As I mentioned before, Team Kenda Pro Cycling presented by GearGrinder will be in Woodstock on the 28th for their VO2 Max Testing at Lifetime Fitness on Hwy 92. I started doing some digging around the interweb and spoke with a couple pals of mine involved with the team to see what the deal was.
As I was being inquisitive, I was approached (via Twitter) by the team’s manager, Chad Thompson, about coming to camp and building some of the team bikes for a few days in Macon. Looks like that’s the plan… I’ll be down there on February 24/25 to help build some of the 70 bikes that the team will utilize throughout the year. Getting my hands dirty building some pro level bikes.
It’s good to get “back in the trenches.” Back in 2003/2004, I started planning my career around getting involved with working with profesisonal cycling races and teams. After seeing the Mavic SSC Neutral Support Crew at the 2002 Junior/Espoir National Championships in my hometown, I instantly knew that I should chase after that kind of career. I started setting myself up for it. I made connections in the industry, and in January 2005, I went to USA Cycling Mechanics’ Clinic to get my Race Mechanic’s License and jump onto the pro racing scene.
I ended up in bike shops again after a couple of small stints on the road, but did some other mechanic work on the road in 2007. I’m extremely happy where I’m at right now (Out Spokin’ Bicycles), but it’s still fun to mix it up a little bit by getting some hot new pro bikes built up. It especially helps when they’re Masi Bikes (official sponsor of PROBIKEWRENCH.COM)…
As a result of my work with Team Kenda Pro Cycling, Chad (Team Manager) worked out a deal for us at Out Spokin’ during the team’s training camp. Today, we confirmed that during the team’s VO2 Max Testing at Lifetime Fitness, Frankie Andreu (Former USPS/Motorola Team Racer, Versus Tour de France Commentator, and current Kenda Pro Cycling Team Director) would stop by Out Spokin’ for a meet & greet before the team’s afternoon Fan Ride.
It’s always cool to have a well-known cyclist stop by the shop for a personal appearance. Afterwards, we’re going to ride/drive back over to Lifetime and meet the rest of the team for the Fan Ride, which should take about two hours. There will be lunch in the cafe at Lifetime Fitness after the ride, followed by a question and answer session with Frankie, Chad, and the rest of Team Kenda.
If you want to get in on this and you’re local to Woodstock/Atlanta, come by Out Spokin’ around 11am on Sunday, February 28th for the festivities. For more information, check out our event page on our website at http://www.outspokinbikes.com.
PROBIKEWRENCH 