Ron Sarchian: News Clips
Ron set to break 5 more Guinness World Records in late July of 2017
Sunday, April 17th, 2017
Ron Sarchian is set to break 5 more Guinness World Records in late July of 2017. The current 5 time Guinness World Record Holder will attempt to break 5 More World Records in 2 days, July 29th & 30th. More to follow...
Ron to be included in the Martial Arts History Museum 2013 Honor Awards
Monday, April 15th, 2013
The Board of the Martial Arts History Museum has overwhelmingly selected Ron for inclusion into the prestigious MUSEUM HONOR AWARDS.
The MUSEUM HONOR AWARDS is a celebration of your martial arts excellence and achievements for the past year.
Another Successful 24-Hour New Years Spin
Sunday, January 16th, 2011
Thank You to everyone who participated in or donated to the 24 Hour New Years Spin 2011.
Ron
24-Hour New Years Spin A Great Success
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
Thank You to everyone who participated in or donated to the 24 Hour New Years Spin 2010. It was a big success and we raised nearly $5,000 for the Lance armstrong Foundation.
Ron
Ride With Ron on New Years Eve!
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Dear Family, friends, clients and supporters,
I hope that all of you had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving! I did, and am thankful to be fully recovered from shoulder surgery back in January due to a nasty crash on my road bike.
Now I’m ready to do something challenging again. Thus, as promised back in September, I am proud to introduce my personal holiday celebration: The 1st Annual 24-Hour New Years Spin to benefit The Lance Armstrong Foundation.
I will begin riding at noon on Thursday, 12/31/09 and will continue through New Years until noon on Friday, 1/1/10. This ride take place at Premier Private Fitness, 16654 Ventura Boulevard in Encino, CA. It will be a challenge and a New Years celebration, complete with water, champagne and beer along with some light snacks.
I will have 4 other bikes alongside me (2 on each side) and am currently signing up people to ride with me for blocks of time throughout the entire 24 hour ride. You can also come and hang out if you don’t want to ride. Any and all company is welcome — especially during the early morning hours on New Years morning.
I can use your help in getting the word about my 24 hour spin out there to as many people as possible.
My goal is to raise $10,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Yes, it’s a challenge, so any and all donations are welcome and helpful! And if you have contacts with media people or organizations, that would help too. I really want to get the word out!
There’s more. I’m building a Wall of Hope to display at the event. This wall will feature photos and words about those who are struggling with cancer and those who have passed away due to cancer. Space on the Wall of Hope is open to anyone who would like to remember friends or loved ones during this ride, plus it is a huge source of motivation for me while I’m riding. I have lost many members of my family to cancer and they will all be represented on the wall, including my father who died at the age of 33 from testicular cancer.
How To Donate (You will receive a receipt from the LAF for all donations.)
A check made out to The Lance Armstrong Foundation or cash given to me in person along with a donation form. Donation forms are on the board at Premier Fitness or can be found at LAF.org.
Go to my site at LAF.org and make a donation on-line for Ron Sarchian’s 24-Hour spin. Credit and debit cards can be used.
Go to SarchianFitness.com and follow the Donate Now link.
Thanks so much for reading and considering this. All of you are what will make the event a success. I’m committed to making this an annual event because I think it’s a much better way to ring in the New Year than having a nasty old hangover!
Please come! Ride or donate or both!
Questions: please contact me at the number listed below. Thank you for supporting my insanity one more time….lol
Premier Private Fitness
16654 Ventura Blvd.
Encino
CA 91436
(818) 789-5553 office #
(Ventura & Petit with parking behind Jerry’s Deli.)
Ron
24-Hour Ride to Cure Cancer
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Hi everyone,
I’m happy to announce a new endurance event: I’ll be spinning for 24 straight hours from noon on New Year’s Eve to noon New Year’s Day.
Not only will this ride be yet another personal endurance challenge for me, but also – and more importantly – it will serve as a fundrasier for LIVESTRONG. My goal is to raise $10,000 to help the Lance Armstrong Foundation in their fight against cancer.
You can ride, too! So far, I will have 4 additional spin bikes available, so please consider taking on this challenge with me. You can find all the details on my website at 24-Hour Spin.
Stay tuned for even more information coming soon!
Ron
Cycling Self-Defense
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
I recently spent several hours in a criminal courtroom seeking restitution money that was owed to me as a result of an assault that occurred in January of 2009 in Woodland Hills, CA.
Given the circumstances, I was very fortunate that my bike suffered most of the damage, damage that included a broken pair of new Oakley sunglasses, a badly scraped helmet, a torn jacket and various scrapes to the saddle and frame of my Trek, Madone. I suffered a few minor scrapes but nothing that required medical attention.
The incident along with my background prompted a review of cycling self defense blogs and other articles on cycling self-defense. Finding little of value on the subject, I decided to share my own ideas and experiences for others to consider.
Briefly, I was riding with three cycling friends in Woodland Hills, CA on a beautiful Sunday morning. As we proceeded, I heard a horn honking behind me so I moved to my right. The motorist continued to lay on his horn as he passed and gave us a close brush.
Through the rear window I could see a middle finger flying high.
I noted the license plate number and hoped that he would disappear, but he didn’t. We proceeded forward and I saw that he had pulled off to the right and parked. As we approached, his driver’s side door suddenly opened and he sprang from his vehicle yelling expletives and waving his arms. He came right at me and I thrust my arm out to keep him away from me. The contact was minimal but enough to keep him off of me and most importantly I remained upright and on my bike, as we continued to ride.
