As the name implies, Bob is the reason this tour exists, so we'll start there.
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| Bob and Dave near Big Mountain in Utah |
I have known
Bob Austin since I was VERY young - like 3 years old! We lived across the street from each other in Maywood Hills in Bothell until I was about 6 years old and moved a mile away. Now I live in the house Bob grew up in after buying it from him and his sisters after their dad Ray passed away in 1993. Bob and I saw each other around Bothell, especially in high school. He followed me to Phoenix where he had flight training for the Air Force, and I followed him to Germany for a couple visits while he was stationed there. He now lives in Sandy, UT, south of Salt Lake with his lovely wife Julie. Bob is a pilot for Delta Airlines and may be one of the few people I know who has a better schedule than I do. Bob cycles all over the Salt Lake area and canyons and is not easy to keep up with
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| Dave at the Alta ski area after climbing 4000' |
So, I'm
Dave Monahan, and since I'm writing this, I get to be #2! Bob invited me on this trip for his own reasons, but probably for comic relief. I have no illusions of keeping up with the biking studs who live at 4800' and climb the canyons of Utah whenever they want, but I think I can do a decent job of getting to the restaurant before all the wine is gone. For those who may be reading this who don't actually know me, I live in Bothell, WA. I have a lovely wife Nancy, and an over-achieving dog named Stella. I'm a firefighter for the City of Bothell, and have a business providing software to fire departments. I do a variety of things in my off-duty time, but have always loved bicycling, and this will probably be one of the best bike trips I take in my life.
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| Mark at the Mt. Baker ski area |
Mark Swearingen is also another VERY long-term friend. He and I attended grade school at St. Brendan's Catholic school back in the 60's when nuns were allowed to be mean. Rapped knuckles and pulled ears were common. Well, maybe not for Mark, but I sure remember it all.... We split schools after 8th grade, and we lost touch until the mid 80's when my sister got her wedding flowers from Mark's mom who does amazing arrangements. She said Mark was in the area, so I looked him up, and it's been a great 2nd friendship for 25 years now. We've done ski trips, boat trips, 3-wheeling in the sand dunes, and lots of cycling. And now we get to share the agony and ecstacy of cycling the alps. Mark rides almost every day to work and is a very strong rider. I only keep up with him when he lets me, and he's great to train with - he makes me push and motivates me to keep up. Even when my eyeballs bleed...
The rest of the guys on the trip are new to me, so here they are in no particular order.....
Todd Hughes - I first met Todd in Bob's driveway in Sandy, UT a few minutes before 7am. Most who know me will agree I am not a morning person, so I'm not really sure what his first impression of me was like. We rode together 80ish miles that day, and he's a nice guy who cycles similar to me, only faster up the hills. Todd is a pilot for Delta and lives in the Salt Lake City area.
Dana Harrison - I also met Dana on the same morning as Todd, but a mile or so down the road where he met up with us. Most of what I remember of Dana is his back wheel, since I don't think I ever caught or passed him! My altitude-affected memory recalls him heading off up the hill after the BMC team near Sundance, and then leaving me in the dust on the Suncrest climb. Nice guy, and a helluva climber. I think he may be one of the riders who holds the table at the cafe for the rest of us! Dana lives in the Salt Lake City area and owns and manages a number of properties in Utah and California.
Bill Peterson is another Delta pilot who lives in the SLC area. I met him on my last evening in Salt Lake at a nice restaurant up one of the canyons. Bob, Julie, Nancy and I met him after a day spent in the Park City area. Bill cycled up the canyon to meet us and his wife Ann joined us also. Bill is another biking guru who supposedly has enough bike parts in his garage/shop to outfit the majority of the tour de france. He'll be a good resource to have on our trip as I understand he can rebuild a bike from scratch with his eyes closed in about ten minutes....
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| Jon (left) and Kevin (right) |
Kevin Moore -
I am 46 and a full time pediatric radiologist MD at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City. I have known Bob for who knows how many years (we have lived in SLC for 16 years). Bob and I met through our wives, who have been dedicated volunteers for SLC Race for the Cure for many years. We started out running together on Sundays and have found that we both enjoy riding bikes a lot more. Bob usually hurts me on the climbs, and I decided that his nickname should be Levi. He thinks it is because they have similar haircuts but I have reassured him it is because of his prodigious climbing ability. Infrequently I am able to sync my schedule with Dana, Bill, and Todd and join them on rides. I am seriously concerned that I will be the weak link in the group but plan to ride until I drop. Please save some wine for me.
Jon Engers is my (submitted by Kevin) brother-in-law ( we are married to sisters). We have become really good friends and have had some great bike adventures as well as camping and backpacking in the 20+ years we have known each other. Jon is an extremely strong climber, and has the Contador-like ability to accelerate multiple times on a climb. Despite his strong bike fitness, he is patient with the rest of us and fun to ride with. He will be a great addition to the Tour de Bob.
Gary Annis - Bob and I flew in the Air Force together in the late '80's and have kids the same age. I grew up in NH, went to UNH/USAFA and married Joan, a girl from my hometown 26 years ago and she is hoping an alpine descent will finally get rid of me but it's highly unlikely. We have two kids, Tim 23, and Emily, 20. I currently fly the MD-88 from NYC for Delta and have a small part time gig as a spin instructor and personal trainer. I started riding about 10 years ago as a way to raise money for cancer research and fell in love with cycling. The harder the better. I lost both parents to cancer and I had a bout with it in 1993. I am really looking forward to meeting, riding, and drinking (did i write that?) with the other cyclopaths on the instant classic, TdB. Au revoir.
Shawn Barr
