Still in the process of getting back home, but wanted to say that the week spent with Carmichael Training Systems at the Tour of California was amazing! I had three great mechanics working for me, and we knocked it out of the park!

A special thanks goes out to Mike Hetrick (http://www.mrgoodbike.com, Gainesville, FL, @mikehetrick1), Steve Donovan (Turin Bicycles, Denver, @bikemechsteve), and Doug Chambers (Golden Belt Bicycle, Great Bend, Kansas). They made my job easy and have all become good friends, who I would LOVE to work with again.

The best compliment I got over the week was “I’ve been to several CTS camps, and you guys are, BY FAR, the best mechanic crew I’ve seen.” Makes you feel really good about your team and that, at least to that client, our mission was accomplished.

I’m going to do more detailed stage re-caps in the next few days, but I’ve got some catching up to do, and I’ve got another gig with Team Exergy next weekend on Memorial Day at USPRO Championships in Greenville, SC.

A few weeks back, I went to the Park Tool Tech Summit, here in Atlanta.  Several major manufacturers were in attendance, offering tech clinics to mechanics, to educate them on their products and show them all the new goodies for 2012.  Some of those manufacturers included: Park Tool, Cane Creek, FSA, Shimano, Mavic, Campagnolo, SRAM, and Fox Racing Shox.

Of the manufacturers in attendance, one of the most informative and most hands-on, was the clinic by Fox Racing Shox.  Mechanics had the opportunity to disassemble a TALAS fork, learn to service the fork, and re-assemble it.  All that information was great, but it wasn’t the MOST important information that was passed down to us.  The most important thing we were taught was toINFORM OUR CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE MANUFACTURER’S SERVICE INTERVALS FOR THEIR PRODUCTS.

With Fox Racing Shox introducing their Evolution series of forks, and more manufacturers switching back to Fox for their 2012 bike spec, it becomes extremely important that the user services their fork properly.  The schedule listed below is Fox’s service intervals for their air sprung forks.  Pay special attention to the RED column, for service that is required after EACH RIDE/RACE:

Air Spring Forks (All 32, 36: F-SERIES, FLOAT & TALAS)

Another great bit of knowledge is the Fox Upgrade Area on their website.  If you visit http://www.foxracingshox.com/upgrades.php?m=bike&ref=topnav, and type in the model and year of your fork, a list of possible upgrade parts and their part numbers are listed for you.  For example, if you’ve got a Float 80 fork from 2009, and your new wheels require a 15mm through-axle, you would find two 15QR lowers, black or white options, for you to choose from.  They also have a FIT cartridge upgrade for that fork, as well. For that particular fork, the page would look something like this:

These are very important things to know.  If you properly maintain your fork/shock according to Fox’s service intervals, your fork will last much longer than if you neglect it.  With the upgrade list, you can take your Fox fork and use it on a new bike with new technology, and not necessarily have to replace the entire fork.  For more information on Fox Racing Shox, their products, service intervals, or upgrades, contact me or visit http://www.foxracingshox.com

I’ve taken a long hiatus from blogging, due to school, church, and other commitments.  Yes, they’re excuses, but I had to prioritize and get all my ducks in a row.  I’m going to try to type a little more coming very soon.  Thanks for being patient with my typing.

-Josh

p.s. –  I’ve got a 4.0 average since I started back to school.  So there.

Just a test post… don’t get too excited.

Lots of folks from my church, Revolution Church (Canton, GA), are putting the word out to help these kids get some of the essentials during this Holiday season.  They need clothes, food, and basics for living during this time.  They have, literally, nothing to give thanks for this Thanksgiving.  Help me change that.  The kids need the following:

Dionna/17, med shirt, 9 girls juniors pants, 7/8 women’s under garments, 9 womens shoes

Josiah/14, med shirt, 18 pants, 7 men’s shoes, socks/boxers (small), socks

Trey/12, shirts small mens, pants 16/18, shoes 6 1/2, boxers/socks

Derrick/15, mens x-large shirt, size 36 pants, mens large boxers,socks, size 12 shoe.

I don’t have a lot to give them, personally, but I’m going to make a sacrifice somewhere in order to do so.  If you read this, I’d like to ask that you chip in a little bit, as well.  If you’d like to make a gift card donation, please send it to:

Revolution Church, 155 P.Rickman Industrial, Canton, GA, 30115

If you’d like to donate via PayPal, you can send it to my PayPal address.  I’ll get the donation where it needs to go.  The Paypal address is:

probikewrench@gmail.com

If you have any further questions regarding donations or would like to help out more, please let me know by contacting me at probikewrench@gmail.com. Thank you for making a difference to kids who need a little bit of hope right now.

If you’re reading this blog post, please forward it on to anyone you think might be able to help.  Thank you for your help.

I’m in the process of moving to a new house in the same town. We’re going to be saving a good bit more money by making that move, which will put us in a much better position for future endeavors, cycling and otherwise.

