FEATURE RIDER OF THE MONTH..SHAUN RADLEY

I have chosen Shaun as our "Feature Rider of the month" for many, many, reasons. We all love Shaun, so I'm sure this choice is of no great surprise. Reasons we love Shaun: he is one of the biggest cycling advocates I know, authors montanacyclocross.com, one of the most popular cycling websites in cyberspace, is the Mastermind of "Rolling Thunder," which is one of the best Cyclocross races in the Pacific Northwest, his love for the bike is infectious, and darn it - he's just about the nicest guy you'll ever know! I wanted everyone to become a little more familiar with our cycling enthusiast so I asked him the following questions:

First time you knew you had bike fever:

Growing up, my family was really into biking. We bike toured all over. I always rode on the back of a tandem because I was not strong enough to ride my own bike. It was fun family time, but I didn't think that riding was anything special. When I turned 12 my dad got me my own road bike. We road a bike tour called Red-Spoke (Redmond to Spokane in). During the ride I would purposely get separated from my folks and ride on my own. I felt fast, free, and independent. It was better then getting my first car.

Favorite ride:

My favorite road ride is the Yak Loop in NW Montana. My favorite mtb ride is Snowbowl Overlook. My favorite cross ride is Deer Creek to the switchback, up and then down the single track into the ski trails.

Most memorable ride:

When I was 19, I rode Seattle to Portland in one day with Brian. We were 100% ill-prepared. We had ridden maybe 10 hours total before the ride. It was a huge adventure.

Favorite bike:

Ramblumtick

Who or what inspires you:

I am easily inspired. I can watch a highlight video of Paolo Bettini and get excited. In cycling I get inspired by my teammates. Riding with guys like Josh, Toby, Elliot, Brian, Jdoll, and Fiore is what it's all about. This is super cheesy, but when they win a race I feel like I won the race too. When you ride, hang out, and then race together the races become more then just races. I would do pretty much anything within the rules to help one of those guys win a race. Wanting to be there for my teammates has taken my cycling to new levels.

My two favorite pro riders are Tim Johnson and Sam Schultz. If I could be any rider I would be TJ. He's the captain on the road, and a killer in cross. Sam is the best mountain biker in the US and one of the coolest people to hang out with. He never forgets where he came from, and is game for anything. The opposite of the "pro" stereotype.

What is something that people don't know about you?

I am an avid NFL fan. My team is the Seahawks.

Well, there you have it folks. Words from the man we all know and love. Rumor has it that he can be found zipping along on skate skis, but be on the lookout - he's back on the saddle again.....

Thanks for everything you do!