The Kuhndog is one of the team's top dogs.

Name:
Mike Kuhn

Date of birth:
1/31/1974

Where you grew up and live now:
I grew up in Marysville, PA, just north of Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River. I now live in Allentown with my wife.

College:
Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA

How long have you been riding / racing mountain bikes / road?
I started racing before college, and although I represented Bucknell at two NCCA National Championships, I didn't really get serious about racing until about a year after college. Concentrating first on road racing, I slowly climbed through the ranks to reach the Cat 1 level and competed throughout the USA at professional stage races. A change of heart about road racing led me to the mountain bike side of things. A year later I reached the final podium of Mid-Atlantic Super Series in the Pro/Expert field.

Your biggest accomplishments in cycling:

• PA State Medalist in mountain biking, road, and cyclocross
• 3-time PA State ITT Champ (2-time Pro/1/2, 1-time Cat 3)
• 2-time Podium finisher MASS Super Series Overall - Pro/Ex, Expert
• Podium finisher at multiple regional MTB events including the Snowshoe NORBA National, Wilderness 101, 12 Hours of Roundtop, Sealink MTB Stage Race, Michaux Maximus, Laurel Classic, Hibernia Challenge
• MD (1st) and NY (2nd) State MTB championship medalist
• Reprented Bucknell University at two NCCA Championships
• Helped Ray to organize the visitPA Elite Regional Mountain Bike Team
• Convinced Kris to accept his marriage proposal in middle of a ride

Why you like to ride in PA:
I've been lucky enough to ride and race all around the country over the past five years. I spent a good bit of time training in southern Arizona and South Carolina while racing in California, Texas, and Colorado. While all of these places have some great riding spots, I'm always anxious to get back to Pennsylvania and what I consider the best mix of riding opportunities in the country. I haven't found a place that offers such a large mix of winding, scenic, and lightly traveled back roads and a variety of awesome mountain bike trails. I think PA is amongst the best places in the US (if not the best) to be a cyclist.

Your connection to the visit PA.com team:
Ray and I go way back to when I was racing in college and he was the fastest Jr. in the northeast. He raced for a shop I worked at during school and I got used to seeing him catch me late in races on his way to another win. Last year he asked me, "What do you think about putting a team together?" Never one to pass up the chance to spend way too much time on something cycling related, I said, "If you feel like working on this together I'll be glad to help you out." While putting the visitPA.com Team together, it became obvious we make a heck of a team off the bike. And I can't wait to get racing with this team because we're going to be just as good on the bike.

Bikes:
Fisher Ziggurat, Fisher Supercaliber 29, Fisher Paragon (29), Trek 9900, Time VXR road bike, Cervelo P3C time trial bike, Kellogg track bike, Van Dessel cross bike, Raleigh Ti mtn frame converted to commuter, Action Tec singlespeed 29er (with a rockin' Wicked Dreamz paint job)

Also, Kris is still riding her Trek Fuel 100 from her Trek/VW days and hits the road on a Trek 5200

Worst crashes:
1991, last day of school, first time I caught big air on a mountain bike, last time I caught big air on a mountain bike. I vividly remember the front end dropping toward the ground then nothing until I came to and rolled over to see my friends sitting at the top of the hill, mouths agape, stunned into inaction. Result. Broken collarbone, dislocated shoulder, great story to rehash with some of my best friends from high school whenever we get together.

Summer 2004 (?), riding with buddy on trails behind Marysville and lost the tires to land full force on my right hip on an embedded rock. I was able to remount and coast out of the woods, but only able to ride a few blocks once we hit town and the ground tilted up a bit. Tried to walk with the bike as a crutch but fell over. Had to sit on the sidewalk next to the main road and with a bag of frozen veggies on my leg I begged from a town resident out sweeping her porch until John could ride back to his car then come pick me up. Couldn't walk at all for a few days.

Eastern collegiate cycling championships 1996. Town crit w/ crazy corners. Getting popped off the back and trying perhaps too hard to stay on. Ate it big time and had to ride many hours back to Bucknell w/ road rash from head to toe - only to arrive late and have to then wash it out in the dorm showers. Woke up half the hall.

Best crash outcome:
Tour of Ohio stage race. Crashed in gravel on corner while in top 10 GC position on hardest day of race and needed wheel change. Teammate dropped back to pace me and he couldn't stay with me. Chased solo and caught the back of the field at the base of day's main climb – they were strung out with attacks going off the front. Went through everyone on the climb and topped out in the top five. Attacked. Adrenaline can be a very good thing.

