Mark Bermal « Team Pegasus

Mark Bermal

Boxing_Day

Name: Mark V. Bermal

Age: 31

Location: San Diego, CA

Disciplines/ Current Categories: Road – 3 / Track – 3 / CX – 4

Goals for the upcoming season:

Podium a 10 Mile Scratch Race.

Complete Fiesta Island Time Trial in under 30 minutes.

Pass a road race.

First Race Story:

2008 at Tuesday Night Racing at the San Diego Velodrome. I was dead last in the first 5 lap scratch race. I got second in the second 5 lap scratch race by attacking out of turn 2 with a lap and a half to go. Tyler Kraus pipped me at the line.

1st Bicycle: Cheap department store bike that I jumped off so many curbs with that the fork bent at the crown.

Current bikes:

2005 Cannondale SR500 (CAAD4) road bike, with manly upgrades

Griffen Track from the Mid-90's

Gary Fisher Tassajara mountain bike: Reba Team fork and DT Swiss 5.1d kid wheels

IRO Rob Roy singlespeed cx bike: parts robbed from a Giant Bowery

Favorite Bicycle story:

Last year I rode Little Creek Mesa, near Hurricane, UT, with two riding buddies. We were started in the morning and explored a lot of the mesa. As the sun started to go down, one of my buddies suggested that we do another finger trail on the mesa.

“How long will it take,” I asked.

“About 45 minutes.”

We had more than 45 minutes of sun left, but the finger trail took over an hour and a half. We were losing visibility, we had no lights, and we were miles from the truck. It got dark enough that we could not see more then twenty feet in front of us. We stayed within earshot of each other by yelling.

“Go this way,” I heard, and followed the sound of my buddy's voice as he led the way back. We made it to the truck ten minutes before it became pitch black.

Bicycle superstitions: Pin on race number before warming up

Dumbest thing you've done on a bike:

I was riding my second bike in the cul-de-sac across the street from my house when I was 7. Turned the bars too sharply and fell on my face. I cut my lip and bled all over the street. It was the first time I needed stitches. It was a rite of passage to get those sutures.

Special Talents: Doing a job in twice the time

Strengths: Wheelsucking, handling in a tight pack

Weaknesses: Climbing longer than 2 minutes, Time trialing, bike handling when riding behind Kyle