MEET THE 2006 BP MS150 (Houston to Austin) WeFightMS.com TEAM

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DUNAGAN PEARSON

Dunagan grew up on big wheels.  Actually, 1 big wheel and 2 small wheels. When his sister Meg got another pink bike with a white basket and brother Philip was fast enough to outrun the Big Wheel, Dunagan began cruising the streets of the South Hampton neighborhood of Houston on his Schwinn Predator BMX big boy bike. Someday he hopes to return back to his roots and become as "Rad" as his idols. For now, the open road from Houston to Austin is pretty much all he can ask for, and pretty much any bike will do.  Or Big Wheel.

MEG PEARSON

Meg learned everything she knows about biking from her dear old Daderoo. From the first time she took the training wheels off her pink bicycle with the pink handlebar streamers, to the first time she locked her feet into real clip-in pedals, he was there to laugh at her when she fell down. She hopes that she will not entertain Daderoo with too many "laugh-ins" on the tandem bike she and Rahul have foolishly decided to ride to Austin this year.

Although she will miss the chance the scandalize Buddhist monks with her spandex-clad legs, she is thrilled to be riding through Texas rather than Nepal for this, her sixth MS150. She takes great offense at Daderoo's heartless assertion that her first ride in 2001 didn't count because she didn't actually finish the ride on account of a bum knee. In response to his cruelty, she employs another important skill that Daderoo has taught her, the art of suffering quietly.

PHILIP PEARSON

aka El Phil
aka El Jefe
aka El Petite Phillipe
aka El Philerino
aka El Filipe el Mejor
aka El Fillllllllipe Grrrrrrrande

ADEN BLISS

When not raising money or making movies for the MS150, Aden works in finance, business development and operations at an educational non-profit in San Francisco.  A 1985 graduate of John Adams Elementary School where he majored in Coloring Inside the Lines with a minor in Tetherball, Aden enjoys cycling, watching college athletics, going to concerts and telling stories about how great an athlete he was in high school.  The 2006 ride will be his 3rd consecutive MS150.  His personal records include a 56: 34.08 split on the 3rd leg of day 2 of the 2004 ride, and 15 orange slices at the 6th rest stop of day 1 of the 2005 ride.  Aden's role-models include his family, Ghandi and Wilt Chamberlain.

DANNY KRAMER

He was an eight year-old half-Californian circus bicyclist, the youngest of a family act called the "Bicycling Kramers" of the Gardere Circus. Danny joined the act at a very young age, having been trained in bicycling from birth.

While on tour on the MS 150, he overheard "boss" Rico Andrade, a well-known and feared tandem-lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid extortion money. The owner refused, and that night Danny watched in horror as his parents' bicycle frame snapped, sending them hurtling to their deaths, all while many of the MS 150's elite watched on. Young Danny felt responsible, because he didn't warn his parents in time.

Shortly after the tragedy, the millionaire philanthropist Aden Bliss rescued Danny from an uncaring juvenile services system. Frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Danny sneaked out of Bliss Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble into the team of Brokebike Mountain on a tandem bicycle, who were also investigating the murder. They succeed in revealing Rico´s complicity, but he died of a heart attack before his arrest.

Seeing a reflection of themselves in Danny; first as a prodigious athlete with keen detective skills, and most importantly, that young Danny could temper compassion with a thirst for justice, the team of Brokebike Mountain not only revealed their identities as Dunagan and Aden to the boy, but also made the young orphan the offer of a lifetime: the chance to become their crime-fighting partner. Danny chose the name Sunscreen Dance, and his training began.

RAHUL YOUNG

Rahul fights MS so that he can have an excuse to wear spandex and to win the heart and grundel of his girlfriend Meg.  He also embraces the opportunities for mid-ride karaoke, whether they be singing Bon Jovi in a driving windstorm, or butchering Metallica lyrics when he thinks that no one's watching.  Rahul hopes to end his 16 months (and counting) of unemployment any day now and start saving the world again in San Francisco.  For now, you can find him wrestling calves and wearing chaps in rural Oregon.

KIM NICHOLAS CAHILL

Kim learned to ride a bike in the hallway of her parent's house since there were no paved roads nearby, but these days she prefers to ride outdoors. She earns a living as a graduate student in Environment and Resources at Stanford. She is writing a dissertation on environmental change and vineyard management in the winegrowing systems of Sonoma and Napa. After two-year stints in Philadelphia and Madison, Wisconsin, she now lives in her hometown of Sonoma on her family's old turkey ranch with her husband, a golden retriever, a cat that's adopted them and several more feral ones that are thinking about it, and a bat in the basement. She enjoys time with friends and family, being outdoors, making things with her hands, reading, writing, opportunities to wear costumes, listening to music, cooking, digital photography, doing too many things at once, and spontaneously composing haiku.

TOM GOFF

From a young age, Tom has always liked riding things.  Growing up, bikes were the key to freedom in the neighborhood.  Visiting friends, riding to school, building 'sweet jumps' to take them off, playing 'ghostrider', and impressing the 4th grade girls with 'longest wheelie' contests are some of the happiest memories of his youth.  Older and wiser, Tom is proud to join Team Gardere/WeFightMS.com to pedal under the Texas sunshine for a great cause.

MANDY LIEBSCHER

Ich habe Hunger, Hunger, Hunger
Habe Hunger, Hunger, Hunger
Habe Hunger, Hunger, Hunger
Habe Durst

Wo ist die Cola, Cola, Cola
Ist die Cola, Cola, Cola
Ist die Cola, Cola, Cola
Und die Wurst

 

CABE NICKSIC

Why does he ride? Because it's there.

TYLER CHRISTENSEN

The only real cyclist of the group, Tyler was actually on the Georgia Tech cycling team.

 

RICO ANDRADE

The Cobosce nods approvingly.

SARAH BLISS
LIZZY ESFAHANI
  GRETCHEN ANDERSON
  MARK BURTON
  MAGGIE DIETRICH
  ANDY PHILLIPS
  JANET WANG