Community

Tonight I ran into two people I know, both at Whole Foods. One of the guys I ran into tonight needs a couple of wheels rebuilt. Yeah, we'd be happy to do that. Our mechanic really enjoys wheel work.

The other day, I had an odd interaction with a gentleman standing in line at the post office. He is selling his Merlin to make room for a new Seven. He was excited to tell me the news. We'd spoken just a week or two prior about his aspirations of getting a new bike.

On my way home, I was thinking about how small-town it feels to have these sorts of conversations in a place outside of the RSC. But this isn't that small of a town and we're living in modern USA, everyone is busy doing things and involved in professional work lives.

The RSC also isn't a small-town sort of place. It's modern in appearance, style and feel. It's a professional space. It hosts business meetings, investor-investee interviews, interesting conversations, people and ideas. This person teaches chemistry at Harvard, that one over there is working on curing cancer. I've been told that match.com dates happen here too, it is a coffee shop after all. But there's not a lot of anonymity here, so that seems to keep shenanigans to a minimum, or so I like to believe.

Saturday night one of our good customers celebrated his 40th birthday at the Studio. His friends and family were together to share his special day with him. I got to partake in the festivities as barista and as a friend. We've now been host to a 30th surprise b-day party (007 style) and a 50th birthday celebration. Landmark days are being captured here.

So when someone says "Buy Local," I suppose that means come to our shop to buy stuff. But I don't relate RSC with this, I think this campaign is more applicable to food where it is important to the consumer to get the freshest food by buying local.

Where it comes to the Studio, I think of it like this: we'd better offer the best experience, best customer service, the best products and best value than anyone anywhere. I don't want someone coming in because they have listened to some Buy Local campaign, I want each person to see the value that lies within its walls. That we are an integral part of the community, building community and a place where employees have a lot of interaction with each person as an individual should only add to the value proposition.

We don't have fancy methods of routing a phone call and we don't have a PA message overhead when it's time to close telling people to leave. We have technology where it belongs and in these other places, I think it's quite alright that we aren't keeping pace with the rest of the world.

A cappuccino and a mocha

This morning I woke up really wanting to post something in my blog. I got particularly motivated when it was brought to my attention that today is Superbowl Sunday.

Two years ago on Superbowl Sunday I walked into the Ride Studio Cafe for the first time and had a tasty cappuccino. That day bridged my return to the US from Italy and welcomed me back. I found my home and place in the world where I belong that day.

Photo & drink by Steven Lim

Naturally, I'm blogging from the RSC, it's a quiet day and I don't "need" to work. So I'm here as a customer and I just finished a cappuccino.

I'm sorry I'm not capturing what's happening here on a day-to-day basis. Every single day there are noteworthy conversations that I've had and something that needs to be written down. So much of what I do doesn't have anything at all to do with a bike.

I will tell the story of Noni and Wally, two wonderful customers of ours who we used to see every day here. We got to know them, their family and friends. They shared many interesting conversations over their large cups of coffee and the pastry that they shared. Neither Wally nor Noni were cyclists and they didn't seem to take particular interest in the bikes. They were interested in many things, just not bikes.

Noni came in a few days ago for her last cup of coffee here. She looked drawn and the color was gone from her face. She looked much different than she had since the last time I'd seen her only a few short weeks prior to coming here last. I believe she was still in shock: Wally, her husband of countless years had just passed away. She sat down at the counter as she had done with Wally so many, many times. She ordered a mocha and a chocolate croissant. I don't remember her ever ordering a mocha before. She used to tell us that she couldn't tell what the coffee tasted like. Wally really enjoyed Americanos with steamed milk. They always ordered two of those. She liked it that he liked it.

Noni lingered over her mocha and croissant. Ariela helped her out and came over to make sure I knew why Noni was here. I had a brief conversation with Noni. She told me that Wally had gotten sick and hadn't recovered. She told me of how much Wally loved coming in here. She told me how much he enjoyed bringing others in and showing them the bikes. Not being a bike guy, I wonder if he showed off the bikes and this space as a sense of pride in being a part of them. The bikes do become one's companion during a visit here. There is a friendliness that the bikes have. Maybe it's because they are each unique and likable. And so many people have pleasant memories that involve a bike in some way. Small children who are too young to ride are equally drawn to the bikes which I enjoy and marvel at.

