Dan Tolson

Age:  34

Years racing bikes:  4

Hometown:  Hamilton MT

Occupation:  Golf Course Superintendent

Rides:    Road-Willier Cento1

               MTB-Cannondale Scalpel 29er

 I started riding after being given a bike by a good friend in 2008.  It didn’t take long to become hooked and now I’m a closet junkie.  Though I enjoy lots of other sports, I’m secretly always wishing I was on the bike, and scheming ways to upgrade my setup on my shoestring race budget.

 Priorities:  God, Family, Work, Play, though I’m not always successful at keeping them in that order.

 Proudest moment in life:  A toss up between marrying my beautiful wife Dancy and being the first to hold each of our kids (James, Ellie, Olivia, Jonathan) when they were born.  Amazing!  I am blessed.

Best day on a bike:  Mtn. Bluebird Classic 2011.  70 fast miles, good friends, no cars, sunshine, 7 foot snow banks in May and the Tetons in our face.  Will likely never experience anything like that for the rest of my life.  Unbelievable!

 Worst day on a bike:  High Uintas 2009.  30 degrees and pouring rain during the climb up to 10,000′, then snow, then more rain, then 40 miles of descending.  No rain gear ever created would have stayed dry that day.  I was one of only 4 people dumb enough to finish the race in my group.  Never have I been so cold in all my life.  A fear/phobia of riding in the rain persists to this day.

 Most embarrassed on a bike:  First Tuesday night ride ever and I showed up on my free bike (see above) in khaki shorts and a t-shirt.  Annoyed how slow the group was going cruising through town, at fish hatchery hill north of town I took off.  Pretty proud of myself for dropping the group of 30 and soloing to the top of the hill, I continued to catastrophically explode and watch in dismay as Dave Miller lead a paceline past me like I was an old lady with a walker.  Fading into the distance I could see his head shaking and heard him mutter something like ‘rookie’.  I turned around at Gros Ventre junction and barely made it home.  I had a lot to learn and I’m still learning.

 A few racing highlights:

ü  3^rd Place GC Cat 4-High Uintas Classic 2010

ü  1^st Place Cat 5-Garden Creek Gap

ü  1^st Place Hill Climb and 3^rd place road race Cat 5-Bear Lake Classic

ü  4^th Place Pierre’s Hole 2010, 11th place 2012

ü  5^th Place Teton Pass Hill Climb

ü  1^st Place Moose Roubaix

ü  1^st Place Lotoja Cat 5

 

And there are handful of decent finishes in other races I like to do during our 9 months of winter.  Rando racing, skate skiing and other lycra clad sports keep me busy all winter.