- John Fashing
The Person:
Born on September 1, 1943, John celebrates
his 57th birthday the first day of our Canada-Mexico ride. He is married to
Michele (pictured below) who has been his patient partner for 30 years.
John has five children, a golden retriever (Hannah), a cat (Elle) and a
parakeet named Pilgrim. A former mortgage banker, he retired last year but
occasionally provides consulting services to former associates. In addition to
cycling, John enjoys skiing, golf, and an occasional hand at bridge. He also
enjoys being "Mr.Fixit" around his Redondo Beach home, but the learning curve is very steep. On July 5, 2000 John got his first eagle in golf, sinking a 160-yard hole with his second four-iron shot.
- The Engine: At six feet and 212 lbs, John has lost more than 50 pounds cycling since retiring 15 months ago. He rides 150-200 miles most weeks, with occasional 250-300 milers thrown into the mix. Like most big men, John is not a speedy climber, but he's really fast downhill. With a resting pulse rate of 60, cholesterol of 139, and BP 110/70, he feels ready to take on the Border-to-Border journey. He hopes to join Jim when he rides coast-to-coast. John recently joined a biking club, the SouthBay Wheelmen, in the hope of improving his riding skills, conditioning, and speed. Just like fixing things around the house, the learning curve has been steep, but lots of fun.
The Bicycle:
John rides a candy red Waterford 2200 Reynolds 853 steel frame
with Shimano 105 components. He uses Richey pedals, a Selle Italia Elite
saddle, and 36-spoke wheels for durability. The stability of lightweight
steel gives John the ride and confidence he needs to expand his riding
horizons.
- To Contact: Soon after the trip, John moved to Northern California. You can e-mail John at his new home mjfash2@sisqtel.net.