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Bicycle
messenger wins 40-mile Tour de StrongLand
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, September 13, 2004
By Rick Starr
PARKS -- Peter Culley looked like a bicycle messenger as he weaved through
traffic on his way to victory Sunday in the 16th annual Tour de StrongLand
bicycle race. He could have been delivering express envelopes as he blew
past competitors and raced down the winding roads along the Kiskiminetas
River.
That's understandable. That's what the 26-year-old Pittsburgh resident does
for a living.
"I put in about 40 to 50 miles a day as a bicycle messenger," said Culley,
who works for Jet Messages and races for Kraynick's Bicycle Shop in Pittsburgh.
How does Culley keep his energy level up while riding through traffic and
risking his life daily across Pittsburgh's city limits?
"I'm snacking all day," he said. "We find a way to get free bagels, and I'm
always snacking on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
Culley won the 40-mile Road Race I for experienced riders despite limited
experience. He is a Category IV rider, which means he has two levels to move
up before he reaches semi-pro status and three levels to be a professional.
"I hope to be in Category III by next year," he said.
Culley said he took up bicycle racing this year. However, he wasn't inspired
by Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
"I started this spring and I owe it all to a great team and my teammates
at Kraynick's," Culley said.
Culley finished the course in 1:39:36 to win by more than a minute over Charlie
Chulack (1:41:08) who races for Dirty Harry's bicycle shop, Verona.
The victory marked Culley's second consecutive first-place finish. He won
the 53-mile Mountain Road Classic last weekend in Kasson, W.Va.
Culley's teammate, Stephen Cummings, who finished ninth (1:42:50), challenged
the winner to break out of a three-rider pack and take the lead early in
the race.
Culley's other teammate, Greg Angell, suffered an arm fracture when he fell
near the finish line following a tire blowout and a collision with another
rider.
Jonathan Myers, 15, of Freeport, won the first triathlon, a new event at
the Tour de StrongLand this year that combines a 9-mile bicycle race in two
stages, a 2-lap swim at Vandergrift Pool and a mile run from Hyde Park.
"This was the most challenging event I've ever won," Myers said.
Myers, who is home-schooled, said he trained by riding his off-road bicycle.
"The hardest part of the triathlon is pacing yourself," Myers said. "I'm
not much of a swimmer, but the pool water was a lot more refreshing than
the creek water I'm used to."
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