It is with great pleasure that I present the crew for my 2012 Furnace Creek 508. This will be my seventh consecutive 508, a feat not ever accomplished. This will also be the least amount of training I have ever had going into the event. My crew will have their hands full getting me to the finish line. I owe my success on my previous six 508’s to my crews. Without a good crew I would not have finished. I am happy with my selection for this year’s crew and I know this year my success will be in their hands. I thank Christina Rose, Gregory and Roland from the bottom of my heart for their selfless act of volunteering for this Epic Adventure!
This is the year that I have dusted off my athletic goals and decided it’s never too late to get out there and go for it! My first significant goal I accomplished in 2012 was the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which was so much fun I can’t wait to do it again next year. My next goal is set for March, 2013 to finish a triathlon. In the meantime, I’ve done several 5K runs, a sprint relay triathlon and will be doing a half marathon. But it’s time to work more on my swimming and cycling of which I just got my first serious bike, yeah!Over this past year in my pursuits, I have crossed paths with some of the most extraordinary people, none more than George. I have come to know that he is an inspiration to so many, including myself, and I’m looking forward to the experience of this true “epic adventure.” I love the idea of being a part of something and the whole “team” concept of working as one for a winning outcome. The journey is going to push our limits but I am so confident, honored, excited and ready to work with this crew to get George across that finish line in his best time yet!
Christina Rose
I started riding 12 months ago after a long hiatus from the sport. I was inspired to ride by my frustration with my weight and general health. What started as short ride down the coast with a friend turned into a passion. I’m not the fastest rider out there, but I love epic rides. In the past year I’ve lost 37 pounds, ridden two double centuries, with a third on the calendar, completed all five passes of the Death Ride and had some epic rides in the San Gabriel mountains (I love Dawson Saddle and GMR). Next year I’m going to keep extending my rides longer and longer until I stop having fun. If I keep having fun along the way then I’ll tackle the 2013 London – Edinburgh – London ride. In addition to riding, I’ve got a beautiful wife and two beautiful children aged 4 and 6. My eldest has started to ride the local bike path with me and already knows the difference between good and bad pain. I also skipper a Catalina 37 sailboat in the summers and run my daughter’s Girl Scout troop. I’m so excited to support George in his 2012 Furnace Creek 508 attempt, because when I first started riding I put the 508 on my list of “big hairy audacious goals”. Now, maybe after watching and supporting George’s attempt I can have a go at it myself. Go George!
– Gregory
Roland von Kriegenbergh, 1969, Software Engineer, born in Zurich, Switzerland, lives in Temecula, California.
I was born and raised in Switzerland where I raced bicycles on the road and on the track for most of my teen years. In 1998, my wife Nicole and I moved to California to enjoy its abundant sunshine, deserts and beaches. In 2009, while teaching our son (and later his sister) how to ride a bike, I rediscovered my passion for cycling after almost 20 years off the bike. During one of my first centuries, I noticed someone wearing a yellow California Triple Crown jersey that said ‘200 miles in one day. 3 Doubles in one year’. I thought she was crazy and told myself I would never ride ‘200 miles in one day’ in my life. A couple of years later, I finished 3 Double Centuries (Death Valley, Solvang, Grand Tour Malibu) and got my own Triple Crown jersey. I guess I am as crazy!
Crewing for George, one of the most experienced 508 riders in history, will be a great learning experience for my own ultra-rides that go beyond 200 miles in the future. It will teach me the course, show me the ups and downs a rider goes through and what’s required from a crew.
My goal is to help George make it all the way to the finish line just like in his previous six 508 finishes.
George's Epic Adventures 
Get on it George. I know you can do it if anyone can.
Dave Van Waldick
Thank you for being out there getting it done. I am a husband, father of one 12 year old boy, have a full time job and all the responsibilities that come with them. But; I also love the bike and racing my bike. I try not to take to much away from my family with my training or abuse the support they give me ( A Cyclist dad/husband is not a normal dad/husband for sure)with my training schedule. Getting it done for me means some pretty early mornings so that I have time for family and work. Often when the alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. and I’ve got 12 min steady states or over unders scheduled I get out of bed by telling myself “George Would get Up.”
Thanks Again
Joey Carrier
http://teamgeauxrace.com/
Hello Joey,
Wow! Often when the alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. and I’ve got 12 min steady states or over unders scheduled I get out of bed by telling myself “George Would get Up.” Thank you for the compliment. I am blessed to have a wonderful 8 year old son. I work at least 50 hours a week and then coach other cyclists and triathlete. It’s tough and there is always some type of compromise. I have a lot of early mornings too and then come home exhuasted from a long ride to play catch (football, baseball, soccer) for hours on end, it seems, with my son. I have to work hard to maintain that balance of Dad, Store Manager, and Ultra Cyclist. Thank you for reminding me that I’m not alone in this pursuit!
Cheers,
george “Red Eyed Vireo” vargas
Furnace Creek 508 Hall of Fame