Once again he passed us, drove ahead and parked. This time we were all on point realizing that we had a problem on our hands. As we approached his parked vehicle, he jumped out and opened up the driver’s side rear door. Reaching into the rear seat area he extracted what appeared to be a piece of black pipe. He seemed to be intent upon attacking me, so I swerved to my left to avoid him. He approached me, raised the weapon and I prepared to take at least one shot.
I braked and he closed in on me as I tried to plant a foot on the street but was unable to. I raised my arm to block a blow from what turned out to be a cane and took a partial shot to the left side of my ribcage.
At this point, I had come to a complete stop and had wrapped my arm around his arm and the cane in an effort to disarm him. We fell over and I tried my best to use him to cushion my fall. I wrestled the cane away from him and went in for the choke hold managing, within a few seconds, to secure my arm across his throat. I began to squeeze hard, locking in the choke hold with my other arm. I wrapped a leg around the front of his body and stretched him as I choked him, making it more difficult for him to breathe. For you MMA fans this is called a rear naked choke.
He begged me to release him and I told him to settle down or I would choke him unconscious. I believed that he deserved a serious beating for his actions. However, after thinking it through and listening to a few of the witnesses that now surrounded us, I decided to let him go. He rushed to his vehicle and drove off.
Of course, as soon as he left the police, who had been summoned, arrived. To my surprise, as we were giving our police reports, my assailant reappeared, running down the street screaming that we were all liars. He was quickly arrested, cuffed and hauled off to jail. We continued on after the drama had ended and enjoyed the rest of our ride. Me without my favorite pair of sunglasses.
Later, reviewing the incident in my mind, I realized I had been prepared, albeit unknowingly, by a previous experience of an equally serious nature.
Several years ago, I was on a date with a female friend of mine at Universal CityWalk, when I was accosted and, after a short struggle, stabbed by two assailants. I made some decisions that night that saved both of our lives and best of all, I learned from it. The stabbing incident actually prepared me for the attack by the this motorist because it reminded me to stay cool and assess the situation instead of acting purely on emotion and adrenaline. I might have seriously injured my attacker or even worse. I had the strength, the training and the motive. Fortunately, for both of us, I managed to remain calm and avert a disaster.
Here’s the bottom line. The best thing that anyone can do when faced with a dangerous situation is to try and avoid it. If a motorist is honking at you and harassing you, stop your bike, let him pass, then take a few breaths and a few minutes to cool off. Also, try to avoid areas of the city that pose potential hazards. Consider possible risks that you might encounter and seek to avoid them. On a bike, the best offense is always a good defense. You always win when you ride away unscathed.
A few ideas to always keep you safe:
1.) Always wear a helmet. Basically, to protect yourself from cracking your skull on the concrete in case of a fall, but also to ward off potential blows from an assailant. In most cases, if you are attacked and still clipped in, you will be going to the ground and probably pretty hard, just as I did. Lying in bed with a closed head injury or a fractured skull is no walk in the park to recover from. To those of you who claim that a helmet is uncomfortable, I say, “Which is more important, your transitory pleasure or your physical well being?” I once owned a t-shirt that read “No Helmet, No Brains” That pretty much sums it up.
2.) Try to avoid riding alone. There is power in numbers. An eye witness or, in my case, several eye witnesses, is priceless once the police arrive and especially in court.
3.) Wear cycling shoes with SPD clips and use SPD pedals. These shoes are used primarily by mountain bikers and are much like hiking shoes. They facilitate ease of movement off the bike should you need to move quickly. Conventional road cycling shoes do not.
4.) Know how to defend yourself. There are many schools of thought when it comes to self-defense, however, any type of stand-up fight training, be it boxing or kickboxing, will work. Wrestling or ground-fighting experience is also a big plus, since most fights end up on the ground. A killer instinct never hurts either. If you feel that your life is in danger you have the right to use deadly force to protect yourself. In such a situation, you have to be able to attack your assailant with reckless abandon and with complete disregard for your opponent’s well being. Kick ass in a big way and let the police sort it out later.
5.) Know the cycling laws and what you can do legally to protect yourself in certain situations. Knowledge and experience are king when determining a course of action, if you find yourself threatened. A situation can unravel very quickly. In this particular case, had I over-reacted and retaliated with excessive force, I might have inflicted serious injury or worse upon my attacker, inviting serious repercussions. Having a handle on your temper and being able to remain calm when the adrenaline is flowing is a plus. There is a big difference between non-lethal physical force and deadly physical force. It is very important to know the difference. Do your research…
6.) Always carry a fully charged cell. phone with imaging capability. Not only can a quick 911 call work wonders, images of license plate numbers or a recording of an actual event are of great value, especially in court.
Weapons, such as guns, knives, mace and pepper spray are not recommended. A poor decision with a weapon can lead to fatal results, especially not good if you end up being the fatality. The best weapon on your bike is YOU. If YOU know how to handle yourself properly and YOU are prepared to make smart decisions, YOU are the only weapon that YOU will ever need.
Please remember, the thoughts shared in this article are mine and are in no way designed to be the answer to any particular situation that you might encounter. However, I do hope that they help you to understand and realize what can happen when you are out riding. Take charge as a cyclist and prepare yourself by visualizing scenarios and situations ahead of time so that should something happen, you can make smart, split-second decisions that will not only protect you but allow you to get back on your bike and ride another day.
Stay safe and ride smart.
Ron