Training routines:
Making the most of the time I have and making use of power training information to maximize the fewer hours on the bike. Still love to get in long rides on the mtb when I can - long solo rides and getting out with teammates and friends for all day epics. Not getting nearly enough sleep most of the time.

Nutritional beliefs:
Seefood Diet (I’m a big fan of eating). I try to keep it well-balanced - lots of fresh fruits and vegetables – and as natural as possible by trying to avoid a lot of preservatives and additives in the food I buy. Fresh is good, fresh and organic is better. I do indulge a bit too much though and a big goal for this year is to relearn a bit of willpower here.

Best ride(s) ever:
Most any all day epic qualifies here. Particularly memorable rides include one where Kris and I got engaged at the Canyon Vista overlook in Worlds End State Park, a place that was home for a week during a lot of summers growing up. Another has to be the climb of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, AZ. While PA has thousands of miles of fantastic roads and trails the 20+ mile climb of Mt Lemmon – where you literally ride through six or seven different climate zones, starting in a desert and ending in a pine forest like the ones you might find in the PA Wilds – is pretty amazing. A whole bunch more rides hover right below these as I don't typically find one ride better than another. While they certainly are not all as memorable as these, there is something pretty great about just being on a bike any time.

Worst ride ever:
Bad rides make good stories so in the end it's a wash.

If you were a bike, what would you be?
A dirty one.

Favorite place to ride on road / off road:

Favorite PA road rides:

So, whacha wanna do is: Check out the classic climbs around the Harrisburg/Central PA area with loops like Goldmine+ which starts on the Riverfront in Harrisburg and takes in Blue Mountain Parkway, Moonshine Church, Goldmine, Lykens, Carsonville, and Roberts Valley Road climbs. Or head to the other side of the river into Perry County and ride the ridge between Perry and Cumberland County with the Gaps ride and Lamb's Gap, Sterrets Gap, Sterrets Gap, Wagoners Gap, Doubling Gap, Wagoners Gap, Sterrets Gap, Mountain Rd, Pine Hill, Sterrets Gap, and Lambs Gap (whew!).

Favorite PA mtb rides:

So, whacha wanna do is: For unbelievable urban mountain biking head to the Wissahickon and Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia — four+ hours of riding within the city limits and everything from wide open and fast to so twisty that you're not sure if you're coming or going! Stop by Manayunk after your ride for a quick bite of food at one of the many eclectic restaurants and eating establishments and maybe even pick up something for the significant other at one of Manayunk's many shops as a little way to say you're sorry for spending all your time on your bike! As a cyclist you'll almost certainly want to check out "The Wall" in Manayunk as well, the climb made famous by the long running Philadelphia Professional Road Race held each June.

For unspoiled beauty:

Head to RB Winter and Bald Eagle Stage Forest mid way between State College and Lewisburg. Pick up the Bald Eagle Mountain Bike Map or Multi-Use Trail Map. Not to be missed — Old Tram Tr. Pirate Tr. Lookout on Cooper Mill Rd. Descent of Grosses Gap (hang on tight and get your weight waaaayyy back). Cowbell Hollow. The pounding of Top Mountain Trail and the Top Mountain Trail lookout. A stop in a bed and breakfast in picturesque Lewisburg, the home of Bucknell University, is a great way to make a weekend out of riding at RB Winter and Bald Eagle — and there are definitely enough trails to make the weekend worth your while! If you're just in for the day the town of Mifflinburg offers your closest source for a post race meal and refreshment!

For A Lesson or Two in Trail Building:

Built by the Rattling Creek Singletrackers, the trail network near Lykens, PA in the Weiser State Forest is impeccable. Following IMBA rules and guidelines the RCST laid out 30+ miles of beautiful singletrack that lays mostly on a wide mountain top with little in the way of extended climbing or descending...just miles of bliss. This is sustainable trail development at its best and is a model for what can be done when mountain bikers work closely with land managers. You may want to look around the local towns of Lykens and Tower City as the area played a key role in one of PA's early major contributions to the growth of US industry with many coal mines dotting the surrounding ridges. There is one place that the famished mountain biker must visit after a ride on the Rattling Creek Trails however and that place is the Carsonville Hotel in Carsonville, PA. Trust me, order up some fries.