Wally looked forward to RSC coffee every single day. Every day prior to getting sick for the previous year or more was highlighted by a trip here. Noni came here with her husband and good friend. I doubt we'll see her again, but I know why. They both will remain part of who we are and other stories will unfold here. I thank them for sharing their love story with us and making us part of it.

The Inescapable Pull of the Group

I wrote the above article for the 2013 Seven Cycles brochure. Writing this gave me a good chance to reminisce about the every-weekend rides from REI in Denver compliments of the Beams (that one was the model for this article) that often ended up in epic 100+ mile adventures in the mountains. The Thursday night group in Boulder - I think the point of that was sprinting, I just remember being excited to ride with Jules and her gang of riders that she put together. The many, many weekend rides from Amante in Boulder. Sometimes small groups, sometimes a little bigger. The countless group rides with my Italian racing team, so many of those when I couldn't speak Italian and through those rides was how I learned the language. Through that experience I learned how riding spans cultures and bridges communication gaps so incredibly well. And the group rides that I do here. I credit the Ride Studio Cafe Sunday group ride (the people who I met before, during and after the rides) for being the reason I decided to stay in Lexington.

The rest of the article and entire Seven brochure can be seen here. I highly recommend reading it. It's the sort of reading that takes you into the heart of Seven and why people "love to ride." It's not an in-your-face sell; it hardly mentions the different bikes that Seven builds. The point is that Seven handcrafts the bikes with incredible skill, knowledge of bikes in general, and incorporates knowledge of the specific rider to build a bike unlike any other. They build the bike that is as close to perfect as possible so the person riding it can be in the moment with fellow riders, an event, nature or him or herself, as the case may be, without the distraction of aches, pains, discomfort of any kind, or a bike that holds anything back due to weight or composition. 

Today I did a group ride that made me feel alive - similar to the ride I describe in the article. The group rides that really fit this description are few and far between that I do now, but when they happen, they are something to be remembered and shared in hopes that others find themselves in a similar situation. 

Yesterday a group formed at the Ride Studio Cafe at 9am while it was raining out. No one who had come for the ride knew each other in advance of the ride, but when they got back after being rained on for 52 miles, were all smiles. 

One guy came up to me and spent a good amount of time telling me how appreciative he is of the group rides that the RSC offers. He explained how much value it has to him and what a service it is that we provide to people. It's something we rarely stop to think about, it's just what we do. Since I've gotten out of the habit of group riding due to my schedule or simply my lack of interest in committing to anything on my days off, I have a tendency to forget just how good these rides are. 

I used to thirst for the off-season since it always meant 3-4+ hour training rides, my favorite. Better yet, it was time to connect with good friends. Race season is fun in its own way due to the traveling and adrenaline, but it's the long, sometimes epic rides I really like. 

Today was a 52-mile spin up to the Harvard General Store and back with my RSC teammates & team co-captains, Joy and Jay, with whom I rarely ride. The distance and pace were just what I needed and it was easy. Get on our bikes and go. Don't worry about anything, just chat and ride. We all know where to ride - even I know this one. Finally, I'm feeling like I'm settling in here in this hard-to-settle place.

The Harvard General Store is a very popular training ride destination located in Harvard, Massachusetts. It represents the Ride Studio Cafe's start at branching out beyond our own walls. Within the store is a Ride Studio Cafe pop-up: a sizable display of particularly useful items cyclists need while out riding, stocked by us. 

 

Developing a relationship with this cool store, its new owner and employees has been a great deal of fun for me. Growing a business happens in many different ways, and what is particularly thrilling about the RSC is that it can grow in every possible direction even though it's a brick-and-mortar establishment. Walls don't define it. It's the people and relationships that do and they extend far beyond our front door. 

Finally, finally after all of this time being here, nearly 2 years now, I feel that I am becoming more at home. I could feel it when I returned from Thanksgiving. The 6-day break with family in a new place (center of PA) was more than necessary. It helped me reset a bit. It was not just a good break from work, it was very quality visiting time with family members who are very close to me. And it was fun. I found myself feeling not quite ready to come back on the last day so I didn't. 

