The Oldest and the Youngest on the MASH Team

Sunday’s journey began in earnest. We set out from Davis in a steady rain, arriving roughly 100 miles and seven hours later in Santa Rosa in similar conditions. The pros left 2.5 hours after we did and finished about the same time. Rock Racing’s Francisco Mancebo was incredible today; he rode solo off the front almost the entire race, then outfoxed two riders with much fresher legs who caught him within a couple miles of the finish.

Meanwhile, six of the MASH crew battled wind, rain, climbs and descents. Here are two of them, the oldest and the youngest. Meet Blake and Walton.

Photo by Mike Martin

Blake Von Knopka
Age: 40
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Stats: 6′2″, 190 lbs
Occupation: General contractor and property manager
Status: Married with 7 bikes
“I was surprised that I made it to Santa Rosa before the field. I rode so hard the last 30 minutes. I just didn’t want to get caught and have to wait on the side of the road.”

Photo by Mike Martin

Walton Brush
Age: 18
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Stats: “slouchy” 5′10.5″, 155 lbs
Occupation: Industrial design student
Status: you’ll have to ask
“Would I want to race seriously? I think it’s more of a fad for me. It’s way funner riding at times like these than racing.”