The guys at Mount Nittany Wheelworks in State College, PA have done similar good works in Rothrock State Forest and built or improved hundreds of miles of mountain bike trails in the forests just south of State College. They also help to host the Wilderness 101 race each year and will be bringing a new 50 mile long mountain bike marathon to the Rothrock trails in June, 2007. Stop by Mount Nittany Wheelworks for a map of the Rothrock trail network and be prepared for a long day in the woods if you're so inclined! After the ride — you can probably well imagine that a college town such as the one around Penn State University offers more than a few things to do and places to eat. You'll find everything from most any national chain restaurant to some great local bars, brew pubs, and restaurants from casual to sophisticated. There are enough trails around here that you could spend a week riding and State College offers plenty to do off the bike to fill any leftover time.

Note that RB Winter/Bald Eagle and Rattling Creek/Weiser will host new mountain bike marathon events in 2007 as well. These events will offer both long epic rides for the adventuresome and shorter more manageable rides for the less experienced. The marathons offer marked trail loops that will take you through the best trails these forests have to offer. These events are a great way to experience some of PA's outstanding outdoor beauty! More information on these mountain bike marathons can be found by visiting www.highspeedcycling.com.

For a heartbreak:

Take a walk through the slowly degrading trail networks at Lambs Gap near Marysville, PA and Stony Creek, just north of Harrisburg, PA. More than an hour from the outdoor recreational opportunities at Michaux and Weiser State Forests, outdoor enthusiasts in Harrisburg and the rest of south central PA once flocked to these "islands of woods" after work and on weekends to enjoy PA's wonderful outdoors. Closed to many types of outdoor recreation several years ago these trail networks, which were once tended to and kept open of brush and wind toppled trees by volunteer mountain bike riders, are disappearing as no one else has stepped up to maintain the trails. It is a shame that in a time when problems such as obesity and adult onset diabetes run rampant that we lose such valuable outdoor recreational opportunities, especially in places like Harrisburg that lack other convenient public use forestry land. These areas once had some of the best trails in the entire east coast, perhaps the very best when considering their proximity to a metropolitan area, and are unaccessible today. I hope that someday soon mountain bikers will be able to contribute to the re-development of Lambs Gap and Stony Creek trail networks and will demonstrate, here in the Harrisburg area, the same sorts of leadership and sustainable development evidenced by the trails in Rothrock and Weiser State Forests; trails built and maintained by Pennsylvania mountain bikers. I hope that someday soon we'll be able to enjoy these trails once more.

Favorite races:
Single lap 50-100 mile mtb races are my favorites with the Wilderness 101 among the best and I can't wait for the MASS Marathon Series to take off

Other faves include:

• 8 (or 12) Hours of Roundtop in Athens, PA
• The Mountain Bike Stage Race and Festival Weekend, Marysville, PA
• Iron Cross, Carlisle, PA
• Michaux spring event, Carlisle, PA
• 40K and shorter ITTs (though it’s been a while)
• Laurel Classic

Team Relays like 24 Hours of Big Bear and 24 Hours of 7 Springs (7 Spring Ski Resort, Champion, PA) where visitPA.com took the wins in 2005 and the 24 Hour National Championships at 9 Mile in 2006 where we brought home the Silver medal. There is nothing like being part of a team effort and knowing everyone raced their best.

Worst races / finishes:
Most of last season was a bummer due to some chronic injuries, but it doesn't help to think about the bad stuff - just have to keep moving forward and enjoy the good times.

The rest of the story:
I spend most of time off the bike working on bike stuff. I'm a full time coach at Cadence Cycling and Multisport in Manayunk. I work with athletes of all abilities to help them reach their goals whether they want to race professionally, just get a little better at riding over logs, or are looking to lose weight, gain fitness, and have fun. I spend a bunch more time promoting between two and ten cycling events each year and try to create something a little outside the norm with my events. The events and other information about riding can be found at www.highspeedcycling.com. Now and then I try to help Ray out with the team stuff too, though mostly that is so I don't get kicked off the squad. Somehow or other I got roped into helping with the Mid-Atlantic Super Series this year too. I can’t seem to get enough of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the book, not the movie) or the rest of that inaptly named trilogy and spend far too much time watching free South Park episodes on the internet because I've never had cable TV. I like food, preferably lots of it. Kristine, that woman I got engaged to on the mountain bike ride at Worlds End, and I live near Allentown, PA where she is completing grad school to become a PA (fitting what with me riding for PA and all).