Another big thing in my life that’s kind of crept back into the picture is COLLEGE. I never finished a degree back when I was first enrolled. Some of my focus during the first go-round was taken away by short periods of active duty training with the Marines. It split up my school years and I never really could get back in the right rhythm to complete my degree. Starting in January, I’ll be trying to tackle online courses with Liberty University Online, majoring in Religion, another passion of mine.

I may still continue to be a part of the VeloReviews Podcast… I’ll just have to see how much time I have once the schoolwork comes, and see if I can balance it. My PROBIKEWRENCH branded coffee (which people CONSTANTLY ask about) will probably be on the back burner for a while, too.

Bottom line is, for a while, posting will be sporadic. I’ll post as I see fit, but don’t hold your breath for any new material. I’ve got a lot of other things that now take precedence over blogging and the PROBIKEWRENCH brand (that I’ve been working on for the last 5 years). I’ll still be around… just not nearly as frequently.

Thanks for reading and understanding.

Looking at the start sheet, I noticed there were NO BMC RIDERS RACING THE TIME TRIAL.  Stand by for a full frontal assault by BMC in support of Greenville local, George Hincapie, at the Road Race on Sunday.

I think I’ve got a ride in a team car figured out for tomorrow, so stay tuned for updates on Twitter at @VeloReviewsTech and @probikewrench.

Order       Start         Last Name                First Name                     Team

1                  11:30          JONES                         Carter                      Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

2                  11:33          KING                           Benjamin               Trek Livestrong U23

3                  11:36          WILLIAMS               David                       Bissell Pro Cycling Team

4                  11:39          FREY                          Nicholas                 Jamis-Sutter Home

5                  11:42          STETINA                   Peter                       Garmin-Transitions

6                  11:45          MACH                         Paul                         Bissell Pro Cycling Team

7                  11:48         POWERS                     Jeremy                   Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

8                  11:51          TIETZEL                    Scott                        Mountain Khakis/Jittery Joes

9                  11:54          HEGYVARY            Adrian                     UnitedHealthCare p/b Maxxis

10                11:57         BUSCHE                    Matthew                  Team RadioShack

11                12:00         MUMFORD              Jonathan                Kelly Benefit Strategies

12                12:03         VANULDEN            Bernard                  Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

13                12:06         ZWIZANSKI            Scott                        Kelly Benefit Strategies

14                12:09         PHINNEY                 Taylor                     Trek Livestrong U23

15                12:12         LEIPHEIMER           Levi                         Team RadioShack

The 2010 Greenville Hospital System USPRO National Championship weekend kicked off today with a press conference, featuring past champions, ProTour riders, and Elite level up-and-comers, all with an eye on the Stars and Stripes jersey after the racing concludes.

Representatives from the City of Greenville, The Greenville Hospital System and Medalist Sports began the conference with a series of comments that reinforced how great the partnership with the USA Cycling Professional Cycling Championships is, and how well the City’s emphasis on health and wellness aligns perfectly with the atmosphere and environment that the race weekend has encompassed for the past four years.

The profile athlete introductions and question and answer period started with Oz Sanchez, current World Handcycling Road Race and Time Trial Champion. Speaking on behalf of the US Handcycling Association, Sanchez expressed the excitement of combining the USPRO National Cycling Events with the National Handcycling Criterium Championships, saying that the collaboration takes handcycling to a whole new level.

Road cyclists that attended the press conference included Scott Stewart (Team Type 1), Ted King (Cervelo Test Team), 2010 Tour of Utah and 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Champion Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), 3-Time USPRO Champion and Greenville resident George Hincapie (BMC), and one of the brightest up-and-comers on the professional racing scene, Taylor Phinney (Trek Livestrong U23), racing in his first Elite Road National Championship events.

The USPRO Time Trial Championships, being held Saturday at Clemson University’s ICAR (International Center for Automotive Research) Facility, is usually very lightly contested due to the road race’s precedence the following day. It is also affected this year by the participation of some high-profile US ProTour riders in the Vuelta A Espana (Tour of Spain), finishing this weekend. Reigning USPRO Champion, Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions) will not be defending his three consecutive titles because of his inclusion in the Vuelta.

Two of the riders being favored for the victory at the Time Trial were Phinney and Leipheimer. The two joked about the “young dude vs. the old guy” comparison and Leipheimer was ribbed about not wearing a proper skinsuit in the Tour of Utah Time Trial (which Phinney won), but both were very humble, and being the consummate professionals that they are, stated that “anyone could win.”

Of the riders attending the press conference, Hincapie was, without question, the rider that any smart cycling fan would put their money on for the race on Sunday. “Big George” said that the Paris Mountain climb was “his climb,” and that he rides it daily while training on the roads of Greenville County.

This year, unlike years past, Hincapie has a big team to support his quest for a fourth USPRO title. The most team help that Hincapie has had in the past has been one or two team riders and maybe a ProTour alliance with some other lone riders. Having won the race in Greenville on two previous occasions with the cards stacked against him, it’s safe to say that the odds are in George’s favor, and the sparks will definitely fly this weekend in Greenville.

Here’s the link to the recorded footage of the LIVE broadcast from the USPRO Kickoff Press Conference this afternoon:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9635207

*Cross-posted at http://www.veloreviews.com