Get your GEOX-TMC groove on!

This season of racing is going to be a good one for me, probably a lot less for my own racing and results, but from the teams I get to support…

Though I’m no longer with Masi, the Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Gear Grinder team will always be near and dear to me. Over the years that I got to work with these guys, I got to watch the program evolve from a regional Pro/Am squad with a few talented guys to what is now easily one of the best domestic teams in the US- bound for the Tour of California with some real talent to fight with. The team is having their training camp in Florida right now, and I’m just a *little* heartbroken not to be there. I wish the team the very best this year and I’ll always be rooting for them. 

The other side of this racing coin is the GEOX-TMC Pro Continental team that is sponsored by Fuji- one of the brands I work for/on at ASI. GEOX touts none other than 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre, as well as Giro and Vuelta winner and Tour podium Denis Menchov, with a supporting cast of great riders to propel them to success. AND… they’re riding on Fuji Altamira road bikes and Oval Concepts components. Needless to say, as a full-blown race nerd, this level of proximity to the highest levels of the sport has me more than a little excited about the racing to come this year… more than just a little. A LOT!

It’s going to be so exciting to see the KPC guys rip it up domestically (because they’re good friends) and then watch GEOX-TMC compete for the biggest prizes in professional cycling. They were given an inconceivable snub by the Tour de France organizer, ASO, but they will be on the attack everywhere else they go! They’ve already proven their competitive nature and are frequently seen in the thick of the action- they’re aggressive and they make the race happen, rather than waiting for the final field sprint like some other teams. They’ll be making headlines this year… I am sure of it. (How ASO could *not* invite a team with two riders who have won all three of the Grand Tours between them, is simply beyond my comprehension.)

You can follow the team in multiple locations- and maybe more in the future- as well as right here of course (because you KNOW I won’t shut up);

Facebook

Twitter

Fuji website

Stay tuned for more possible cool team-related news and whatnot… this is gonna be a really exciting year!

Tim

Wow, this is getting good…

Jeesh, it’s really been four days since I posted? Dang…

Time has been really flying during this first visit to Philly. The days in the office have gone by super fast and I scratch my head wondering where the time went. I’ve been immersed in trying to contribute where and however I can, which I admit has not been all that much yet- “interpreting” spec files from product speak to consumer speak for the catalog. Even that has taken a long time- and is not done yet- as I’ve been adjusting to the way things are done here and the new product categories I’ve not worked heavily in yet. BUT… it’s been a great way to get to have a better understanding of “my bikes”.

Last Friday, a group of my new coworkers and I went to dinner for a little “getting to know you” time. It was great to spend a few hours with them and I am sincerely looking forward to lots more. Since I’ll be working out of the office, it’s great to get some chances to bond with them. This is such a great group of people with a lot of talent and skill and varied backgrounds. I’m lucky… and frankly a little intimidated by the overall talent level. This is a high-functioning group of people!

Saturday morning, I was supposed to join my coworker Steven Fairchild for a nice group ride… but I of course got lost and ended up missing the ride. Instead, I rode solo for 2 or so hours. I can’t tell you where I went, but it was pretty cool… it’s not like I get to ride in miles and miles of open, snow covered, rolling hills all the time. The ride started with a great tailwind, which I didn’t really appreciate until I turned around and had to fight a very strong headwind!

Sunday, rather than leaving things to chance and my terrible sense of direction, Steven picked me up at the hotel and we drove off to a park with a frozen lake and then headed off on an epic 4hr ride through the rolling countryside. It was incredible- it took every ounce of restraint I could muster not to stop every five minutes and take pictures. The area we rode in- along the Delaware River and into New Jersey- was simply beautiful. I can’t remember when I rode in such beautiful landscapes. We cruised through countless small “villages” and “townships”. It was amazing and I really have to thank Steven for being such a gracious host to take me out on the roads like that. It’s hard to not get to know somebody a little better after going on a quality ride like that.

As beautiful as the scenery was with all the snow, I’m anxious to come back during the spring and see the same roads again when the color is coming back to the trees and the flowers are in bloom… it should be breathtaking.

One of the many cool things about this job, is the products. It’s hard to be a Bike Geek (TM) and not get all hot and bothered when something like this shows up in the office…

… Steven’s new rig; an official GEOX team frameset, decked out in a full Campagnolo Record 11 group. It is OMG sexy! It’s going to be an exciting year of racing to watch. I’m emotionally attached to my boys on the Kenda team still, just from years of working with them and developing some great friendships there, but now I get to be a part of working with a team that will be doing Grand Tours too… my head might explode this year!

And, I am very pleased to report after getting a couple good days of riding on it, the Fuji Altamira is pretty bad ass! I’m super spoiled because the Altamira is going to stay here in Philly for me to ride when I am in town… but I’m also going to be riding a Fuji SST at home in San Diego. After riding the uber compliant Altamira, I’m really anxious to throw a leg over the SST and see if it is as stiff as I think it will be. I’ll report… of course.

Tomorrow is the last full day in the office and then I leave for the airport Wednesday before noon. The time here has been busy and productive, as well as fun. It’s been great to start the process of getting to know my new coworkers and get to feel like I am really joining the brands here. All that earlier excitement I felt is being proven to be warranted. My new life as the “ASI-Guy”, “Fuji-san”, “Spec Monkey” is well underway- I have a lot to learn and it’s a little scary sometimes, but in a good way… stay tuned for more!

Tim