I traveled up to upstate NY (Saratoga Springs) for quiet time. I relished the hotel room I stayed in, taking full advantage of every amenity it offered. I had a lot of time to think, relax (plus ride a tiny bit) and visit one of my favorite coffee shops and vegan restaurant, though I had to miss my most-favorite-in-the-world co-op due to time.

Late in the day I drove back and when I arrived on known roads, I felt glad to be back, glad to be home. 

I'd like to believe that the pull of the group, as defined by those I ride, work and socialize with here, are inescapable. Fortunately the memories of rides of old certainly haven't been.

Racing.

What is it about racing? It's addictive, like really, really addictive. Riding is addictive, too, but in a different way completely.

This past Sunday I got to go to a cross race (as a spectator), I blogged about that a couple of days ago. And here I am blogging about it yet again. Beating a dead horse? Maybe, but there's more to it. These are thoughts I have to somehow try to capture before they vanish and I move on with my life forever forgetting the unique feelings surrounding this past weekend.

In essence, I realized how much I feel at home at a race. It could be seeing familiar faces, but there was a time when I went to races and I didn't know anyone and enjoyed it just the same. When I first started racing, I'd go to races not knowing anyone, I raced alone and then spent hours watching the rest of the races. I'd cheer for a familiar jersey, but essentially I was alone and having a great time. I felt a sense of belonging there. As much time as it wasted, it felt like it was time well spent.

There's something about the people, the scene, something. It's universal and found everywhere so far I've looked. I don't particularly like to be a spectator at much of any other sport or activity (ice hockey being a rare exception) and I don't like attending fairs or festivals (though curiosity will often get me out for a couple of minutes, but I don't like to stay long.

Just one of hundreds of fans out spectating a CX race in Boulder in 2009 (Grand Prix of Cyclocross). It was a long trip just to watch people I didn't know ride their bikes. I remember how glorious that day was and how glad I was to have been there.

Before I ever raced or even rode a bike, I liked watching races and enjoyed going out to them (once I realized it was a sport - yeah, it took awhile). Of course, I prefer to go and compete. CX and mountain bike races are an exception because it's nice to not be nervous about it - just watching and cheering is better. But I'm thinking more and more about getting back into racing and if I'm going to do it, I need to commit pretty soon to training for next season.

I have nothing to prove, nothing to gain. Yet I really feel the need to go back to being out there and being competitive once again.

To be continued...

A Visit and Some NECX

Got a visit by a Denver friend, Vera, today. Nice how the visit corresponded well with a 2-hour bike ride and her sister getting to visit a friend who's from here.

The leaves are nearly at their peak right now so it was a good time for her to come out. I was interested in seeing what she found cool about the area - many of the things that I thought were cool when I first got here, but have not become accustomed to (old, big houses, landscapes, historic sites). She was remarking on a house and it happened to be the Orchard House (where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, it's like that around here, there's a lot of history and interesting stories surrounding many things. People from here are tired of it all (not all of them, but seems to be what I'm finding), but those of us from somewhere else are fascinated by being in a storybook-like place.

After riding and parting, I got my CX bike ready to go and, for the first time since I got the road bike, left it behind in lieu of the Honey. I've been missing the Honey and the many cool rides I did on it last fall/winter so today was an excuse to at least get on it for a few minutes.

The pro CX race in Providence today is a big deal race, 2nd only to Gloucester here. I'm judging from what I've heard from cross racers on this one. I hadn't seen a CX race in New England yet, I've only ever spectated/raced CX races in dusty Denver and Boulder.

Today's weather was *perfect* for a proper New England CX day; it was the mother of all muddy races. Temps were cool, it rained almost the whole time (it started raining the moment I pulled into the parking lot 15 minutes before the women's Pro race began).

The mud.

The course. It was a really, really cool course & a really beautiful park. I wish I'd gotten a chance to ride the course when it wasn't slick-as-ice mud. I pre-rode a little, though made the mistake of starting at the most difficult part (off-camber & muddy, a huge section).

Honey bike happy as a honey bike can be. Dirt and grass on its tires without being given a mud bath.

