In my opinion, there is not much cooler than being able to ride around on a bicycle. The design of a bike represents a lot of what I find beautiful in the world. A bike is a very simple piece of machinery. Every part of the machine is carefully crafted to meet a specific need. The bike is designed to maximize the efficiency and output of the rider. When the rider and machine are in harmony, "[it] is a rhythmic experience". Steven Jobs said that. He used to be head of Apple... and so I don't think that he was talking about a bicycle.

I didn't learn to ride a bike until much after most of my friends. I remember running around behind my friends as they raced away on their mag-wheeled BMX bikes. Many long hours were spent with my father launching me down the parking lot hill to a certainly violent meeting of my knees and the asphalt. My dad had to put up with heaps of crying. I grew to despise the two-wheeled harsh mistress; the MX she was called.

I finally learned to ride that beast though. And on that day, my world grew. 7-eleven Slurpees and Laughy taffy were now only a short bike ride away.

The MX was eventually stolen. She was replaced with my Diamond Back Viper. I grew out of that bike and graduated to my Suntour equipped Specialized Rock Hopper and it was all over. I was hooked for good. It was at that point I think that my destiny was sealed. There was no escaping from this relationship that I'd fallen into.

I've been on the honeymoon ever since. Like any relationship, there are some rough spots, but in the end, things work out and I find myself back together with the machine I love. Racing past fields of Illinois corn, over the rolling hills of Baltimore County, over a steep summit in the Green Mountains of Vermont, or charging through an aspen grove in Utah's Wasatch Mountains.

Reminds me of the cover of a note-pad that I read in the Philippines at one point.

To ride around the world with bicycle
is very happy.
and pollution subtract.

It may be that truer words have never been spoken.

News

CyclingNews.com
OLNTV.com
TylerHamilton.com
LanceArmstrong.com
GeorgeHincapie.com
Laurent-Jalabert.com

Shops

Canyon Bicycles (SLC)
Joe's Bike Shop (Baltimore)
Colorado Cyclist
Nashbar
Performance

Teams

JHOP Cycling
LSV
X-Men
TSV

Training

Training Log (XLS)
Training Log (XML)

Racing

Results 2002 (PS)
Results 2002 (PDF)

Racing

I am currently racing for Lateral Stress Velo based in Baltimore Maryland. It is a tight squad and I've had some of the best riding experiences this year as a result. Unfortunately, I've now moved to Chicago and have been forced to look for a new team to ride with here in 2003.

I raced this year for the Johns Hopkins Cycling Team in the ACCC of the National Collegiate Cycling Association. Here is a page of some photos of me in those races. JHU Cycling Pics

I should also give some shout-outs to all my sponsors and people who have made it possible for me to race and ride as much as I have. My number one sponsor has been my parents. They have invested more time and money in my riding career than I think that they'd like to remember. Thank you. Where my people at?! (This is starting to sound like the dedications off of my forthcoming debut album or something...) I'd also like to holla' at; Mike --in a hurry-- Hanseen at Canyon Bicycles, Joe at Joe's Bike Shop (I really was late for class that day I passed you on Falls), Shawn Johnson and Ed Brignole for organizing the Jhop team "Fear that Blue Jay!", David Scharf at LSV thanks for the Saturday morning spring rides and for organizing the club, all my training crew; Kris Hedges, Andrew Ingles, Scott Burkholder, Ed Brignole, Shawn Johnson, Mike Peterson, Chris Beck, Kris Auer, Ken Anderson, Craig Thomas, Thomas Cooke, Chris Bingham, Carter Gregory.

Shout-outs to all my crew in the ACCC thanks for the good times. All my Salt Lake City crew, my Baltimore crew, and my Chi-Land crew. y'all make riding fun!

The Showroom

A virtual showroom of all of the steel horses in the stable.

	1997 Waterford 2200 My pride and joy. The true-school lugs and Reynolds 853 tube-set make this bike a dream to ride.
	1994 Waterford 1400 This was the first Waterford bicycle that I bought. I was won over immediately by "the ride". This ride also sports the old Rock Shox Ti SL fork. She is a beauty.
	1992 Specialized Crossroads I bought this bike as a commuter while I was still in High School. I think that the only original part of the bike at this point is the headset and frameset.
	1995 Redline Proline My BMX bike. My boys and I at Canyon Bicycles bought these bikes when we were taken by BMX fever one year. My first bike with a threadless fork.
	Modified 1984 Diamond Back Viper Built from the frame of my first bicycle. My hack-job lowider. It is a pretty confused bicycle.

J. Reid Mumford

Last modified: Mon Sep 16 00:48:25 CDT 2002