The Men behind the Man

In one’s everlasting quest for cycling, running, and swimming (if there is such a thing) nirvana, one must consider the many aspects of these independent worlds. I race bikes and I run and I try to keep from drowning myself in the pool. I also like to think that when all of these components coalesce into one entity; ie Triathlon…well I do them at a relatively high level. Not an Eddy Merckx high level, not yet ha; hence the “relatively high”. At this very moment perhaps more of a Chris Horner level. To attain a high level many things must fall into place. Let’s face it; triathlon is an industry of products. I don’t care how many watts you push, you are not going to win against the big boys on a Vintage 1985 Huffy ten speed and a Dave Mirra BMX helmet. Unless we are talking about the Team 7-11 Huffy, but everyone in the know knows these rigs were actually a “re-badged” Serotta. Built up in Saratoga, NY by the big man himself; Ben Serotta. Bottom line is: “You got’s to have sponsors boy!”. First off I need to thank my new team USProTri, and proprietor Ryan Bates. Thanks for bringing me on board this season. Ryan has totally mainlined us to some of the best gear out there. I love the Jamis TT rig and the Xenith SL; holy smokes, for those of you who can’t afford a BMW M3, start training and hop on a Xenith SL, it’s the next best thing. I can’t wait to race for the boys this season. http://www.usprotri.com/ Next I would like to roll out the thank you train for Paul and Mark at Precision Bicycles in West Winfield, NY. The shop is a magic portal to cycling goodness. A real live old school bikeshop; the best aspect is, they don’t sell Trek! (I mean no disrespect to my buddies here in town who are a Trek dealer). Paul is wonderful mix of bike guru and motorhead mayhem. A gravel voiced former mechanic and machinist by trade now he immerses himself understanding the world of cycling, this bodes extremely for everyone who visit’s the Precision. Paul has been instrumental in getting the fledgling Hartwick Cycling/Tri team up and running, If we need it Precision seems to have it. Carbon up the wazoo or killer nos vintage ritchey parts for that “steel is real” roadie. The shop possesses everything a first-rate bike shop needs from 8 different road cassette options hanging on the wall to at least 30 various length stems, 20 headsets 1” included, to demo saddles; the shop even has a set of Vittoria Tubby’s hanging on the wall. That my friends…is gospel. http://precision-bicycle.com/ Also, I must give super props to Marty and Dean at Fitwerx2. Recently I schlepped my new Jamis TT from Oneonta, NY to Peabody, MA for a bike fit. For those of you who don’t know Dean Phillips; besides biggest sandbagger out there (he TT’s at 50kph even when he is “not fit”), he is a Fort Knox wealth of knowledge. Although we worked for a minimum of 2 hours to get the most out of my 145lbs 6’ frame, within ten minutes he had me 100% more comfortable and significantly more slippery through the air then I have ever been on a bike. Often during my fitting I was left wondering, “…am I special or is he this meticulous and brilliant with everyone”? Unfortunately I’m not special (well…maybe to my wife and mom) Dean is one of those gifted people who is very excellent at what he does. Take Forest Whittaker’s character in Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog; the Way of the Samurai for example. Methodical and meticulous. He is also the foremost authority on how to race properly while maintaining a healthy relationship with your wife and three boys. Like I said “he’s the man”! http://www.fitwerx.com/ I can’t exclude my man Chris Tomaselli. That’s code for crazy guy whose too young to have his shock of white hair, who goes really fast on ski’s, not so fast uphill on bikes, makes a killer spaghetti sauce, and has almost as twisted sense of humor as myself. I love him. One more…for now. This one goes out to Janda Ricci Munn, the 2nd biggest sandbagger I know. He also happens to be the guy with the less than desirer able jobs of coaching my skinny ass. Janda’s knowledge of the sport of cycling and triathlon is vast. As most of you know; I am a coach myself therefore it is imperative that I be difficult to coach. Janda has certainly been there. Check out www.jandariccimunn.com/. Over and out… Cheers, Tread