Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Paul Wells – Intense, focused and a man of few words, Paul prefers to listen. Most call this the strong silent type. We call it fast and a winner.

It was around this time last year, when Paul’s dad and I had several conversations regarding Paul and his racing intentions. Paul’s first race was down in Cedar Hill and was a success. The course was challenging with a wicked descent down to the lake. Paul finished effortlessly in the main pack at his first race. We knew then he would be fine in the Dallas racing scene.

Paul continued to race and peform very well through the 2012 season which culminated with his Category 4 win in Wichita Falls last August at the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred. Impressive when you consider that Paul literally fell off a mountain and sustained serious injuries just months before. His full story is truly amazing.

A freshman at UNT, Paul is part of our young talent that we will continue to cultivate in the years to come. Great to have you on the team Paul.

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Bob Baatz (Batman) – It comes with the territory I guess. When you’re the emergency contact on someone’s Road I.D., it’s also the number Bob calls when he is broken down on Hwy 377 between 114 and 1171. That’s a lot of numbers to remember on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It took me a while to get there. Sorry Bob.

So this gives you a good idea into Bob’s world. When I am enjoying a lazy Sunday, as most do, Bob is on mile 87 of a 115 mile training ride. I’ll never forget the phone call from Scottie when he told me that Bob had lapped the field in his very first race out in Ft. Worth. It’s been non-stop ever since.

Bob is an ex-hockey player that has the amazing ability to recover quickly after an interval or attack. If he tells you we will warm up for 10 miles, it means we will warm up for 5. If he tells you we will do 3 more hill repeats on Hickory Hill road at 5:30 in the morning, it means we will do 4. Bob enjoys attacking at mile 3 of a 60 mile road race and more often than not, will hold on for the win.

I feel Bob will continue to enjoy podium girls and fine California wines in 2013. He has a special place in his heart for Napa. Although, be weary of the invite. You may enjoy the liberal west, fine wines and California raisins, but you probably won’t like the trip home 😉 😉

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Orlando Gonzalez (Flo-Rida) – I think we call him Flo-Rida because he is from Florida, I really don’t think he can rap. Although, he really does look like… the one and only, Mr. Worldwide, Pitbull. He probably looks more like Pitbull than Flo-Rida. But who am I to judge. Additionally, Orlando does have that whole Cuban, south beach, coolness about him. You know that thing that most of us think we have but really don’t.

Speed is what I think of when I think of Orlando. Porsche’s, Cadillac SVT’s and Mercedes Benz’s. You hang around him long enough, you’ll learn a lot about fast cars. Oh, and minor home repair.

His passions include fine tailored clothing, Specialized Tarmac SL3’s and that stretch of road heading east from the highway called Shady Shores Road. Give him a carbon bike equipped with SRAM deep dish S80’s, point him east on Shady Shores and he will hammer you at 30+ mph until you throw up. A triathlete at heart, Orlando will give road racing a serious run in 2013.

You’ll never guess which one above is Orlando…

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Luke Slavens – (The Shield). Our peloton is most at peace, when the Shield is present. Luke’s a cop. Five-0, Fuzz, Po-Po, Black & White, Flat Foot, The Man, Bacon, Doughnut Commando, ok, that’s probably over the line. We feel fairly comfortable doing just about anything on a bike when Luke’s in the peloton. Sure we have our share of engineers, doctors, dentists and pilots, but the one we are most proud of is the cop. Mainly because we think he carries a gun.

Luke rides because he enjoys the team aspect and the thrill of competing. He also feels that 60+ miles on his day off starting at 7am is a small price to pay for the opportunity to have great conversation with Mark Manning. He also enjoys getting us out of trouble when we blow through a stop sign in Argyle and we get pulled over.

Besides his passion for huge black trucks, Luke also enjoys riding motorcycles, golf and hiking.

Goals include returning to his Big Steamer form of years past. Many of us have only faintly forgotten the “Sprint for The Title” that Luke was forced into by Scott Franklin in order to defend his Big Steamer title against David Carter. To help in this endeavor, we may return the finish line to the front of Corinth City Hall and take our chances with our elected officials again.

When Luke’s not cycling, you may find him in your rearview. So take a close look at the man below, you may need your get out of jail free card one day. Thanks for all you do for the team and club Luke.

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Derek Cooley – with the amazing ability to recover in days after weeks off the bike, Derek has been on the team for about a year and a half after I literally handed him a jersey at the start line of the Hotter n’ Hell Hundred in 2011.

Derek essentially provided us the great connection to Mad Duck Cyclery. Many of us have benefited from coaching advice from Clarence up at Mad Duck as he tells us and shows us, graphically on a large HD screen, how much power we really don’t have in comparison to elite cyclist :). We also have a great place to hang out, eat pizza, sit at a bar like shop, visit with the mechanic Gary and pet the shop dogs.

Also, Derek is one of the nicest human beings on the plant. Great to have you on the team Derek #2. He also has great hair, like Derek #1, just not as long.

