Welcome to Mike Shaw Racing

Race Resume

My name is Mike Shaw. I am a 35 years old. I live in the small village of Clarksburg, Ontario located on Georgian Bay.

My racing background has been primarily mountain bike racing and long distance solo-type events, including: Iron Man Canada Triathlon, numerous marathons, two 1st place finishes in 12 hour international solo mountain bike races, and a 5th place finish in a 24 hour solo mountain bike race.

My wife, Kylie Deacon, and I have sailed our 30ft. Choey Lee Bermuda 30 wooden sail boat from the Great Lakes to South America and back again on a shoe string budget. I now run my own small business Mike Shaw Carpentry.”

My thirst for adventure has steered me into desert racing, on a dirt bike.

In spite of the serious lack of desert terrain around my area I entered the longest off road race in the United States. The Best in the Desert series, a 552 mile Vegas to Reno race, last August 2011.

Entered in the Ironman Amateur Class, I was race #O60. With 16 entries only 5 finished. Unfortunately I was among the non-finishers but lasted longer than most. At the 320 mile mark and after 12 hours in the saddle, it was approaching dusk and I could no longer stay ahead of the faster Trophy trucks. I found myself in a tight canyon with not one but two trucks on my tail. Although they were courteous of the lone rider I needed to get out of their way. I took an opportunity through the rocks and deep sand to dodge to the left but clipped a boulder and crashed. Once the dust cleared I picked up my Honda XR 650 R, eager to continue, however, to my disappointment, I noticed that the fall had punched a hole in my radiator. After a frustrating 20 minutes, I realized that I could not fix the problem, my race was over and began my 3 hour trek back to the previous pit # 9 through the desert in the dark. Physically I felt great, but I had been put out by something so seemingly minor. Mentally that was tougher than the race itself.

Before the race, I had rebuilt the engine on my 2002 XR 650 R on my own. Splitting the case to replace the connecting rod and overhauling the entire bike. However, the bike was only the beginning of this adventure: my wife and I drove 4700km from Ontario to Nevada for the race, camping along the way. We also paid for the entire event ourselves. Bike prep, race entry, fuel, hotel and a truck rental for my “pit crew” consisting of my two best to chase me in from pit to pit.

This year my goal is undecided. The logical focus would be to go back and finish Vegas to Reno. However, my ultimate goal is to solo the full Baja 1000, point to point, from Ensenada to La Paz. The 1047 mile non-stop race covers the entire length of the Baja Peninsula. It is only run every few years and this year happens to be one. The standard shorter course is called the northern loop. I flew down alone to watch the 1000 in November of 2010 to see if I was truly interested. Needless to say, I am.

Regardless of my goals, cost is a concern. I cannot afford to take the time to race-train properly, prep the bike, pay entry, and deal with the logistics of getting my bike and crew to Vegas and/or Mexico.

For obviously reasons, not many Canadians undertake the infamous Baja 1000, especially solo. Personally, I think this only adds to the challenge.

In closing, if you find yourself at all inspired by this in anyway, and wish to help me fulfill my dream while representing Canada, either financially or with a bike related product that I will need, I would be very grateful and will proudly display your company logo on my bike, van or trailer.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Mike Shaw

abqpyj@r.postjobfree.com

2012 MikeShawRacing.com. All photos property of Mike Shaw & Kylie Deacon.