Community Highlight
Community Highlight is a series that focuses on people who are involved in the local biking community either as bikers or supporters of the community. Each month we will highlight a different individual and what they do to support the biking community.
Carrie Berg - October 2023
For our ninth installment of 'Community Highlight', we had a chance to interview Carrie Berg of Mason City. Carrie is the Race Director for the 'Lime Creek Timber Trot.' This is a 5 mile trail race that is held rain or shine on October 7th at Lime Creek. The best part is that 100% of all entry fees go towards Lime Creek Nature Center - with a sponsor matching the entry fees and donating directly to Lime Creek. Participants will receive: a long sleeve shirt, a $20 Gift Card to Wayne's Ski and Cycle, and a pair of Fox River Socks. This is a wonderful opportunity to have a great time while also giving back to your community - all while taking home some fantastic SWAG! If you are interested in participating in the race you can check out the link below:
Over the course of our interview, we learned quite a bit about Carrie and her family. She grew up and graduated high school from Winona, Minnesota. Carrie continued her post high school education all in Minnesota - completing her undergrad from St. Olaf College and her graduate degree from the University of Minnesota in Physical Therapy. Carrie's career eventually took her to Aberdeen, South Dakota. While there she met her husband Bob, who at the time was also a Physical Therapist. Carrie and Bob have now been married almost 30 years. Carrie spent 13 years as a Physical Therapist before she "retired" to become a stay-at-home mom. She chose that path when Bob finished Med School and his Residency to become a Radiologist. Over the years she was incredibly active as a Booster Mom and Band Mom (just to name a few - she was highly involved in her children's school activities). Carrie and Bob now have two kids that are out of college, one that is in her fourth year of Med School and one that is attending Iowa State University. While they did move around quite a bit in the early years, they found a more permanent home when they moved to Mason City in 2007.
We got around to discussing Carrie's community involvement. We first focused on the 'Timber Trot' and what makes it special for our community. Carrie really got excited talking about how beneficial the 'Timber Trot' is to Lime Creek and all of the programs the proceeds support. She said that 100% of the entry fees for the 'Timber Trot' go towards things like buying kayaks, camping supplies, all sorts of equipment for events and programs focused on educating those of all ages. Carrie also said that there is a sponsor that will match the Wayne's $20 gift card with a like donation. Normally the Timber Trot attracts 50 to 60 racers - although this year there are already over 90 runners confirmed (and there is still time to register!) The Timber Trot was started in 2007, with Carrie taking over as Race Director a few years after its inception. Carrie has been very active in her community involvement - she was also the Race Director for the 'Stu Nevermann Run.' This is an event that is held during Band Fest every year - she was the Race Director for 13 years. When Carrie isn't busy being Race Director for various events, she is also on the Board of Directors for the YMCA, The Mason City Public Library and for Lime Creek. We explored past events and organizations as well. Bicycle, Blues and BBQ was an event held in Clear Lake from 2004 to 2019. Carrie was in charge of the Touring Ride for the event for approximately 6 years during its run. She has also been a part of the North Iowa Touring Club since 2009. She led indoor Spin classes for many years. Needless to say, it was incredibly enlightening to see just how active Carrie is in our community.
We explored how she got into riding bikes and what she loves about it. Carrie vividly remembers that in 1999 she wanted to participate in a Triathlon in Duluth. Being that she didn't have a bike, this meant she needed a bike...and any bike would do. She laughed when she started talking about the bike she found. It was an old "junk" bike for $25 - it was one of those that was slow, heavy and very clunky. Not only did she complete that Triathlon - but she did it on that bike - all while being 10 weeks pregnant. Eventually she would go on to participate in many triathlon events over the years and completed Ironman Wisconsin in 2011 and 2013. We got around to what experiences were her favorites involving riding bikes. Carrie had so many fond memories involving riding with friends and family that it was hard for her to pick a favorite. She said that among her favorites riding RAGBRAI with her husband and kids on the North Iowa Touring Club bus with the Neal's. Billy and Becky Neal would drive a support vehicle during the week of RAGBRAI for area riders. She participated in a total of 7 RAGBRAI's, including 2 years where her entire family completed the whole week - those seemed incredibly special to Carrie. A close second to those RAGBRAI memories were the Saturday Morning Road rides. A group of folks would meet up at the five way stop and ride anywhere from 25 to 70 miles each Saturday during the Summer. She loved that sense of adventure, while being able to chat and bike with friends. Carrie had to have knee surgery a year and a half ago, which sadly put a sudden halt to doing something she loves. As she has continued to recover, she has started exploring the idea of an E-Bike that would help her get out with her family and friends again. She is yet to find the right bike though she has been working with Matt (Owner of Wayne's) in finding the right one for her.