It was great to be out there, I particularly enjoy spectating sports I don't like to play. Got to see former teammate Kate P from Boulder, many people I know from riding & the RSC,  & Andrea, RSC's former mechanic, who had a fantastic race--it was about time I saw her race after talking about it for two seasons. Next year: Gloucester.

I had no reason to go home so I stopped to do a little shopping, reading and eating. Traveling for bike stuff two weekends in a row. Squeezing it in before the bad weather hits.

Finally, Mt Wachusett

One of my summer riding destination goals has been Mt. Wachusett. For a variety of reasons, it didn't end up happening until yesterday. I'm not a fan of taking back roads in really out of the way places when I'm riding alone, so I took the fairly busy 62 out and back. Then, when I realized that I didn't have the maps card in my Garmin 800, it turned out to be my only option. These back roads are impossible to navigate without detailed maps. Maps on my phone helped me get my bearings and know where to find a big mountain.

The ride was as much about time to myself and doing something good for myself as taking advantage of the nice fall day to see the colors and breathe fresh air. Riding twice in 3 days seems excessive, almost something I don't deserve. However, I do and I have tried to give all of myself to work concerns, leaving very little left. There is always more to be done, I will get behind as a result, but considering how many nice days (and nights) I've missed in order to do important work things, this is fine. Lately, I haven't been sleeping well. Part of this is missing bike rides. They are necessary for physical and mental health.*

Prior to last week, I'd gotten so behind in reading that it was another extreme point of frustration. I used to be in good habits where this was concerned, but those went up in smoke when I left simple Denver life. I hate not knowing what's going on in the world or being versed in a variety of random stuff. Last week I made a point to take an hour or two almost daily to read the Wall Street Journal and any magazine or book that caught my attention. Taking an hour or two out of a 15-hour work day is completely justifiable and I reveled in it.

As for the time I'm not sleeping, I'm stuck in Tyler Hamilton's book The Secret Race. I didn't know that I wanted to read it because hearing the truth about doping can be depressing and, of course, doping is a reality of the sport (I don't approve in the slightest), but it's been obvious for years of what's been going on. When I raced at national-level races, I never suspected teammates or opponents of doping. I'd like to believe that it really wasn't that prevalent amongst women pro racers as there's no money in the sport for women and taking something body-altering like easy-to-get testosterone isn't something most women would want.

I raced against a woman in Italy who I was told failed at least 2 drug tests in her pro racing days. She was a national champion and I almost always took second to her. I didn't care if she was beating me because of her natural strength or some sort of performance enhancing drug, she was the better rider who had more road beneath her than did I. It was obvious that I was clean and I was respected by the guys out there for knowing how to race and maintaining some level of femininity, strong yet able to put on a race face at the same time. I still smile inside when I think of what it was like finishing a Gran Fondo. Whoever I was racing with/against and I would always shake hands and congratulate each other on a fun race. The guys were so chivalrous and respectful, opposite Italian stereotypes. I did see some amateur (younger) men dope in the Italian peloton and it is as easy and inexpensive to get as the stories tell, what I saw was testosterone and heard believable stories about specific riders on steroids and EPO.

The effect of Tyler's book is having is an unexpected one, it's making me think about racing. I don't want to go back to racing like I did it before, but I would like to regain my race form. At least thinking about racing helped me to get back into the training mindset yesterday when I was riding.

Yes, I'm back to training base miles. If I can get through the winter and get on the trainer some, I will be race-fit come spring. I'm not committing to anything here, but talking about it out loud is the first step.

First stop: bathroom break, double espresso and an apple treat at the cafe in Maynard. Cute place, full of people. I like Maynard since it's full of old factory buildings, perfect loft opportunities.

Then there was view after view. One thing Massachusetts has going for it is trees - everywhere & very densely packed. Sometimes there are too many and one can't actually see anything. Yesterday there were nice breaks in trees, a good balance between sky, tree and land.

 I'd wanted to make it to Wachusett, and somehow did at about 3:45, too late in the day for this late in the season. Clouds that looked like they contained snow hovered over the mountain.

 Skiing will be happening here soon enough!

Road just prior to the summit. It was steeper and longer than I'd remembered it.

