Family – PROBIKEWRENCH

Happy Holidays and Such…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends, family, and colleagues. I’m thinking of all of you this holiday season, and I wish you all the best for 2014.

The race mechanic requests for 2014 are rolling in. I’ve already had to turn down a few upcoming opportunities due to scheduling conflicts. I hate turning the jobs down, but it’s a double-edged sword. It’s really fun to travel, to see new places, and to work with new athletes on the road. The downside is being away from the family. I was on the road A LOT in 2013, and missed my wife and kids very badly. We’ve both been blessed with steady jobs, and are FINALLY falling into some sort of rhythm in this crazy life. As much as I enjoy managing all the moving parts and hitting the road, my flexibility to do so isn’t going to be there in 2014. I haven’t said “NO” to everything yet. I’m still trying to shift some things around to try and sneak in a bit of race work next year. Maybe get a little fix during the upcoming season…

I am hopefully going to do some more local races next year. I changed race team affiliations, and will be racing with Team Energy Velo for 2014. It’s a team that my shop sponsors, and it’s headed up by two very good friends and customers of mine. They’re looking after me very well, and I hope to represent them to the best of my ability at the races I’ll be able to attend. I’m trying to get a few solid results early in the season, in order to get my upgrade to Category 3 this Spring. I’ve been a Cat. 4 for as long as I can remember, and the tail end of the season I actually had some decent results. Hoping to upgrade sooner, rather than later.

Gotta get some of my fitness back. I hyper-extended my left knee the day before the Hincapie Gran Fondo, and decided to ride the entire 80 mile ride with a little soreness in the knee. That turned out to be a horrible idea. I severely strained my patellar tendon, and was off the bike for over a month. There were times I could barely walk, and most nights I spent with my leg elevated and icing. With some amazing help from one of my friends, Jeff, a physical therapist, I was able to rehab and strengthen the knee back to normal. My fitness took a serious dive, however. I’ve been able to ride during the past three weeks, but it’s still winter, and I’m being a bit of a wuss about it. I’ve signed up for the Strava/Rapha Festive 500k challenge, which entails riding 500k between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I don’t see any way to finish it, short of burying myself on NYE, but I’m doing as many miles as I can until then to see if I can regain some of that lost form. Definitely got some pounds to shed and some muscle to regain in that leg…

Oh… I need some help. I want to plan some sort of bike adventure for 2014. I need some ideas. Leave me a comment here if you have any thoughts for what kind of bike mischief I might get into.

Good talk. See you out there.

Per the Usual…

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.

Building a Friendship

Several years ago, I was road cycling regularly, participating at and leading most of our shop’s group rides, doing some solo training, and doing some other casual rides with friends. I stayed fairly fit, but at this point in time, I was pretty close to my mid-season prime, and had some legs about me. I started seeing an older gentleman show up for our group rides on occasion. I had seen him before, riding on his own, but he started tagging along on our Wednesday night “hammerfest.”

I gave him the obligatory once-over, the look that all roadies give to new members of their cycling group, not to belittle or offend, but to size up our new riding companion and his equipment. He was kitted out in Italian-made cycling garb, and his steed was a custom titanium and carbon Seven, with a full Campagnolo Record 10 gruppo. Upon this first glance, I could tell that he and I shared the same appreciation for very nice things. He straddled the bike, one foot clipped in, and was ready to ride… and was grinning from ear to ear. Interesting.

budsbike

We didn’t make verbal pleasantries at first, we just introduced ourselves by exchanging pedal strokes and paceline duties. This interesting character, who was obviously a few decades older than I, was able to suffer with the best of us. Upon returning to the parking lot to complete the ride, I gave the obligatory, “Good ride,” and continued home. The entire way home, I wondered, “Who was that guy?”, like I was trying to find out the identity of the Lone Ranger, or another masked superhero from a black-and-white television series. I didn’t anticipate someone his age having the ability to ride that hard and hang with us twenty-somethings. I was impressed… and respected that greatly.

Over the course of a few years, the guy kept coming back to our rides. He always rode at a very-high level, and we forged a friendship. His style never changed, and his smile never went away. He began coming into the shop more often, and I had the privilege of working on his Seven. I glued his tubulars, installed his Campy Super Record 11-speed gruppo, and did other maintenance on the bike, from time to time. One day, he brought a lady-friend into the shop, to help her purchase some cycling gear. He introduced us, but he didn’t tell me she was his new flame… he didn’t have to. He had a glow about him that I hadn’t seen before, and it was obvious that he was really into this lady. We outfitted her with cycling shoes, clipless pedals, and some proper cycling attire… keeping it perfectly fashionable, of course.