I did ask Carrie about why she chooses Wayne's Ski and Cycle as her bike shop. She said that there were many factors why and certainly not just one reason. Carrie said that Matt is always quick to support and do what he can for community events. She feels that the shop in general is geared towards community outreach and doing what we can to promote the biking community. Even when it comes to non-biking events like the 'Timber Trot', she feels like Wayne's supports those important community events. Carrie also likes that when she comes to the shop she is greeted by name and that we help her find the gear she needs (and if we don't have it, we will order it). She said that her family has bought all their bikes from Wayne's over the years and has loved the quality and care of them.
It was wonderful being able to chat with Carrie about the Timber Trot, favorite biking (and non-biking) memories, learning more about her and what she all does for the community!
Dave Delperdang - September 2023
For our next 'Community Highlight' we got a chance to sit down and interview Dave Delperdang of Mason City. He is currently semi-retired as a Service Technician at Wayne's. Dave is a well known figure in the local biking community and has been an active part since the 1980's. He is a Co-Founder and Race Committee Member of the 'Cannonball Cross' Race. This race was last held in 2020 where it attracted 250 registered racers across 8 states - this made it the largest cyclocross race in Iowa at the time. This year 'Cannonball Cross' will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. If you would like to learn more about 'Cannonball Cross' - you can check out the link below.
Dave grew up and graduated from Bancroft, Iowa. He met his wife Judy when she started working at a restaurant that he used to frequent as a patron. He remembers that their first conversations started with small talk about cross country skis. Dave admitted with a chuckle that while he liked the outdoors, he would not have considered himself an athlete at that time nor did he know much about skiing. Dave and Judy married in 1987, their son Geoff was born in 1990. His family settled in Clear Lake were they became long time residents for the next 30 years. This past spring Dave and Judy sold their house and moved back to Mason City. Over the course of his life Dave has had a few different occupations. Dave spent 13 years working at Lakeside Cyclery where he did a little bit of everything - like sales, bike assembly and bike repair. While working at Zion Lutheran Church he spent most of his 14 years there as the Communications Director. Most recently he worked full time at Wayne's Ski and Cycle for approximately 6 years - splitting time between sales and bike repair. A little over 4 and a half years ago Dave retired. While Dave may have officially retired from Wayne's, he maintains a semi-retired status at the shop. He comes in throughout the week and solely focuses on bicycle repair. Dave is exceptionally knowledgeable about repairing bikes and is often consulted on some of our more challenging repairs.
We got to talking about how he got started into biking. With a quick laugh Dave said that Judy and her family are largely to blame. Judy's father liked to bike and like all bikers, he had an extra bike laying around that Dave could use. He quickly found out that he really liked riding and eventually felt that he should have his own bike. This opened the floodgate. Dave remembers that at the time Clear Lake held a 'Lake Race' that was a 14 mile race. At the time Dave couldn't imagine riding, let alone racing 14 miles. He said that there were maybe 100 people in the race and he was amazed that he was able to finish in the middle of the pack. He felt that this could really be the start of something fun. From there Dave started doing longer and faster paced rides. Over the years Dave kept participating in the 'Lake Race' - winning it twice. We got talking about more current riding. Dave said his longest ride this year is at 80 miles. Though last year he hit the century mark on three separate rides. Also last year Dave had three consecutive months where he rode over 1,000 miles each month. All this coming from the guy who thought 14 miles in one ride was a lot and didn't consider himself to be an athlete at one point.
