I did this!

Alex and I with our winnings!

Great party Friday night! We rocked World Bicycle Relief and killed it in donations! Also I would like to thank all my co-workers in a job well done this Sunday while supporting IronMan Boulder and the whole Boulder series! It was lot's of fun and a wicked long hard day for all of us!

Now......

I get shoved in my face a lot about how I have never worked on a pros or world champs bicycle before or that I don't know how it is to work out in the field and not have what you need all the time. Like we do here in the shops. 

First off, maybe you don't know me or what I have done in my life. I have done some really cool things with very little to work with out in "the field". Or at home. Or on the side of the trail. Or in bed for that matter. Don't judge me nucka.

And second, what this post is mainly about, why do we give so much emphasis on "Pros" bicycles and making them happy? In my eyes a bike is a bike and everyone should be treated the same in regards to the quality of work we put into it. 

These amateurs or rec riders have needs just like the pro's, only they have to pay for the work that they get done. They have to use their hard earned money to have all these things to race or get to work or what have you. Pro's get it handed to them and get cut in line a lot to have them finished so they can get back on the to train.

I'm not knocking on professional riders at all. They are great people just like the rest of us, but don't rub it in my face and talk down to me just cause you've worked on Cadels bike. Just a bicycle. I've put together a TM01 with Di2 before. No different. 

No matter who you are or what you do, I think you should have the same type of service and treatment, in regards to quality of work, we do to your bike. If you pay for it, you should get. Right?

Black and Yellow

So yesterday morning I got to go out to the Mavic Service Coarse, located somewhere in Colorado, to see the place and talk about possible volunteering opportunities. It was everything I thought it would be and a little less obvious than I would expect.

I met with Mark N. in front of the shop before work at like 8.30 in the morning and proceeded to bombard him with questions about his job and Mavic and how I can become apart of something so big, or small.....

How did I get this opportunity and invite to this place you ask? Right place at the right time. The shop I am working at was throwing a Mavic demo party show casing the companies new aero wheel, or first aero wheel, the CRX 80 and I happened to be there. Drunk.

With a beer in each hand, both mine, I stumbled towards a tall man wearing black and yellow and started my begging to see the big yellow van parked outside. This man was Mark and even after just getting off the road, literally drove straight here in the Sprinter,  he was eager to show me the inside.

Wheels! And Tools! I was blown away! I instantly started imagining myself working out of this thing, helping cyclists and next thing you know words are coming out of my mouth about how would one go about being apart of all of this and helping out. For some crazy reason he invited me out to the shop to talk about volunteering and supporting.

Bamm!!

We chatted and he loaded my backpack up with swag and showed me his shop and told me his story with Mavic. He even let me go through his tool boxes, open cabinets, look in boxes and touch and hold every wheel hanging. Wow!

I'll get into more detail about Mark and the shop later but will leave you with a few photos.

Pedros

Crashed at last years Tour of Colorado

The tallest stand given to him by Calvin Jones