Member Spotlight: Garth Meihoff
Say, do you know who’s “on your left” when you’re on a club ride? For some of you OGs, maybe the answer is yes; but for a lot of us, we might strike up a conversation with the person pedaling down the road beside us, but we don’t really know them. Hence, Member Spotlights.
Two weeks ago, as a group of us was heading toward the annual picnic, Garth Meihoff and I struck up a conversation. Somehow, we got past the usual small talk to share our tendency toward old-fashioned thinking about English grammar. Being a relative PBC newbie, I’ve had very few real conversations with anyone; doing so reminded me of why I joined. So, last week I used my QR “press pass” to meet up with Garth. I learned that he joined PBC in 2023 because he enjoys the camaraderie of cycling with a group. Garth says that he’s in awe of some of his new friends who have 20+ years on him and can cycle faster and farther than he can. “They are inspiring role models for how to age with gusto,” he says. ✎
Garth started his adult cycling career in 2006 when he began training for a triathlon. A friend of his was in training when Garth thought, “What the heck” and joined him. What started out as training for a sprint event morphed into Garth’s completing both Olympic and then Ironman triathlons. That’s a lot of cycling.
Garth’s cycling “sweet spot” is a ride that’s 35-50 miles averaging a brisk pace (15-17 MPH). His favorite club rides are to Kelley Point and Frenchman’s Bar. Non-club favorites include cycling around Lake Oswego and West Linn, often to Willamette Falls.
When I asked Garth about his peak cycling experiences, he had three. The first were his Ironman triathlons because they required him to push the limits of what he thought he could do and to realize that he had greater potential than he’d imagined. Ride the Rim brought Garth his second cycling highlight. He appreciated the breathtaking beauty around him. Riding from Sunriver to Mount Bachelor was the third item on Garth’s list. (And this guy had the nerve to tell me he doesn’t like hills!)
Garth’s favorite piece of bicycling equipment (probably next to his 2016 Roubaix) is his Garmin Edge. Given that I’m a new Garmin owner and am completely overwhelmed by the plethora of information that is available, I asked him which piece of information he found the most helpful, to which, he quickly replied, “cadence.” Whereas Garth used to pay little attention to his spinning speed, he now uses this info to regulate how much he’s taxing his cardiovascular system as opposed to his legs.
Next, I asked Garth about what piece of advice he’d like to offer readers. Without skipping a beat he said, “Be easy on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to other riders.”
His next piece of advice deserves special attention (and hence, a standalone paragraph): “Be interested in the other riders!! Everyone has an incredible story.” So next time you’re cruising, say hi; we newbies will really appreciate it.
When he’s not cycling, Garth enjoys golf, tennis, and pickle ball as well as reading and international travel.
Finally, here’s a little tidbit that even those who think they know Garth may not realize. Garth has an alter ego. When he’s not cycling, on occasion, he can be found performing as the Magical Mr. M. Entertaining kids delights Garth. He said that when he sees awestruck kids as he performs with his magic carpet and hand guillotine, he thinks to himself, “it’s the kids who really make the magic.” Not to leave us adults out, Garth has been known to use magic when teaching high school science classes and marketing classes at OSU!
So, the next time you see Garth on a ride, pull up alongside (as road conditions allow), say hi, and learn a little bit about his incredible story.
Julia Surtshin, Club Member