It all started with a layaway purchase. Soon after forking over all of his birthday and chore money, Ed had a beginner mountain bike. He took it through the short trails behind his house and anywhere else he could for years. However, the bike was laid to rest when Ed became of driving age.
After a small amount of convincing in 2006, Ed bought a new mountain bike to take on the trails of Las Vegas with his soon-to-be father- in-law. They blazed the mountainous terrain almost every weekend, mostly to enjoy the scenery and take pictures. After a move to San Antonio in 2012, Ed completed a Spartan Race and decided to give triathlons a shot. It only took one race to hook him and soon thereafter a tri-bike was purchased.
The first year was spent training with the Alamo 180 team. At the start of 2013, Ed made an investment in a power meter and it was then that he decided to take things up a notch.
Height: 6’2”
December Weight: 174-178 lbs.
Race Weight: 170 lbs.
Birthdate: October 30, 1980
Childhood Heroes: “Rambo and Barry Sanders. Loved all Rambo movies, and growing up near Detroit you had to love #20!”
Hobbies and Interests: “Photography, web design, hiking.”
Favorite Movies: “The Big Lebowski, Fight Club, Kingpin, Hot Rod, Super Troopers, any early Sandler/Farley/Spade movie, and obviously any Steven Seagal movie. Without the lines of these movies, I would have nothing to say.”
Musical Tastes: “My Pandora stations include Foo Fighters, Of Monsters and Men, Sublime, U2, and I add in some house/trance music with Markus Schulz and Max Graham.”
Favorite TV Shows: “The Daily Show, Dexter, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, House.”
Favorite Meal: “Chicken Pad Thai from Archie’s in Las Vegas, hands down. Could, would, and have eaten it multiple times a day.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I am an oatmeal kind of guy…of the Instant Blueberry variety.”
Favorite Pre-Race Meal: “Sweet potato pancakes.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate Marshmallow. Used to have it as a kid. Now it is hard to come by.”
Childhood Dream: “Become a pro football or baseball player.”
First Car: “1989 Ford Escort GT. $900 with just under 100k miles on it. Obviously, I put a $2000 sound system in it that rattled the bumper off. In the three years that I owned it, car repairs include: tie-rods, ball joints, brakes multiple times, tires twice, headlights, tail- lights, new aluminum floor boards since the only thing between the road and your feet was carpet, a new head gasket, a distributor, and a front grill [lost the original in an accident].”
First Job: “At a local restaurant, busboy to a dishwasher to a line cook.”
Favorite Vacation Spot: “Hong Kong.”
Pre-Race Feeling: “85% pure excitement, 15% nerves.”
Early Racing Memory: “My first ‘real’ triathlon with a few hundred people. I could not believe how many bikes were racked up, and racked up so close together.”
Funny Racing Memory: “First triathlon ever, chugging through the 7-mile bike at 18mph on my full suspension Specialized.”
Greatest Racing Moment: “Cutting my 70.3 time by 30+ minutes in three months.”
Most Painful Moment In Life: “Losing a best friend in a car accident.”
Worst Injury from Racing: “I was mountain biking and dislocated my pinkie after going over the bars. Had to ride three more miles down ‘Puke Hill’ to get to my car.”
Closest Racing Friends: “Alamo 180 team.”
Funniest Racer: “An Alamo athlete named Bud – the man can eat about anything and still drop most everyone in the race.”
Favorite Race: “So far… CapTex. It is a fast bike with four loops and plenty of turns to power through.”
Embarrassing Racing Memory: “It was my first time relieving myself on the bike in a race and the next hill came a little too soon and I had to pedal. Hills, pedaling, and peeing do not mix.”
Toughest Competitors: “Anyone born 30–34 years ago who is racing the same race as me.”
Favorite Athletes to Watch: “In no particular order: women’s softball, ITU Triathlons, track & field 10k/5k, pro bowling, pro baseball, and the occasional tennis match.”
Qualities You Most Admire in People: “Self-deprecating humor and being humble.”
What You Love Most About Riding Your Bicycle: “That euphoric feeling afterwards that just clears out all the stress that has been piling on since the last ride.”