Among all the biking conversations that we had, we got around to talking about what type of riding is his favorite. This stumped Dave for a few moments. He said it really depends on the day more than anything, as each type of riding scratches a different itch. Gravel riding has the edge as his favorite as it has that adventure feel, you deal with less traffic and have a greater variety of route choice. Dave is very much a person who enjoys the experience and journey of a ride. He enjoys Cyclocross racing for its competitive nature. Dave really started to light up when we started talking about cyclocross. This year he is currently ranked 5th nationally in Cyclocross rankings for his age bracket. Dave also loves to do road riding - he admitted that he likes to go fast. Anyone that has ever rode a bike with Dave knows that if someone starts to pull ahead trying to race, that he is right there in the thick of things.
Dave has been involved in the biking community since the 1980's. Dave is a Co-Founding member of the 'Cannonball Cross' Race and was the Race Director up until last year - he is currently a Race Committee Member. 'Cannonball Cross' is one of the largest cyclocross races in the state of Iowa. He also played a major role on the race committee for the 'Bicycle Blues and BBQ' race that was held in Clear Lake from 2004 through 2019. During its run it was among the bigger races in the Midwest. Dave is a former member of the 'North Iowa Touring Club', spending some time as the President. He also was President for several years for North Iowa Spin. When he wasn't busy being a member of varies organizations or races over the years, Dave has led Group Road Rides since the 90's. Most notably was the start of 'Wednesday Worlds', which has been a high intensity and endurance group road ride since its inception. It is a ride that often ranges 30 to 40 miles with a 20 mile per hour average. It has since shifted from being hosted on Wednesday's and is now every Monday starting at Wayne's Ski and Cycle.
We lastly discussed why it is that he chooses a semi-retired lifestyle working at Wayne's in the Service Center. Dave boiled it down to a few key reasons. He has always enjoyed tinkering with bikes, which started when he was still in grade school. Working at the shop gives him that opportunity to still tinker. Dave said that the other employees are a huge reason why he enjoys coming in. He is around like minded people that love riding bikes and are passionate about what they do. Needless to say it was wonderful to interview Dave and learn more about him. If you are interested in joining Dave or any of us on upcoming Group Bike Rides, you can find the information below!
Zeki Eldadah - August 2023
For our next 'Community Highlight' we got a chance to interview Zeki Eldadah. Zeki was a 4 year participant with the Mason City Mountain Bike Club and frequently joins our Tuesday Group Mountain Bike rides. It was great interviewing him - getting to learn about Zeki, who he is as a person and what he loves about biking.
Zeki lives in Mason City with his family and has been a resident since moving to the area when he was in 1st grade from Des Moines. Zeki is a 2023 graduate from Mason City Community Schools and is planning to attend Iowa State University in the fall to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering. We explored what got him to want to pursue Aerospace Engineering - the answer for Zeki was simple. He said that love of airplanes started at a young age and has stuck with him ever since. He's always loved the concept of airplanes, how air resistance effects how they move and the mechanics behind how they function. Zeki said that Iowa State is one of the best schools in the country (if not the world) for Aerospace Engineering. He was on the Honor Roll every semester throughout High School and even achieved a 4.0 GPA for three semesters. Zeki managed to earn "The MCHS Distinguished Student Scholarship" this past year - while he wasn't totally sure how he earned that, we both concluded with a laugh that have a number of 4.0 GPA semesters likely helped him.
We got to talking about what got him into riding bikes. He said that it started out of necessity more than anything. When he was younger it was a mode of transport and if he wanted to go to a friend's house or the store, he had to ride his bike. Zeki said that he first was introduced to mountain biking when he was in 7th grade when a friend took him out to Zerble's Trail. After one ride he knew he was hooked. Zeki remembers how he had a department store bike, and while it technically worked for the trails - it didn't help his overall experience. He quickly started looking for an upgrade and found a Trek Marlin shortly after. He started riding every week from then on. Over time he slowly upgraded parts of the bike like putting better brakes on it and upgrading the drive train to a 1x. Zeki said it has been a great first bike and held up over the years. We looked at what he likes about mountain biking . He said that he likes how it makes you stay on your toes, you can't really relax and how you need to quickly think to conquer features. We talked about what local sections of trails are his favorites. He said he likes the rock garden type trails - these are trails with a lot of technical features where picking your line is critical. He likes 'Christmas Tree' and 'Bike Wash' the most when it comes to local trails. Zeki said that he loves the group rides more than anything. He said that he likes being pushed to go faster and how he can ride some of the more technical sections and still feel safe with others around. You can check out which segments Zeki is talking about by clicking the YouTube links at the bottom of this article.
