Welcome to my personal homepage, as the header suggests, this is really just a culmination of various aspects of my life, some things I am proud of, others not as much. It’s a blog, WIP, and an uncultivated digital garden of snippets, interesting links, pictures, things that have inspired me, hobbies, projects, key moments, travel, work, and nostalgic lists of material, and immaterial things that have made me who I am.
Influential Brands
The clothing you wear, the decal on your car, the backpack you wear to school. All of them are a way for people to express their interests, hobbies, desires or passions … and I was/am no different 🙂 Brand affiliation has been a way for me to identify myself in public subtly.
There are a couple brands I have had loyalty to for years. Being in a seaside surf town, majority of folks wore Billabong, Quicksilver and Island Style, again I was no different. All awesome brands which resonated with surfers and beach goers due to the availability and popularity. There were surf shops on multiple corners which made it a logical choice, but it also matched my lifestyle and associations. However, in my teenage years there were two brands which I wore daily, repetitively and even if dirty … Fox Racing and Oakley.
Life Lately
Race: 2026 – ORAMM
A memorable edition of ORAMM in Old Fort, NC. Some torrential down pours the week before, morning of, and during the race made this one of the toughest ORAMM’s in the 5 years I have done the race. I also did not make the best choice in tires, while prepping for Leadville … the Aspen ST on the rear was basically a slick in the snotty, slick mud which made descending and climbing pretty tricky. In the end, made it back in one piece without any crashes (surprisingly) and had a tough, but great day!
Memorable Rides: Wilson Creek
70 odd miles in Wilson creek in absolute deluge of rain …. without eye protection. Mistakes were made … I ended up stopping at the general store for any type of glasses, but nothing, Ole Betsy’s came through with some Minecraft kids glasses, but they were so clutch. he next 2 odd hours in the pouring rain was a joy after.
Travel: British Virgin Islands
Another year of last minute travel booking – this time somewhat justified by me switching jobs. We had the difficult decision of Islands (Caribbean), Hawaii, West Coast or Europe. Italy was on the short list for the longest time, but due to some scheduling, the crowd anticipation, and the associated expense, we decided to do something closer to home and an adventure/island vacation was on the cards. Some ideation using Claude, we decided to conservatively dip our toes into doing a catamaran vacation exploring islands. Just 2 nights on a boat and 3 nights on land was the plan. I know I get seasick and due to that, I was very nervous that it was going to be a living hell on a boat for 6 days. We booked a casual charter to explore the British Virgin Islands, and then a subsequent 3 nights on a quiet area on the north east side of Tortola .called Long Bay.
Race: 2026 – Woods Mountain
Another fun year of a fast, hot and furious Woods Mountain MTB Race. The course was shortened compared to past years (I raced this in 2022, 2024 previously).
Memorable Ride: The Hulk in Myrtle Beach
Not because of the trails, the distance or the events … just a memorable ride with 4 laps of the hulk training leaving from the beach and riding some greenway to get there 🙂
Travel: Myrtle Beach
A nice weekend away with the family to Myrtle Beach for Charlottes last Club Volleyball tournament.
First Day @ Wells Fargo
New beginnings at a new company.
DIY: Triathlon Product Idea
Using elastics to keep your bike shoes attached to your pedals during T1 is standard practice in triathlon racing. It saves you from running in cleats, which is slippery and slow. The catch: setting up elastics at 4 AM on race morning is fiddly and cumbersome. They snap, they break, and the whole process is finicky right when you want stress-free prep. It’s an unnecessary stressor.
My idea: replace the elastics with a magnetically retractable cord. Think retractable key or badge reel, paired with magnets. Setup becomes nearly instant, and you can practice T1 transitions repeatably without rebuilding the rig every time.
After a few iterations, here’s the design I landed on. A small plastic enclosure mounts to the rear chainstay on either side of the bike. Inside is a retractable string with a magnet on the end, and your bike shoes carry a matching magnet on the heel. A torsion spring (with variable tension and string length depending on setup) holds the shoe in position parallel to the ground. As soon as you start pedaling, the magnet releases, and the string retracts back into the case.
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