A Walk On The Weiler Side

Griffin in action during a triathlon

At some point in the not-so-distant future, Griffin Weiler will be faced with a difficult decision: a career in the business world – or as a professional triathlete.

There just aren’t enough hours in the day to do both at the highest level.

“I love both of them,” said the senior-to-be and economics major at Penn State, who is also a member of Team Pelotonia powered by roll:. “But I’m happy I have the opportunity to choose between two things I really enjoy … and right now I’m leaning more toward my (economics/business) career.”

One choice that wasn’t difficult was getting involved with Pelotonia. Fundraising and service to the community are Weiler family traditions, as are triathlons – and now, peddling the Pelotonia. The four Weilers – parents Peter and Karen, Griffin, 21, and his brother, Mac, 18 – will all be riding again this year.

“We literally rode together the whole way last year, we did the 180-mile route and we’re going to do it again this year,” Griffin said.

Peter and Griffin compete together in triathlons. This is obviously an old photo - as Peter is wearing a Penn State shirt! We won't tell Gordon Gee, if you don't.

He grew up in State College, PA, where Peter was vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State.

Peter was also a triathlete – and passed this passion on to his sons.

“Once he had the kids, and with work, he stopped doing it,” Griffin explained. “Then when I was 15, I started getting into it and decided to do a race and he decided he’s do it with me – and it took off from there.”

Peter beat Griffin in that first race – and it took a few more years for the son to finally surpass the father.

“I think when it happened it was pride and probably it was a bit of a bummer for him,” Griffin said.

Griffin is now a top age-group triathlete – and is strong enough in the cycling portion of these grueling races to keep up with the other members of Team Pelotonia. He and Alex Pratt, a fellow Nittany Lion, started the team – and Alex is Pelotonia’s director of procurement.

Peter was named Ohio State’s senior vice president for university development in 2007 – and is in charge of all of the university’s fundraising efforts.

At Penn State, Griffin is also involved in fund raising, as a board member of the Penn State Dance Marathon. The group does indeed sponsor a non-stop, 46-hour dance marathon, plus dozens of other fundraising events. Last year, it raised $7.8 million – and the money goes to fight pediatric cancer.

On to the bike...

“I found my calling,” Griffin said of his involvement in what’s known as “the THON.” He’s also discovered he’s a whiz at organization – and oversees thousands of student volunteers.

The THON was started in 1973, is the nation’s largest student-run philanthropic group – and has raised more than $60 million.

Griffin now spend his summers in Central Ohio, with his parents – and last summer he got involved with the inaugural Pelotonia, as volunteer and rider. Peter is a member of the Pelotonia board of director.

“How many times in our lives do we have the opportunity to truly give back, with no strings attached, and help people who need help,” Griffin said. “We can get on our bikes and ride for people who can’t get on their bikes.”

All of these activities – school, training, a summer internship, volunteer work and even a bit of a social life – eat up a lot of hours. It takes dedication and discipline – and the ability to operate on only a few hours of sleep a night – to make it all work.

A scene from the THON at PSU

“Yeah, it can be hard to get up at 5 in the morning when I don’t want to,” Griffin said of his hectic schedule. “But I know I’m connected to the Thon and Pelotonia and the team and that I’m not just training and racing for myself. I’m racing for everyone involved in the organizations and everyone who needs our support.”

10 Things About Griffin…

Favorite ride

Maine

Dream ride

The French Alps

Current bike

Giant TCR Advanced

Dream bike

The SL version of his current bike

Favorite movie

Tommy Boy

Favorite TV show

30 Rock

Favorite book

Into Thin Air

Favorite musician/group

Frank Sinatra

Favorite athlete

Chris Lieto

Favorite post-ride meal

A burger at Five Guys

Pelotonia’s Racing Team

Pelotonia Cycling Team powered by roll: is created by Pelotonia’s Pratt

Alex Pratt takes the lead

It took an injury and several months off his bike to help Alexander Pratt realize just how much he loved cycling.
Alex, 23, who is Pelotonia’s procurement director as well as director of Pelotonia Cycling Team powered by roll:, crashed and broke his collarbone in November 2008.
A recent Penn State graduate at the time, Alex was still fairly new to bike racing, but had already put together some impressive finishes in collegiate and Cat. 3 amateur races. He was working for the Obama campaign – and racing for Team Independence, a Philadelphia-based amateur team.
And then he crashed during a training ride.
“I literally spent every night reliving the crash,” Alex said of the next few months. “With how fast I was going and how hard I hit, it was lucky it wasn’t worse.”
The crash took an emotional as well as physical toll on the young rider – and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get back on his bike and race again. But his friend, Justin Brown, who had encouraged him to join him on the cycling team at Penn State two years earlier, stepped in.
“Without pushing or nagging me, Justin kept saying come on out for a ride with us, come on out for a ride,” Alex said. Finally, he did – and “I realized how much I missed it. I missed it so much.”
Alex also realized how much he loved the camaraderie of being on a team.
“The guys become like your family,” he said.

Alex raced for Penn State's cycling team

Alex had a great 2009 racing season, capped off when he won the Pennsylvania Cat. 3 state championship, which helped him vault up into the even-more-competitive ranks of Cat. 2 racing.
Cat. 1 and Cat. 2 are the highest levels of amateur racing. The next step is to become a professional.
Alex’s accident and return to racing helped bring him to Columbus, Pelotonia and was the impetus behind the creation of the Pelotonia Cycling Team powered by roll:.
Pelotonia Executive Director Tom Lennox met Alex during the inaugural ride through a mutual friend who was a volunteer, and was impressed. A few months later, Tom hired him to be procurement director. In this position, Alex is the one who solicits local companies to donate or sell at a reduced cost all the stuff you need to put on a ride as massive as Pelotonia. It’s a long, long list and includes all the food we ate and drinks we drank.
And the all-important portable toilets.
In addition to procuring stuff, the idea was for Alex to create an amateur racing team, one that would promote Pelotonia and help grow the cycling community in central Ohio.
“We will help with recruiting riders and fund raising,” Alex said, adding all eight members of the team have registered for the 180-mile ride and will raise at least $2,000.
“We’ll also be a resource for riders. We’ll be available to help them with training and safety and maintenance.”
Members of the team will lead group rides for Pelotonia riders in the months to come – and we’ll fill you in on the details as they are finalized. Don’t worry, they’ll take it easy on us.
And, of course, the team will race, in Central Ohio and beyond, starting with the Philadelphia 2-Day Cycling Classic in early April.
The members of the team include: Pratt, Elliot Gaunt, Turner Johnson, Adam Kahler, Anthony Rienzi, Jason Wood, Jonathan Wood and Griffin Weiler.

Team member Elliot Gaunt

In the months to come, we will tell you more about the team – and the individual riders, and also keep you up to date on how they do in races.
The team is sponsored by roll: bike shops and Funtrail.
“Some of the guys on the team are good enough that if they have a successful season or two, they could move up to professional ranks,” Alex said. “And some of the guys are like me and have real jobs, but love racing and want to continue to compete at the highest amateur level.”

Team Pelotonia's Anthony Rienzi