Zeki and I got a chance to talk about his involvement with the Mason City Mountain Bike Club. He was a 4 year participate with the club. Whenever there was an event to attend - Zeki was there. Virtually every practice - Zeki was there. Every time there was a trail work day - Zeki was always there. This year Zeki earned "The Coaches Award." He earned the award with his constant hard work and continued dedication to being there with the team. We had a chance to speak to Steve Bailey who is one of the coaches of the club. Steve said that Zeki came in as a freshman being fairly raw in terms of biking skill level. "Over the course of 4 years Zeki turned into a fantastic mountain biker by his senior year." Bailey continued - "Zeki rarely ever missed a practice over those years and was constantly riding in between practices." Steve noted that, "His skill level and competence continued to rise and he went from suffering on the trails, to enjoying and thriving." Steve loved seeing the progression from being extremely fresh to riding with the adults on the Tuesday Group Mountain Bike Rides.
When we asked Zeki why he chooses Wayne's Ski and Cycle for his biking needs he said it's the people. He likes the atmosphere where the people are nice, helpful and only recommends what we use. He said when you are on a budget that Wayne's does a great job of working within that budget to get you what you need. Zeki said that he really likes that after you have been stopping in for a while that you start to get greeted by name. It's always great seeing Zeki in the shop and on the rides. We wish him the best of luck in Ames next year!
Dennis Lee - July 2023
Our next 'Community Highlight' is Dennis Lee of Mason City. Dennis was an easy nomination for this month's highlight as he single handedly moved a bridge that had previously been set by using heavy machinery and a small group of people. Here is a link to the post on Facebook for context: https://www.facebook.com/groups/846380199070208/posts/1905307783177439/ . The mountain biking community was beyond grateful in Dennis' problem-solving abilities and determination in realigning a bridge.
Jeff Doolittle - June 2023
Our next ‘Community Highlight’ is Jeff Doolittle of Mason City. Jeff grew up in Prairie City Iowa, which is a town of just under 2,000 people situated east of Des Moines. After graduating High School, Jeff completed his under grad at The University of Northern Iowa in 1997. That turned out to be a busy year for Jeff as he was married and then started medical school at The University of Iowa in the fall. Jeff completed his Residency in Mason City in 2004. Since then Jeff has moved around a few times. He lived in Algona and then moved to Wichita to do some teaching. A little over a year ago Jeff and his family moved back to Mason City where Jeff has been a Family Physician at MercyOne. At MercyOne he spends about half of his time doing administrative work while also spending the other half seeing patients. Jeff has 6 children with his wife. They range from 7 years old all the way to 23 years old. He said that he has 3 at home, 2 in college and 1 that just graduated college.
Jeff said that he has always been into riding ever since he was a kid. He mentioned that when he was in High School that he would ride 15 miles to and from school. When he got to college is when his passion for riding really started to take off as that was when he discovered mountain biking. Jeff said that of all the types of riding that mountain biking is far and away his favorite. He loves the change of terrain, that need to pay attention to the immediate now and that great mix of trail features. He really likes that you build skills while also improving your fitness level. Jeff noted that he likes the laid-back nature of group mountain bike rides. What Jeff really loves is going to new locations and seeing what the different communities do with their trail systems and topography. We did discuss other types of riding and Jeff ranked road riding as his 2nd favorite. He said really likes the fitness aspect of it. He then ranks gravel as his 3rd. Jeff does help with the Mason City Mountain Bike Club as a coach. As he is getting more settled Jeff has been donating more of his time to giving back to the community.
