Along the way, he placed second among 8,000 riders in the July 13-14 Seattle-to-Portland Ride.

While it's not an official "race," the riders still keep track. Geser, 48, outpaced all but one of the 1,300 riders who chose to make the run in one day. He made the 200 mile trek in nine hours and nine minutes.

But Geser, a building contractor in Sisters, is already looking beyond that accomplishment.

"I'm getting ready for one in October that's a race of 500 miles in one stint," he said. "You finish one of these and as you progress with your achievements, you start to look for the next step on the ladder this is it."

This "next step" promises to be a grueling one. It's called the Furnace Creek 508 and it runs from Valencia, California to 29 Palms -- through Death Valley.

While the October time frame should make the weather tolerable, Geser and his 40 or so competitors must take on 35,000 feet of climbing in the rugged race.

Rich Hummell of Sisters Athletic Club is helping Geser train for the race, consulting him on pace and preparation. Geser trains on the roads in the Sisters country, except for the occasional out-of-area gig like the Seattle-to-Portland ride.

Geser has ridden on and off for years, but he really got serious with it while rehabilitating a knee he injured in an automobile accident.

Once his rehab work was done, he just kept going.