Is this the best water fountain ever or what? Dog, hiker and cyclist all get to be hydrated comfortably. Thank goodness for this as I was completely out of water when I got back to the base of Wachusett.

 

I was also starving. The town of Sterling is probably about 10 miles from the summit of Wachusett. By the time I got back here, I didn't have much left in the tank. 

This pizza establishment didn't have slices of pizza left at 5pm. Yes, it was getting late, I had to eat and it needed to be fast. The man who ran the pizza shop was great. "You tell me what you want, I make it." This was the best sandwich. It's as big as it looks. I ate the whole thing. He heated veggies over the grill, added mozzarella, salted, peppered, drizzled with pizza sauce and stuffed the bread. Go there. He was so nice and accommodating and he saved me from grabbing a Monster and Clif bar from the neighboring convenience store. (Nothing wrong, though, with the Monster and Clif bar, really...they've saved me on many occasions when a bonk was moments away.)

I had a set of lights on me - Nightrider 600 lumens, a single-unit (battery and light together) for the front and Knog Blinder in the back. Both worked on pitch black roads (no eye strain for me & I was obvious to cars) and were easy enough to take with me without being a burden. I'd sacrifice no more than 50 lumens to be adequate in such conditions. Night riding is an endless serene world without stress. I highly recommend it and I miss it when I can't do it.

My beautiful bike (yes, I've been keeping it clean now that I'm not scared of cleaning it) is riding as great as ever, offering the most wonderful, easy, zippy-yet-comfy riding everywhere I take it. I can thank it for 82 miles total yesterday, 4,900 feet of climbing and benefits to which numbers can't be attached.

Picnic with a Bike Ride to Make People Hungry

Saturday was a fun road trip to a bike ride and picnic near the Quabbin Reservoir organized by Rapha Gentleman race teammate Todd and his wife, Sue.

Dena, super woman endurance rider, and I headed out of town at 7:30am with bikes and bags of gear. It was oh-so-reminiscent of days of old when the car was packed up [far too early] with teammate or friend to head to a race 1-5 hours away. Fun times & always nice (vs awful during commuting, for example) experience in a car.

My phone and camera ended up being left in my car as I had too much time to get ready. So I doddled and never really focused on the task at hand until we were riding and I realized my mistake.

Everything everyone said about the hills is so true - you go up for 60 miles in rolling fashion (so not steady-state up, but constantly shifting while going up, the road looks flat, yet it's still going up...) Oh yeah, the last 20 zipped by in what felt like 2 minutes as they were all down (thank goodness!) Wait a second, there were hills and a few small mountains, but the guys had a different definition of what these were. I heard many lies told out there. "Just one more little hill coming..." So why was I earnestly wishing for a crank with a little itty bitty cog on it, then? 

Long story short, it was an awesome (HARD) ride, but with stops for food (carrot cake, a fine energy snack) and a jovial bunch of riders, it was a fine day. The ride was one I was really in need of since I hadn't been on a bike for awhile and was starting to wonder if I could do it. Having a day when I could just be one of the bunch and an unknown entity was a level of relaxation I needed. I wanted to ride my bike and feel it fly over the road, not talk about its components. The other riders and I didn't even swap names until we were done with the ride for the most part.

And after the ride, there was chili - vegetarian chili - and an enormous spread of food so tasty, I could understand how this was billed as a picnic that just happened to have a ride prior to it. Very hospitable hosts, a Saturday circumnavigating the Quabbin (which we only got a little glance at during the ride, so it really wasn't the point of anything, just a big obstacle to ride around), good people, food and fun adventure...something that I'm glad to have taken the day to experience.

George Howell Roastery Tour

Today's day off was punctuated with a good tour and cupping at the George Howell Coffee Company in Acton, MA. We've been serving George Howell's Terroir coffee since the beginning of the Ride Studio Cafe due to its high quality and local presence so it was about time that we saw George Howell and the George Howell family (employees all seem to have longevity here, so not only is it a family business, but the employees appear to have become family, too). We've met many of the people of George Howell and are very fortunate to have a GH employee on staff at the RSC (Sal), so we have been fortunate to build a solid relationship with them over the past 2 1/2 years. Seeing them at home in their test kitchen and in their environment helped put their coffee in context and a new light.

