User:Fknochenhauer

Life
Frederick (Fritz) Joseph Knochenhauer (Sept. 26, 1960 San Mateo, CA - present) is the sixth oldest of eight children raised by James D. (1927-2000) and Martha Knox Knochenhauer (1927-). He is the father of two adolescent sons, Kyle and Andrew (Drew).

His immediate family consists of one older sister, four older brothers and two younger, twin sisters. All were raised in San Mateo as they initially settled in the Parkside neighborhood in 1957, then relocated to the Hillsdale neighborhood in 1963. Each attended nearby Abbott Middle and Hillsdale High Schools. Their father was a well-established amateur radio operator (HAM) who operated under the call sign, K6ITL. Their mother is a water colorist and well-known master swimmer, having swum for the San Mateo Master Marlins since in mid-70's.

Mr. Knochenhauer's paternal grandparents, Karl and Dorothy Knochenhauer, were prominent downtown San Mateo business owners of Knochenhauer Stationers, originally opened in 1947 on "B" Street and later relocated to 3rd Avenue. The store was the largest stationery store in the San Mateo area and successfully served the needs of businesses and the public with a variety of high quality office equipment, furniture, greeting cards and stationery supplies.

Awards
As a high school student, Fritz was an accomplished swimmer and water poloist. He won a variety of swimming league championships and earned All-League first team honors each year in water polo. He also earned All-League Honorable Mention in soccer his senior year. He graduated with his class in the spring of 1978 and continued his education at the College of San Mateo and San Jose State. He majored in journalism with an emphasis in advertising, marketing and psychology. During his college years, Fritz became involved in bicycling and eventually raced for the Peninsula Velo Club which was then sponsored by Talbot's Cyclery and Cycle-Pro, a components manufacturer.

Bicycling Career
During his amateur cycling career (1978-1987), Fritz raced throughout Northern California, Oregon and Canada against riders such as Greg LeMond who later won three Tours de France, Olympian Eric Heiden, future gold medalist Alexi Grewal and other nationally known cyclists. He was an esteemed climber and time trialist, qualifying twice for the National Cycling Championship in 1980 and 1981. He placed 27th in 1980 and was the silver medalist in Northern California in 1981, with a 25 mile Individual Time Trial of 54:23, behind event winner Kent Bostick, who finished in 52:52.