[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 183 (Thursday, December 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2148-E2149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN COMMEMORATION OF TED TRAMBLEY'S CYCLING CAREER ON HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2011

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to 
recognize a dedicated and gifted athlete on his 60th birthday, Ted 
Trambley.
  In commemoration of his birthday, I want to honor him and his 
achievements as an exceptional cyclist, culminating this year with a 
truly inspired race to the top of Mount Haleakala in Hawaii this summer 
in record time.
  Born in 1951, Ted Trambley grew up in Pleasant Hill, California and 
graduated College Park High School in 1969 and California State 
University, Hayward in 1975 where he was a gymnast and avid cyclist. It 
was in college that cycling became one of his true passions in life and 
he began a career in racing that has spanned over four decades.
  Ted has belonged to several racing clubs over the years, including 
the Diablo Wheelman, Strada Sempre Duro, and his current club, Taleo.
  Of the many races he has finished over his career, one of his most 
memorable was the Davis Double Century, a 200 mile race in a single 
day. In 1974, early in his career and at the height of his competitive 
peak, he was barely edged out of the lead and finished second. He 
continued this race annually for four years.
  He also participated in the Death Ride through the Sierra Nevada 
Mountains in California, racing 129 miles and climbing over 15,000 feet 
of elevation. A race not for the faint of heart.
  Since 1986, Ted has been competing in the annual Mt. Diablo Mountain 
Challenge, a 10.8 mile race climbing 3,249 feet, where he regularly 
finishes among the fastest and at the very top of his age group. 
Drawing between 800 and 1,100 riders each year, this is one of the 
premier races in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  These races are just a sample of his long and storied career, but it 
was this year, in 2011, at the Cycle to the Sun in Hawaii, on the 
island of Maui, that Ted Trambley truly demonstrated the strength and 
endurance that has defined his character for so many years.
  This race is one of the most difficult bike races in the world, 
climbing over 10,000 feet of elevation and travelling over 36 miles 
while its gradient sometimes reaches 18%. As a comparison, the famed 
Mont Ventou in the

[[Page E2149]]

Tour de France is only a 5,336 foot climb over 13.6 miles.
  Ted Trambley won his age group with a time of 3 hours, 43 minutes, 
and 39 seconds and finished 35th overall. A tremendous achievement, he 
should be proud knowing he has conquered the sun.
  He has mentioned retirement from the racing circuit, but I truly 
doubt that he will hang up his cleats. It is near impossible to give up 
a lifelong passion.
  Although he has accomplished these amazing feats of athletic 
endurance over four decades of training and dedication, he could not 
have done so without the tireless support of his wife, Mary Ann, and 
his two sons, Sean and Kyle.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring a truly 
remarkable athlete, husband, and father, Ted Trambley.

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