Slide 1: Half of the original six, Doug Peterson, Greg Leibert, and Jeff Konsmo, putting the hurt on the peloton during a race at Irwindale Motor Speedway in 2003.
Slide 2: David Kramer breaking away from a peloton at a local criterium race.
HALL OF FAME
2022 Inductee
2018 Inductee
Doug Peterson
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2003 Founding Club Member
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2003-2009 Club Officer & Board Member
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2003-2009 Treasurer
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2003-2006 Raced for Big Orange
David Kramer
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2009 Founding Board Member
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2009-2015 Acting Board Member
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2009-2015 Acting Treasurer
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2002-2012 Raced for Big Orange
Doug Peterson (2021)
Doug Peterson was not only one of the “original 6” (members), “he was,” in the words of Greg Leibert, “literally the force behind almost everything that is now Big Orange. He was the Vice President, Treasurer, Race Director, Sponsor liaison, and generally the guy who got sh$t done!!! Heck, he was even going to be the first, and, at the time, ONLY sponsor!” Fun fact, an early name idea for the team, was “Doug and the Slugs.” That name never stuck…but for several years we had a Slug graphic on our kits, just for fun.
Without Doug’s presence in those early years our team would likely have withered away, and we are forever grateful for the dedication, energy, and leadership he gave to make us what we are today.
Doug on a training ride up Piuma in 2003.
Known for his strong opinions and forceful presence, Doug is no shrinking violet, and is well known throughout the SoCal cycling community. Prior to moving to California, he was a downhill skier in Colorado, and began racing bikes at an early age. He even has a few pictures of himself racing US Cycling legend Roy Knickman. Doug was a successful Cat 1 early in his cycling career and, as a Master's Racer, he down-graded so he could race with us.
Big Orange in those early days was known as South Bay Cycles. (Our main sponsor was a bike shop!) After a couple of years we decided our name shouldn't be tied to a single sponsor or we would constantly be changing it with each new sponsor. We needed a new team name and there is a story about how that name came to be. The story may or may not be true, but it’s typical of the types of tales that follow Doug.
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The original six members were sitting around a table, enjoying a well-earned beverage after a long training day, and discussing possible team names.
After joking around about names like “Doug and the Slugs,”“Southbay Robot Monkeys,” and “Team Starfish”, someone said, “How about Big Orange?”
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Another member said, “I hate the color orange.”
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Doug replied, “Great, we’ll call ourselves Big Orange.”
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In 2006, Doug teamed up with a few other locals and opened the Specialized concept store, Cynergy Cycles in Santa Monica. Doug ran the store as a manager and formed an Elite Master’s race team. The Big Orange team and club became Cynergy Cycles Race team, and the that team was one of the most successful in the nation. Big Orange traces its roots back through one of the iterations of that team and today remains one of the largest and best-known cycling clubs in the area.
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Flyer advertising the team in 2004. Insets: Early artwork from when the team considered calling itself “Doug and the Slugs.”
For these reasons and more, Big Orange is happy to include Doug Peterson in the Big Orange Hall of Fame.
David Kramer (2018)
David Kramer was critical in establishing the Big Orange vibe: welcoming to all, serious about racing, and dedicated to its members. He was always the adult in the room. The Board relied heavily on him in the beginning to establish Big Orange Cycling. It was his idea to rebirth the team as a 501(c)(3) and he did all the heavy lifting to make that happen. When there were rifts in the membership or on the Board, Dave was the calm voice of reason. Much of the club’s current infrastructure began with him.
Big Orange Cycling would not exist if not for the vision, leadership, and hard work of David Kramer.
Besides his key role in the formation of Big Orange, Dave is a force on his bike. He was a Cat 3 track racer and Cat 4 road racer, representing Big Orange in races throughout Southern California. He was an important part of the formation of the Sunday team rides by helping to institute structure and consistency. He is also one of those cyclists that will always wave to other cyclists and if he knows you, he will shout out your name.
David Kramer (center with plaque) is shown surrounded by members of Big Orange after receiving an award for ten years of service to Rancho Palos Verdes in traffic safety.
Dave has done much to promote cycling safety in the South Bay. He was a member of the Rancho Palos Verdes Traffic Safety Committee for ten years and worked tirelessly to promote safer roads for cyclists and motorists alike. He was also instrumental in efforts to make cyclist safety a key Big Orange issue.
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For these reasons and more, Big Orange is happy to select Dave Kramer as the inaugural member of the Big Orange Hall of Fame.