California – PROBIKEWRENCH

It’s been so long since I blogged, I can’t even remember what the subject of my last post was. I will say this… it has been one HECK of a year, and it ain’t over yet. Here’s a timeline, of sorts, since I last blogged:

I finished up my gig with Carmichael Training Systems at the Tour of California (Holy Cow… I haven’t blogged since May/June!). It was another great trip out west. We had a busy 10 days out there, and I got the opportunity to work with a lot of great coaches and staff, and a very talented group of cyclists. It’s always a pleasure to work with such a professional organization like CTS.
For Memorial Day weekend, I missed USPRO Championships in Chattanooga, TN, in order to head to the Princeton/Pennington, NJ area for a training camp for the team I was working Race Across America with. Team Melanoma Exposed consisted of 4 employees of Bristol-Myers Squibb, all of who were dedicated to raising money and awareness to combat melanoma. We had a great training weekend, and were definitely prepared for our trip across the USA in June. I also learned that not all of New Jersey is as terrible as portrayed on MTV. The Princeton area was beautiful, and had some amazing roads for cycling. I’d like to get back there with my own bike sometime.
While in California, I was asked to work at the Philly Cycling Classic with the Specialized-Lululemon Women’s Team. I was stoked to have the opportunity to work with them for that weekend. It was good to see my friend Carmen Small, again. She was one of the ladies on the Aaron’s team when I wrenched for them in 2007. She’s come a long way since then, including winning the USPRO Women’s TT Championship the previous weekend. The whole team was amazing, and after a very interesting race (including temporarily being pulled from the caravan for our vehicle being too tall), we pulled off the victory, with Evie Stevens taking the win. As a mechanic, it’s always good to get a win like that… it validates the work you do.
I flew home from Philly to Greenville, SC, to start my new job as Store Manager at BikeStreet USA. It was a bit of a weird transition, because I only got a week and a half to work at the store before heading back out west for RAAM. For two months, I stayed with my best friend, Josh, commuted by bike to and from work, and had to try and buy a house… all while the rest of my family was in Florida, vacationing with the in-laws. It was tough to be without them for so long.
Mid-June, I flew back out to California for RAAM. This was my first time working the event, so I didn’t know what to expect… and neither did the rest of the team. We were determined to make it work, however. After a couple of prep days, we started in Oceanside, CA, and around 8-9 days later, we arrived in Annapolis, MD… ocean to ocean. The team finished 3rd in the Men’s 4 Person Team division. It was a surreal experience, and I can’t even come close to describing it all right now. I will say that once you spend over a week working, sleeping, and enduring 16 people in an RV… there are definitely some bonds forged that cannot be broken. Take that however you like…
Since late June, I’ve been at the helm at BikeStreet USA in Greenville on Woodruff Road. I think we’ve got the best staff in the business, and I’m dedicated to making things work more smoothly and efficiently around the store. We’ve done well for the past few months, made some changes, and we’re constantly looking to improve the way we do things around the shop, to enhance the customer experience, and to make our shop the go-to shop in the Greenville area for… well, for bikes in general (No offense to my other buddies at other shops in Greenville… nothing but love for you guys!).

I may recap some of these events in greater detail later, but for now, I’ll try to start posting a little more regularly. We FINALLY got our internet set up at our new house, so I’ll have a bit of time in the evenings to catch up on things. I post fairly regularly on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, so if you just can’t wait for a new blog post, follow the links to those pages.

Thanks for the support. More good stuff coming soon.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been getting back in the swing of things. My traveling mechanic gigs are over for a while, and I’m finally settling back into the rhythm of the daily grind again. Family, church, work, and school, are all becoming the norm again. One thing I’ve been missing out on for the last year and a half, though, is my bike riding.

Since I started back to school last January, I’ve really neglected the time I’ve spent on my bike. I’m not saying that all that other stuff shouldn’t take a priority, but without an outlet like cycling, I’ve been frustrated, bitter, unhappy at times, and had just gotten out of shape. Something had to change.

After hanging out with performance athletes for two weeks at the Amgen Tour of California Experience with CTS and sitting in the Team Exergy car during the USPRO Championships, I kind of got the bug to get back out on the bike again. After Greenville, I kicked it into gear and… signed up for a race. Why would I do such a thing? To motivate myself to get in gear, get some miles in my legs, and actually give it a go.

I signed up for the State Road Race Championships on July 7th. It’s a course I’m familiar with, one I’ve raced before, and a course that suits me: rolling hills and power climbs. I’m not a skinny little climber… I’m a big dude that does good on flats and downhills. This course is okay for my strengths.

I’ve been putting in a lot of riding the last few weeks. I started writing courses to my Garmin Edge 500, and started uploading them to Strava, which is a very addictive training tool. It’s been fun so far. Last week, I put in close to 10 hours on the bike, which is unheard of for me over the last few years. I’ve been riding a lot, and I can feel myself getting stronger.

Meanwhile, I’m missing the 2012 SC Ride 4 Life, which started today in Seneca, SC. There’s around 60 cyclists and 25 support staff making their way across the state of South Carolina to raise money to help the Foothills Pregnancy Care Center. It’s a ride that I’ve ridden and supported over the years, and I wish those guys and gals the best of luck as they make their way to the coast. Right now, I’m going to go ahead and clear the schedule to do the ride next year… that’s a promise.

Got some other cool things in the works, which I’ll talk about later. Got a ride with a good friend early in the morning, so I’ve gotta get some rest. I don’t necessarily think that he’s gonna hammer me in the ground, but it is getting late, and I’ve been at it all day, so… goodnight.