Photo By Pvt. Michael Gams | Tom Gardner and Don Tolbert, both members of the Combat Center's Varsity Cycling Team,...... read more read more
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With sweat dripping off their faces, the sun in their eyes and leg muscles burning, two members of the Combat Center's Varsity Cycling Team pushed their bodies to the limit Sept. 9 as they travelled through the desert surrounding the Combat Center at a brisk 25 miles-per-hour average speed on only two, one-inch wide tires.
The team, which boasts nearly 40 members, uses their weekly excursions through the desert to stay in shape for local races and triathlons they compete in on a regular basis.
"We get flagged down all the time when we're riding with people asking when and where we ride," said Donald J. Tolbert, a logistics specialist at the Marine Corps Communications-Electronics School, and a member of the cycling team. "We want to take that interest and turn this Wednesday group of two into a group of 20."
Tolbert explained cycling is not only about the individual, but about teamwork. The motivation which comes from riding with a group helps make the ride more enjoyable and helps each rider strive to maximize their potential.
Members of the team have traveled throughout California, Las Vegas and Arizona, Tolbert said.
He said the Marine Corps Community Services Sports Department reimburses the entrance fee for active duty military members of the cycling team if they are one of the top three finishers of any race they attend.
In addition to the races the team attends locally, Tolbert talked of a race the team hopes to put together through the Combat Center's mainside area in February.
If the team can set the race up, they plan to have the course run in a circuit-style fashion in the hills surrounding mainside, said the Canton, Ohio native.
The team seeks any endurance athlete regardless of their skill or the sport they usually participate in. Members of the team will do whatever they can to help novice riders, explained Tom Gardner, a rider on the team.
"We train and race together for the betterment of each other, as more seasoned athletes assist the beginners," wrote Tolbert in a Sept. 4 press release. "Don't be bashful; the sure fire way to get faster is to train with someone with more experience," he said.
"There is a passion in this sport — a passion in seeing yourself improve, in setting goals and in reaching them. It's hard to explain, but it's easy to see it and feel it once you start riding," said Gardner, who has ridden competitively for 30 years.
Most experienced riders with a love for the sport will do everything they can to be ambassadors to the sport — from motivating novice riders to giving away their old equipment, Gardner explained after his 25-mile ride Sept. 9.
The Cycling Team meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. outside of the training tank. For more information about riding with the team, contact Tolbert at 830-5581 or Gardner at 830-4870.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2009 16:08 |
| Story ID: | 38883 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 191 |
| Downloads: | 136 |
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