I got the
chance to go on a ride in November, 1999, with US Postal Team rider Christian Vande
Velde and former Cofidis (now Crédit Agricole) pro Bobby Julich
near Reno, Nevada. 39 to 43 degree weather, but riding
with these guys you warmed up FAST! And yes, Christian
gives high marks to his OCLV TREK and noted that the bike he
rode was the same one he used in the Paris Roubaix and Tour de
France.
Steve Jacoubowsky, CFO of Chain
Reaction Bicycles, in the middle, announces the signing of
Christian Vande Velde (left, in the US Postal Jersey) and Bobby
Julich (right, Cofidis) to the new Chain Reaction Bicycles Pro
Road Team! [Just kidding...]
Christian Vande Velde signing
autographs prior to the start of the "Ride With The
Pros", an event put on by Sinclair Imports, one of our
favorite distributors. The event took place in Verdi Nevada,
just to the west of Reno, in the Sierra Nevadas.
Is this beautiful country or
what? Now I understand why Greg LeMond loves this
area! Snow-capped mountains all around you, twisty little
one and a half lane roads, courteous car drivers (!)...must be
heaven.
That's Bobby Julich on the left, in
the Red, White & Blue Cofidis jersey. It was interesting
watching the other riders as they tried to stay close and somehow
"absorb" something great from Bobby & Christian.
That's Christian Vande Velde 2nd
from the right. After this photo was taken, we passed a
freight train and decided to become one ourselves. I think
it was Christian that took a flyer off the front with three
others, and, of course, I had to try and bridge it. Just one
mile to go and all of a sudden we're doing 35mph on the
flats. Yikes! Even trying to draft, with about half a
mile to go I violently blew up. Total engine shutdown,
system overload, whammo.
Do you have to travel to Nevada to
ride with a Pro? Not if you come out on one of our Tuesday/Thursday
morning rides! On the left is Frederic Vifian, a
just-retired Pro from the Swiss Postal team. He's here until
January, trying to perfect his English skills. One heck of a
nice guy.
So, what's a Professional Cyclist really like? Not a
lot different from the rest of us, just a heck of a lot
stronger. My racing past put me in some pretty good company,
but watching these guys... they're not in the same league as the
rest of us. You know that rare feeling you get sometimes
when it feels like you could just twist a throttle and your legs
go faster? These guys can do that anytime, anyplace.
They can be totally anaerobic and still have more to give.
Thank goodness you don't have to be in exceptional shape to
enjoy what cycling has to offer!
Chain Reaction sells bicycles & accessories
from Trek, Gary Fisher, BikeFriday,Shimano, Pearl Izumi, Continental, Descente,
Sidi, Giro, Blackburn, Speedplay, Oakley, Saris, NiteRider, Bontrager,
Torelli, Look, DeFeet, Rock N Roll, Hammer, Cytomax,
Powerbar, Fox, Clif
Bar, CamelBak, Chris King, Profile Design, Craft, X-Lab and many more!
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