Cycling notables and TFS alum Chris and Tina Pic are traveling cross country to support a school fundraiser.
You can indeed go home again, especially when it’s for a chance to combine two of your favorite things. Tallulah Falls School alum Chris Pic, Class of 1988, is set to lead the upcoming Twin Rivers Challenge cycling event to benefit student scholarships at his alma mater. Accompanying Pic will be his wife, Tina Pic, a professional cyclist.
Tina Pic is currently racing with the Happy Tooth Dental Pro Cycling team. She started team cycling in Athens in the mid-1990s, winning the Collegiate National Road Race title in 1995. She is a six-time American national criterium champion, five-time National Road Circuit champion, two-time Pan-American road race Champion and six-time World Championship team member.
Chris Pic is a former professional rider now working in the speciality sporting goods industry. The athletic pair are based in Utah but have family and friends in the area.
“After spending seven years from middle school through high school at TFS, where the staff really prepared me for university and in some cases, life, it is a great honor to be able to come back home to participate in a really cool event in such a great area of the United States,” Chris Pic said. “It means a lot to me.”
Several long-time TFS faculty/staff members have great memories about Chris Pic’s time at TFS. TFS teaching and coaching duo Allen and Cyndy Campbell remain close to their former student.
“I have many sweet memories of Chris Pic,” Cyndy Campbell said. “My memories start when he was 12 years old and continue with each year. I am so proud of the man he is today and all that he has accomplished.” She recalls running with Chris down Tugaloo Road and was present for his first 5K road race in Gainesville when he was a middle school student. “I kept trying to wake him up on the bus ride but that never worked out. I am convinced he ran the first mile in his sleep,” she said. She watched him race in numerous cycling events in South Carolina and Georgia after leaving TFS. “I remember how proud I was of him during those days,” she said. “My excitement and pride was as though he was my very own son. No matter how busy and crazy things were after each race, he always made time for us.”
Through the years, the educators have spent time with Chris and his wife, including time spent celebrating special occasions in downtown Athens before the Twilight Criterium. She recalls discussing conversations about relationships before he married Tina.
“I remember conversations about him finding the right girl that had the same interests, goals, hobbies, etc.,” she said. “I told him the perfect girl will come along at the perfect time…” She and Allen attended the Pic’s wedding at Athens Botanical Gardens.
“Indeed, he did find the perfect girl when he met Tina Mayolo Pic,” she said. “I am blessed to have both Chris and Tina in my life. They will always have a special place in my heart!”
Dining Services Director Harriett Worrell is another long-time TFS staff member who remembers Chris Pic from his days as a boarding student.
“I see Chris as the only student that we gave permission to train by himself off campus – I remember one day seeing him on his bike in Clarkesville; I am sure he was maybe ninth grade,” Worrell said. “He would ride from our campus to Clarkesville and back to train for his races. He was very driven to succeed in his chosen area.”
The Twin Rivers Challenge is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 29. For more information or to register, visit active.com, tallulahfalls.org or find the event on Facebook.
