also, he is responsible for the trail section named “Cracker Jack,” where he fell and broke his collarbone.  Jack is credited with all the recent changes to the website (as well as with keeping the website updated), is a liaison between SSFTA and local businesses, and is always bringing new people into the club.  He is a true mountain bike advocate, and he’s also one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  Thanks for your dedication and commitment to SSFTA Jack; it is much appreciated by all who ride!

 
Anyone who has had the privilege to ride with these guys will understand why they are riders of the month. You would be hard pressed to find a more polite group of young men who enjoy riding as a family. They became official members of the SSFTA back in May. They have been active in the weekly rides as well as many of the out of town rides. Not only are they polite, they will say excuse me as they go blasting by you. These guys can ride. They get that from their father. There will be no stopping Mars now that he has the new Specialized Enduro. The SSFTA has benefited from the addition of this family. Thank you Augie, Mars, Ivan, and Issac for all the participation.