ALS Battlefield

My father's breath was literally taken away by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in December of 2005. Since then my daugther and I compete in triathlons under the banner of Team Blazeman to fight Lou Gehrig's Disease. The Team races in memory of Jon Blais (1971-2007) who finished the grueling World Championship Ford Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii as an ALS patient, and in doing so brought world-wide attention to the disease. We race in memory of my father, to increase awareness about ALS, and to raise money for the Blazeman Foundation which funds biomedical research to find a cure.

Log-rolling across the finish line in honor of Jon Blais...

CBS Sports coverage of Jon "Blazeman" Blais (1971-2007) completing the 2005 Ford Ironman World Championship in Hawaii with ALS.

Mom and Pop 'Blazeman'

Meeting Jon Blais' parents at the Amica Ironman 70.3 race expo in Providence, Rhode Island.

New Peugeot Triathlon Rig for 2010

Craigslist Ad Photo

Restored Driveside View

Restored Front View

Restored Rear View

This 1986 Peugeot Triathlon bicycle was purchased in Rochester, NY through a Craigslist advertisement. The seller acquired the pug from a friend or acquaintance who unsuccessfully tried an upgrade, apparently with little knowledge of bicycles. Unfortunately, during the upgrade attempt, many parts were lost or misplaced (i.e., pedals, chain, brake levers, shift levers, bottom bracket cable guide, a brake pad, a brake cable fixing bolt, integrated seatpost saddle rail clamp, and crankarm bolts), and the original rear friction shifting derailleur had been replaced with an incompatible Shimano SIS model. The 'upgrader' also tried to pry the crankset off; which was probably the cause of a dink in the downtube. Other than that, the frame was in remarkedly good shape, with few chips and little rust. Also, the bottom bracket and hubs were packed with Phil Wood's Waterproof Grease. I suspect the original owner took very good care of the bicycle. The pug has now been accurately restored to its original glory with vintage used and NOS parts, and the addition of a Selle Italia re-issued Turbo saddle, Sona Fabrications bottle cage container, Italian Veloflex tires, and my Silca frame pump from the early 1980s. I replaced the original Helicomatic 14-17-19-21-24 freewheel with 13-15-17-20-24-28 configuration. I also removed all rust with oxalic acid wraps and touched-up the frame with custom-blended PPG acrylic/enamel paint. To make the bicycle more aerodynamic, I attached Cane Creek speed bars to the original handlebars, and now race this bicycle in sprint triathlons.

Christening the 1986 Peugeot Triathlon Bicycle

at the 2010 Tobay Triathlon on Long Island, NY.