Rick Oberle found the MVW at Columbus Fall Challenge 2002, and he stayed with the blue jerseys most of two days.

He says: I made it back in one piece. To Lancaster that is......  And of course back to Lansing too. It was great riding with everybody.  It was one of the best weekends of riding I have had in MANY years.  I loved it!!  Unfortunately, I ran out of bullets somewhere before the next-to-last food stop and limped in from there.  But I will soon forget that and relish the thoughts of riding strongly up and speedily down all the hills.  I will put together a little piece tentatively entitled "What a difference 30 years makes" and get it to you ASAP.


Thanks to all you MVWs for your support (especially to Dave K for the Cleat) and the great riding companionship. More later, Rick

Well, I found what I was looking for.....  Again, no date but it must have been some time in the May of 1973.  The big stars were Gary Dauer and the "Mighty T", Mark Tyson.  The article described the valiant efforts of the fledgling Toledo team.  In three races, there were no placings although much humor in the writing.  The author was Tom Paul who I think was a pharmacist.  I mean a legal drug dealer.  In groping through other old smelly documents, I did come across a 1971 Toledo AYH newsletter that talked openly of the other kind.  The rope kind that is.  BUt I digress.  The main article in this edition was the club time trial event which began at the Everglades parking lot.  I think it was at the corner of US 23 (the one that becomes the main street in BG) and 475.  It eventually became the Dixie Go Go Club as I recall.

Thankfully, most people don't even remember disco, let alone the Dixie Go Go Club!!  The 10 mile time trial (measured to the micron with a 196X car, I am sure) resulted in Gary Dauer winning with a time of 25:17, some twerp they called "Super Kid", Rick O'Berle (sic), coming in second at 25:42, and Mighty "T" Mark Tyson coming in at 25:59.  Author Lug E. Rider went on to say "Mark was only 17 seconds behind Super Kid, but Super Kid's start was a running jump from the parking lot with a howler.  Mark and Gary beware - Rick will get a good start some day."

The others there that day (and I think this was everybody) were Tom Paul, Jim Kellog, Lenny Meister, Curt Hull, Dave Stafford, Bob Steinline, Steve Benner, and Donna Meister.  Any of these folks still riding?? So you can see why when people asked me if I knew anybody, all I could say is that "Sure, I knew 'em all.  All 10 of 'em!!"  All the Wheelmen of today were years after I was there...... I had better stop before I start thinking of myself as old.  You keep calling me that and soon enough I will believe it!!  But I suppose there is a difference between being "an Old Wheelman" and being just plain "old".

I'll send this to you too.
Rick