During our discussion Jeff said that as a Family Physician he often looks at people’s wellness and what they can do to be on a healthy track. While there are things like diet that they look at, he also looks for healthy habits. He has found that biking is such a good option for so many people and that he often finds himself prescribing biking as one of those options. With a chuckle Jeff said that he does warn his patients that biking can be addictive.
When we asked Jeff why he chooses Wayne’s as his bike shop, he said that he loves how everyone is friendly and approachable. He said that it is a “Cheers” like atmosphere where everyone knows your name and they treat you like a friend. Jeff has been impressed with the selection of product available. He said that when he was looking for a new light that multiple employees chipped in with what they liked about the different lights. He said he doesn’t feel there is that need to shop online for biking items. Jeff made sure to mention that he has found the Service Center to do a great job. That he doesn’t question the work and the last time his bike was in the shop he took it straight from the shop to the trail.
Carrie Tysdahl - May 2023
The next ‘Community Highlight’ is Carrie Tysdahl of Clear Lake. Carrie grew up in Tripoli Iowa being quite active in athletics. While going to high school she drew the attention of college scouts and landed a volleyball scholarship to play at Northwest Missouri State University. Upon graduating college she settled in Kansas City and then married her husband. While there she participated in her first triathlon and quickly fell in love with the sport. She laughed when asked about it as she said she remembers that she bought her first bike the week of the race. She said it was entry level and aluminum – both of which are not ideal for racing. Currently Carrie works for American Solutions for Business as a Distributor of Promotional Products and Apparel. When she isn’t at her day job (this time of year) she can be found teaching Tri Class’s at the Clear Lake Athletics and Wellness Center. It is a 12 week class leading up to the TRI Clear Lake event. She is also a volunteer for the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce throughout the year.
Carrie is very involved in the community. She started teaching spin classes and coaching athletes for triathlons in 2011 while living in Nashua Iowa. She quickly found that there was a demand in the area for triathlons. She founded the ‘TriByKnight’ Triathlon in Waverly and is one of the Race Directors. ‘TriByKnight’ is now in its 12th year and attracts 300 participants annually. It is a 300 yard swim, 15 mile bike ride and 3.1 mile race. Eventually Carrie moved to Clear Lake with her family and co-founded ‘TRI Clear Lake’. ‘TRI Clear Lake’ is now in its 7th year and has grown exponentially each year. It started with 200 participants its first year and this past year eclipsed 600 racers. This year ‘TRI Clear Lake’ is the USAT Iowa State Championship and is being held on May 27 in Clear Lake Iowa. If you are interested in participating, you can sign up at the following website: https://www.trisignup.com/Race/IA/ClearLake/triclearlake2022. Registration needs to be submitted by May 21st. When Carrie isn’t busy coaching or directing triathlons she does a fair amount of participating in them. Last November she raced in the Ironman Florida, placing 8th overall and 3rd in her age bracket. She noted that she missed the Ironman World Championship by just one slot. Recently she raced in the Ironman Texas which was the North and South America Championship. She not only achieved a personal record in the race by over 50 minutes but she also placed 7th in her age bracket. This earned her a spot in this years Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii.
When we asked her about her favorite type of riding she admitted that she is a “straight line, hard surface, go fast kind of gal.” She said that she does enjoy riding around Clear Lake with her husband and three boys. Though if she had to choose her absolute favorite, she said she likes to go fast.
We discussed why she chooses Wayne’s Ski and Cycle as her go to bike shop. Carrie said that she has lived in a number of different communities and as an athlete and cyclist - Wayne’s is by far her favorite for several reasons. She said that as a female and as a triathlete that she has never felt more welcomed and has never felt like she was treated different. She said that the store and Matt Curtis has always been very supportive of her over the years. Whether its been Mechanical 101 Clinics for her ladies in the tri community, to donating time or knowledge, she has always felt that the folks at Wayne’s have always been there to support her and her athletes. She has always appreciated how gracious Matt has been in helping her kids become more comfortable with cycling.
