Welcome to my home page. I'm a 49 year-old ultra cyclist originally from England, now residing near Chicago, Illinois. I work at Northern Illinois University where I am the Department Chair for Kinesiology and Physical Education. I like to believe that through my cycling I practice what I preach: the value of being physically active.

Cycling has been my primary form of transportation since the late 1980s when as an impoverished graduate student, I could not afford to repair my motorcycle and had to use my bike to get to school. This was enjoyable largely because I was living in southern California.

Over the years my riding has progressed from commuting to work to competing in ultra events, starting with the Death Valley Double as a way of proving that at 40 I wasn't really getting any older! On moving to the mid-west in the summer of 2002, I discovered the wider world of ultra cycling and started riding in more double centuries, 12-hour and 24-hour races.

This summer I will be competing in the Race Across the West. It will hopefully be a stepping stone to competing in the Race Across America in the summer of 2009. I am also asking people to sponsor me by the mile or time station completed to support Lazarus House in St. Charles, Illinois and the Northern Illinois University February 14th Student Scholarship Fund. If you would like to do so please contact me via email at Paul Carpenter. You may also contribute directly to the organization through their web sites.