“DK” as he’s known, seems to be a permanent fixture within Portland Velo. I learned a lot by reading what he wrote for this article, and he is truly the foundation of this club. I wanted to ask him about his cycling experiences because I could sense that he has a long history with the sport and that he’d have much to share, and I was right! Dave has also recently joined the Management Team as the Race Team Treasurer. He’s sure got his work cut out for him, and we’re glad to have him helping out the club!
How did you find Portland Velo, and what has your experience been with the club the past few years?
I was one of the small group who started meeting late in 2005 to discuss forming a new club, along with Carlo Delumpa, Doug Rennie, Ty Lambert, Dave Russell, Rick Smith and, of course, the late, great Bruce Giunta. These meetings led to the formation of Portland Velo.
How long have you been riding? How many miles do you think you've ridden in your lifetime?
I became more of a serious adult rider around 1986 when I decided to do some triathlons. In 1987, I thought it would be useful to focus on riding for a year, but I just stayed with cycling since then. I have training logs since 1997 showing over 98 thousand miles, so I guess I must easily have 125 thousand or so lifetime.
Describe the perfect ride - your favorite route, location, weather, distance.
I used to play small group jazz a lot. I sometimes think the ideal ride is similar: a thirty-five to fifty mile course you know pretty well is like a song, a jazz 
standard. It’s got everything: climbs, short and long; flats; rollers; like a song has chorus and verse, chord changes, and so on. You are with a group of five to ten competent riders, good friends, each with strengths and weaknesses. That’s your band. You know this route like a jazz group knows “Autumn Leaves.” Each time you ride the course, it’s like an improvisation on the song. Some sections you cruise and chat, elsewhere you ride hard, either supporting or challenging each other, but always communicating with and looking out for your fellow player. Taking a turn at the front, it’s your time to solo. But you also get plenty of opportunities to accompany. You finish exhilarated, triumphant. I’ve experienced this so many times, especially on Portland Velo club rides. It’s one of the great joys of my life and why I keep riding.
List the countries where you have ridden your bike.
France, Italy, Canada, Mexico, as well the U.S., of course. Love the way cycling is integrated into the cultures of France and Italy, their beauty, their history -- their wine and food! But our country is huge, beautiful, and varied. Love it even more.
How many bikes do you have? Which one is your favorite, and why?
Three. I bought a full custom Seven Cycles Odonata in 2000. It’s a titanium frame with carbon fiber seat tube and seat stays, as well as carbon forks. This year, Bruce helped me upgrade to Campy Super Record 11 and Fulcrum Racing Lights. It’s a dream bike in many ways: light, comfortable, stable, good handling. Bike technology has certainly improved since I bought it though. Maybe someday…
What is your proudest accomplishment in cycling - a goal you've achieved or ride you've done that was a "big deal" to you?
I always scheduled one or more big event rides to help motivate me each year. Over a period of years I made these events harder and more frequent. After lots of centuries, RAMROD twice, Torture 10,000 twice, Death Ride twice, France for two weeks, Italy for a month, and five straight years of PAC Tour Desert Camp Mountain Tour week, I bagged the California Triple Crown – three tough double centuries in a year, specifically, 2004. After that there was nothing left except to ride coast to coast. So to cap my retirement in 2005, I rode Pac Tour Transcontinental: a supported ride of 3150 miles in 25 consecutive days, San Diego to Charleston, by way of Illinois and 11 other states. I saw and experienced so much: great days and miserable days, long climbs, big winds, hot dry deserts, hurricane rain, and stunningly beautiful vistas. But between the long training rides before the event, the 24 back-to-days that were over a hundred miles each, and the torn ankle ligament I picked up along the way, I was burned out after it was over. I did very little riding for the next year and a half until a chance meeting at Costco with Doug Rennie. He got me back on the bike, and I really am enjoying riding more than ever.
Give an example of how cycling has changed some aspect of your life.
I have a life? You should ask one of my riding companions.
If you follow pro cycling, is there a rider you admire most, and if so, why?
There are many riders in Portland Velo that I know personally, whom I admire for their attitude and spirit, even more than their riding skill. I don’t know any professional riders personally, and I don’t think you can know what counts from watching them on television.
What is your favorite item of cycling clothing or equipment?
Usually, it’s the last thing I bought.
Is there something on your wish list?
Always.
What's your ideal bike for the type of riding you enjoy most?
It hasn’t been built yet, but it’s only a matter of time. It will weigh ten to twelve pounds including disk brakes and suspension. The rider will select a specific speed, cadence, pulse, or Watts on their bike computer read-out, and an automatic transmission will change gears to hold that selection constant. The rider will be able to switch among these variables or change the value of the variable at any time. Seems far fetched? Shimano Di2 is the current next step on the way to this ideal. Electronic shifting will be the standard in five years. But I’m sure cyclists will still be riding fixed gear bikes then, too.
What is the next epic ride you'd like to do?
Since my transcontinental epic, I have not been very interested in big event rides. I enjoyed Monster Cookie and the Peach metric this year, the first paid rides I’ve done in four years, largely because of the way we rode these as a PV team. I’m just enjoying the club rides, feeling more relaxed not having a detailed training regime the way I used to for years. Now and then, I try to go to my limit, or beyond. This approach turns out to be both fun and decent training, too, at least for me.