Brooke Bailey - April 2023
Our next 'Community Highlight' is Brooke Bailey of Mason City. Brooke grew up and graduated from Nora Springs, Iowa. In 2010 she moved to Rochester, Minnesota where she started graduate school at the Mayo Clinic. Brooke and her family moved back to Mason City in 2015 where she became a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. After moving back she noticed a lack of cycling opportunities for the youth of North Iowa. This prompted Brooke and her husband Steve to look into what they could do for the community. Brooke currently volunteers a considerable amount of her time to a wide array of organizations centered on cycling.
She was a co-founding board member of the Cannonball Cross Cyclocross Race. This is a race that has been held yearly at East Park in Mason City since 2016. The past two years the race was cancelled due to Covid and weather conditions, though in 2020 it attracted 250 registered racers from 8 states. This made it the largest cyclocross race in Iowa. 2016 was a busy year as she also co-founded Spin Devo, which is a regionally competitive cycling team. It is a youth development race team that focuses on both Road and Cyclocross racing.
In 2018 she helped co-found the Mason City Mountain Bike Club. This club was created at the same time as the Iowa Scholastic Mountain Bike League. The league started with 5 kids all from Mason City. The first race was held at Lime Creek on the double track which attracted a total of 7 racers. This year the Iowa Scholastic Mountain Bike League will have 7 races across the state, involving 10 teams and an estimated 125 racers. This includes a race in Mason City on our single track course. Both of her children have been highly involved with the club over the years. Brooke added that the Mason City Mountain Bike Club is looking for more coaches. If you are interested, you can contact Brooke through the clubs Facebook page.
North Iowa Human Powered Trails is yet another organization that Brooke helped co-found and is currently a board member. Since 2019 this group has been responsible for the building and maintaining of the single-track mountain bike trails in Mason City. Brooke and NIHPT were key in getting Mason City and Cerro Gordo County the $4.5 million dollar Destination Iowa Grant last year. The grant is part of a total project investment of $11.9 million dollars that will be used for outdoor recreation projects like mountain bike trail infrastructure.
In 2022 Brooke became a board member on the Lime Creek Foundations Board. She was excited that Lime Creek hosted its first Fat Tire Bike race this year during the Winter Fun Fest in early 2023. It was a race that involved 22 riders from locations such as the Twin Cities, Cedar Rapids and Estherville (as well as many racers from the local area). When RAGBRAI came through Mason City Brooke was also heavily involved as the Information Chair. She coordinated 4 locations throughout Mason City to help riders when they came in from the 100 mile trip starting in Emmetsburg.
Brooke can’t pinpoint the exact moment she got into biking though noted there has been a progression over the years. She remembers her husband first getting into triathlons. Shortly thereafter she joined him in participating in triathlons. This eventually turned into road racing for both Bailey’s. Road racing then turned to cyclocross, which then turned into enduro mountain biking. Brooke noted that one little thing snowballed into all different kinds of biking over the years for her and her family. During the entire progression Brooke noted that she was always mountain biking. Brooke said her favorite riding is very weather dependent. She absolutely loves muddy cyclocross and will choose that anytime she can. Though when not muddy she prefers to ride mountain bike. When we asked Brooke why she chooses Wayne’s as her bike shop she said that “Wayne’s has always been a strong supporter of the community and I believe in a strong community relationship.”
Mark Dix - March 2023
Our next 'Community Highlight' is Mark Dix. Mark is semi-retired as an Insurance Agency owner in Nora Springs and realtor with Century 21 Preferred where he has enjoyed working with the public for the last 35 years. Mark grew up as a farm kid in Greene, Iowa where he would get on his twenty inch bike every chance he got. He fondly remembers buying a banana seat, raised bars and building up a Schwinn Stingray. He notes that he was a bit reckless with this bike when he survived a near miss by a feed truck when he was bombing out of the farm driveway. When he outgrew his bike he quickly lost interest in biking for the next 30 years.