We saw green beans being turned into coffee beans and then got to taste nine different coffees next to each other: from sumatra (wet climate & low elevation yielding earthy flavors) to the Lenana, the highest in elevation (~5000 ft), fruity: ripe blackberry in this case. 

I enjoyed hearing what George Howell had to say about each coffee as we were tasting - he didn't hold back his opinion about each and seemed particularly fair in discussing the coffee other very well-known companies serve.

People would love to learn coffee from this perspective - I'm hoping we'll get to do more with GH at the RSC where it comes to cuppings and brewing methods.

Just another day "off." I really need to take off the barista hat and re-enter bike land before the off-season is officially upon us.

An Interview Question

Today I interviewed with someone last week for the Cafe.

Question: How would you handle a situation where people are lined up for coffee, someone comes in wanting to buy a bike, someone else is there to pick up a bike, someone else has a flat tire and the cash register freezes up.

Answer: This afternoon when I was barista, a similar situation unfolded. Someone ordered two pourover coffees, someone else came in to demo two bikes, someone else came in to buy two tubes, a couple came in after being out of town for three months and wanted a drink and to say hi after the long time away. Everyone who'd been sitting with their drinks needed to pay prior to leaving. I secretly wished they'd just leave, as uninterrupted time with a customer is always more valuable than the few dollars I'd be handed.

Answer?! There is a way to handle this situation as the situation somehow went away, but it's a blur. Dishes didn't get washed but everyone, somehow, got taken care of. I think the candidate's response was good and somehow thinking about his answer to the question made me a bit more conscious of the situation as it was unfolding. Maintain composure, perspective and acknowledge the importance of the time of each customer who is waiting.

Cool Bike Ride & First Century for the Seven

A long day in the saddle means not much time for anything else and I'm anxious to get to other things still considering I feel approximately 2 1/2 years behind in a few areas. One day, however, did me more good than had I spent it doing anything else.

Today was the first century for my new, awesome-awesome-awesome Seven bike. It's odd that 100 miles feels almost trivial on this bike. I step on the pedals, it goes; it cruises over everything (lots of rough pavement) without notifying me of what it's dealing with at street-level; it climbs without holding back and descends with confidence. After 100 miles, my body feels good, nothing hurts. Today was a base-building ride, so I was really watching my heart rate and keeping it aerobic, so it was the kind of effort I should have been able to maintain where it comes to fitness.

At no time did I have to rearrange my hands on the handlebars or stretch in the saddle. Titanium is a very special material & having a bike that is properly engineered and made out of it is such a treat. (Not all titanium bikes in the world are awesome like Sevens & I shudder when people think all ti bikes ride similarly.) I didn't have to get used to my new bike, it was just perfect from the first moment I rode it. It didn't even occur to me until later today when asked how the bike did that it's still new and I should be paying a bit more attention to it. I still appreciate it as new, but I have an affinity/particular protectiveness of it as if it and I have done 10,000 miles together already. I believe we're nearing 700 miles and 6 weeks, though I have to check my odometer to be sure.

Here are a few pictures from today's ride. It took me down through Boston, past Harvard, then MIT (where there were students pouring out of its buildings), through Allston, across the bridge to Brookline, down through Hyde Park into JP (Jamaica Plain) through the Emerald Necklace, into the Blue Hills, back into the Blue Hills, then south through Canton into Sharon, up through Norfolk, Medfield, into Dover (ice cream stop), and as direct as possible from there to Lexington.  The day wouldn't have been complete without a post-ride Ride Studio Cafe hot chocolate for recovery & relaxation. I was lucky to make it 1/2 hr before it closed. The ice cream came when the day was hot and hot chocolate was when it was chilly. I think fall has arrived. 

Central Square - every time I'm here, I think I need to move to this bustling mini-NYC.

 MIT & too many students.

Heading over the bridge to Boston. So gorgeous.

From Jamaica Plain, entering the Emerald Necklace. Such natural beauty. The many forests I rode through were so peaceful & significantly more beautiful than this intersection.

 Beautiful park.

It was hard to capture this scene completely - bike in the foreground & Boston in the background with lots of greenery in between. Perfect combo & my favorite scene today.