A while after that, I received word that my friend had been hit by a car, knocked off the bike, and had broken his hip. He was hurt pretty bad, but I knew he’d make a comeback. It was a long recovery, but he was a resilient old bugger, and I was sure he’d ride again. I didn’t see much of him for a while, after all… if he wasn’t riding his bike, he didn’t really need any maintenance or anything that I could provide at the shop. Just recently, he stopped by the new shop I work at, and we exchanged pleasantries. I knew he had visited that shop in the past, so I wasn’t shocked to see him, but I was happy that he found me. He greeted me with that same big smile on his face, same gentle attitude, and he seemed extremely happy that we had the chance to talk, even for just a few minutes. I was glad that I would be able to work on his bikes again, and to be able to ride with him again soon.

Little did I know, that was the last time I would speak with him. Bud Phillips, my friend, was hit by a truck while riding his bike in our town. He was air-lifted to a local hospital, and is currently on life support, with little to no brain activity, and has been that way since Saturday. Barring a miracle, Bud will pass away soon after the machines are unplugged from his body, which will be any day now. Since Saturday, I’ve been waiting for word of my friend’s impending passing. Needless to say, it’s been a rough week.

Just last week, I wrote about the death of champion mountain biker Burry Stander (“Death and Fear in Cycling”), and how much of a tragedy it was, not knowing that the same tragic situation would darken the roads of our town, just a few days later. Cyclist versus vehicle incidents seem to be increasing at a staggering rate. I don’t know the exact situation surrounding Bud’s incident, so I can’t blame anyone for the accident. I will say that motorists today are more distracted, less patient, and seemingly less sympathetic to individuals who choose to exercise their right to take a more healthy, two-wheeled approach to travel. Bud is not the first friend of mine that has been on the wrong side of this equation, and I can say, without a doubt, that he probably won’t be the last.

But it needs to stop. I’m tired of losing friends.

Death and Fear in Cycling

Today, the cycling community lost a very dear friend, South African XC mountain biker, Burry Stander. He was tragically killed by a taxi while training in his hometown. The entire MTB racing family, and most friends that follow competitive cycling, are mourning greatly.

Burry was riding his bike, just like you or I ride our bikes every day. If we take to the roads, we are putting ourselves in danger. Cyclists cannot predict what auto drivers are going to do while driving. We can take all the precautions possible, but we are still no match for a 2,000 pound vehicle heading our way. Mountain biking carries its own inherent dangers, even if we choose not to ride insane stunts like riders in our favorite MTB videos. Rocks, roots, trees, and even crazed animals are all hazards that could be encountered on a trip in the woods.

Should we stop cycling, all together? Should we take all risk out of our lives to ensure that we survive our day-to-day lives? Absolutely not, I say. Regardless of how we try to shelter ourselves from potential threats to our livelihood, ceasing our activities and living under an umbrella of fear is no way to live life.

“A life lived in fear is a life half-lived.” — Spanish proverb, in Baz Luhrmann’s movie Strictly Ballroom

Remember Burry Stander’s family and friends in your prayers, as well as those family and friends of other cyclists that have been killed while cycling. Take time to mourn, but do not allow sadness and fear to encompass your life. Do not live in fear, but in action. Join a cycling advocacy group, and do your best to encourage positive and progressive cycling legislation in your local cycling community. Obey the rules of the road. Wear your helmet. Teach a beginner road cyclist how to properly ride in traffic. Lead a group ride. Go live.

My friend, VeloNews journalist Dan Wuori, echoed the sentiments of many cycling fans tonight in a Tweet:

“@dwuori: A Cyclist’s Prayer: Watch over those who ride and bring comfort to all who mourn. #RIPBurry”

Stupidity

I’ve grown up a lot over the last few years. In the past five of them, I’ve gotten married, had two kids, moved to four different houses, and much, much more. I like to think that I’ve matured a little over that time, but on a weekly basis, I seem to keep proving myself wrong.

Last week, I had an instance of sheer stupidity on a group ride, resulting in my butt coming in contact with the pavement in quick fashion. I decided it was a smart idea to reach my hand back and give another rider a handsling to catch another rider he was chasing up the road. After my incredible display of handsling technique, the rider I threw forward pulled hard to the right and took out my front wheel, sending me crashing to the ground. Not a lot of road rash or damage to the bike… just a little bit of a sore butt and sore pride.

Today (because I seem to be good for about one stupid act a week), I was playing with the kids on the new Slip N’ Slide and decided to take a graceful leap down the slippery sheet of plastic… and somehow jacked up my birdie finger on my left hand. The pain was instant, and has still not gone away after four hours. Whether it’s broken or dislocated, I don’t know. What I DO know is that I can take the upper portion of the finger and bend it laterally, which I’ve never been able to do before…