In 1993 a client, LeRoy Stonecypher, stopped at the insurance office. He was preparing for a ride across America called the 'Pacific to Atlantic tour in 30 days'. Mark had expressed interest in this challenge of riding 3000 miles in 30 days. LeRoy sold Mark his old bike - a Trek 820 touring bike for a song. LeRoy was a part of the "North Iowa Touring Club" and was telling stories of rides the club sponsored and other activities. Marks first ride with the club was a 65 miler called the “Leaf Lookers Ride” in Decorah. There he joined Bob Krueger and Bill Neal for the longest ride he had ever attempted. Mark survived the steep hills of Northeast Iowa, a dog chase and head winds so strong you had to pedal downhill. He felt totally exhausted yet thrilled with his accomplishment. He knew then and there that he was hooked on cycling. He loves how cycling provides an outlet and is an excellent source for exercise. "The best part of cycling is it keeps a person in excellent physical condition so with this hobby I can justify the expense because it is supports my physical condition." He notes that the problem with improved technology and competitive cycling is there is always something better. Mark thinks that he is now on his sixth carbon framed bike. His favorite is still his road bike followed by his mountain bike, fat tire bike and just purchased a designated gravel bike. He has discovered Tucson for winter riding. It is a haven for cyclist, with dedicated trails, mountain climbs and excellent bike clubs for organized rides.
When asked why he chooses Wayne's Ski and Cycle as his shop of choice, he thinks back to when he purchased his first new bicycle from Wayne’s - a 5200 carbon bicycle. He noted that it was "a true hot rod compared to the steel touring bike I had." Mark said that "Matt at Wayne’s is always supportive of our rides, helping to support and promote any way possible. He's provided swag, bicycle repair and advertising for any bike function." Mark went on to say that, "Wayne’s provides storage for NITC spin class, storing trainers, stereo equipment and mats. They are always there to lend a helping hand. I am proud to reciprocate and direct my bicycle business to Wayne’s for what he does for the community and the excellent service he provides."
Derek Mauser - February 2023
Our first ‘Community Highlight’ is Derek Mauser of Osage, Iowa. Derek is a third-generation member of Mauser Insurance, a crop insurance business that his grandfather founded in 1981. Derek has always liked bikes and vividly remembers riding Schwinn Sting-Ray’s in his youth. Roughly 8 years ago Derek wanted to get back into biking. He came into Wayne’s Ski and Cycle looking for an “old person” bike where he could comfortably cruise around town and nothing more. He remembers seeing a Trek Farley 5 in the shop and asked “what the deal was about these fat tire bikes.” He was encouraged to take it on a test ride to see how much fun you can have on one. All it took was one test ride and he found his new passion.
When asked what kind of riding he enjoys the most he said; “single track, hands down, every time.” He said that he loves it because it has a motocross energy to it. Derek’s love of biking further evolved after he rode single track mountain bike trails at Levis Mounds in Wisconsin and Cuyuna Lakes Trails in Minnesota. He then noticed the community that had been growing in Mason City and how the trail system had been quickly expanding because of the large community involvement. Derek put together a power point and presented it to Mitchell County. He really focused on eco tourism, which is tourism that is directed toward healthy outdoor activities that promote the local environment and economy. What started as a solo venture of flagging and designing trail on county land quickly blossomed into a group of like-minded individuals that became a group called the “Mitchell County Mountain Goats”. This group has become responsible for maintaining and expanding the trail system into Osage. Derek noted that they wouldn’t be able to maintain and grow their trails without the community support of The Goats and others who volunteer their valuable time.
When asked why he chooses Wayne’s Ski and Cycle, he said that he feels that the crew at Wayne’s is as enthusiastic about riding as he is. Derek feels that it’s an environment where there is no such thing as a “stupid” question - that he can ask anything without being judged. He really enjoys Wayne’s because he feels like the shop is invested in him and his experience while biking. Derek feels that as his riding ability has progressed that we have been in tune with his evolving needs and been able to equip him to have the best experience possible.
Derek said that the future is what really excites him. The future being Osage continuing to expand their trail system and Mason City heavily investing in their trail system in conjunction with the Destination Iowa Grant last year. He feels that there is some neat stuff coming up over the next few years where this area can become a tourist destination for many different levels of bikers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Derek was a delight to interview, and we thank him for everything he has done to promote biking in the community!