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Devon Coetzer – The few things we know about Devon…

1. Young
2. Fast
3. He and Bob Baatz took 1st and 2nd last year in the Denton Crit
4. Raced for CCHD last year in South Africas best Mt. Bike race – Sani2c.
5. He likes donuts when he bonks on a ride.

Great to have you on the team Devon.

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Jason Phillips (Meat Wagon) – Jason is a brand new Dad. Knowing this, he still entered a recent mountain bike race where he had at least one encounter with a stationary tree. Because of this event his lovely wife Sarah, who is also a club member, banned him from riding just about anything until their son is at least a freshman in college. Not sure why we call him Meat Wagon. It may have been self-appointed for personal reasons.

Jason flies planes for a living. You know how you don’t really recognize someone without their cycling garb on? That happened to me on a flight to Arkansas. I saw the pilot go into the cockpit and I thought that sure looks like Jason, but this dude is about a foot taller. Exiting the plane it turned out to be Meat Wagon. I said hello, he dropped all the paperwork he was doing and joined me in the jet way. He really was tall. I continued to question if it was really him. We continued walking and talking out of the jet way and into the terminal. I’m not sure he ever went back to the plane. Whatever he was doing probably wasn’t that important anyway.

Let’s go do IDB soon Jason.

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Derek Whisenhunt. Tall, dark and with the best hair on the team, Derek recently departed Dallas Cowboys Racing to join us here at CCHD. His departure from the Cowboys may have been a prelude to the dismissal of Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator as they both had the same passion for the sport, their own hair and cheese cakes.

Derek is extremely competitive and loves the competitive nature of cycling. He lives by the motto…”If you’re not first your last” (thank you Ricky Bobby). Friends and family often wonder about his weight loss. They are further perplexed when they see him take down an entire cheesecake. Little do they know that he makes us suffer out at Texas Motor Speedway when he is trying to “burn off” that last dessert. Eight laps! We’ll just do eight laps, I’ve heard him say. On a Tuesday! At night! When it’s cold!

Besides his passion for Wi-Fi enabled Go Pro’s, Firecrest Zipp wheels and multiple carbon road bikes, Derek enjoys spending time with his family and spending cash on his bikes. Not necessarily in that order.

Derek’s goal in 2013 is focused on helping Bob Baatz win, plain and simple. No pressure Bob!

Besides helping Bob, Derek is an IT Manager at Sabre-Holdings. It is awesome to have Derek on the team. He is like many of our other teammates, strong, steady and willing to help whenever needed. Welcome to the team Derek.

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

Alex Pettit (The Professor) – Alex has been absent from our team rides and races for several months and is truly missed. He has been dealing with a medical issue which we hope will get resolved very quickly. We call him the professor because he truly is one at UNT. He teaches something like, Fourteenth Century British Anglican Jurassic Literature, or similar. I know I have that wrong but that is what I think he told me one day.

Alex is truly one of our leaders in this club. When an issue arises, someone has a complaint or something simply needs to be addressed, Alex takes care of it. He does it with the upmost professionalism and care.

He is a master of the English language and the written word. Alex and I have spent many hours on our bikes together over the years. I can candidly admit that sometimes I had no idea what Alex had just said to me. He was simply talking at a much higher level than I could understand. I just smile and agree. Seemed to work.

Alex rides his bikes for the challenge, camaraderie, sanity and fitness. His passions include family, music, food and you guessed it…books! I also know that he simply adores his beautiful daughter Claire.

Besides his continued goal of winning really abnormally shaped heavy prizes that are really hard to get home without a pickup truck at his daughters elementary school raffles, he also wants to improve his time trialing skills this year.

Alex invented grain. You can thank him later.

Thanks for all you do buddy. Get well soon.

In Honor Of Bob Pfarr, Jr.

Several people have asked how they can honor the memory of Bob Pfarr, Jr. Listed below are the organizations that were near and dear to both Bob and his family:

-BikeTexas– has setup an online donation link in honor of Bob. The goal of the BikeTexas organization is advancing biycle access, safety and education in the state of Texas. Contributions can be made for either BikeTexas cycling advocacy or education causes. To donate click the link or go to biketexas.org/bobpfarr and make sure you select Bob Pfarr Jr. under Memorial Fund Options.

–Denton Humane Society– Bob had a big heart for animals and especially shelter and rescue organizations. Please consider a donation in his name to the Denton Humane Society.

Bicyle Federation of Wisconsin– Bob’s daughters, Kristin Blanchard and Jennifer Proly, have asked the Wisconsin Bike Federation to honor their father by establishing a memorial fund to improve the safety of bicycling in the Kenosha and Racine communities of Wisconsin.

Contributions to this fund can be sent to:

Wisconsin Bike Fed
c/o Bob Pfarr, Jr. Memorial Fund
3618 West Pierce
Milwaukee WI 53215