I got back last night from my long awaited trip to the Trek bikes factory in Waterloo, Wisconsin for work. I left on Monday, spent Tuesday and Wednesday at Trek with other sales and management types from our stores, spent yesterday morning with more training, took a trip to the Saris factory where they make bike racks and CycleOps training systems and then drove home. It was a great week where we got the lowdown on Trek's history, operations and product development as well as just getting to hang out with some cool people. I got to have lunch with Trek's President and CEO, John Burke and had a good conversation with pro rider Justin Spinelli who went on some of the factory tour with us. Justin is currently riding for the Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast team on the domestic scene but was on the US Amateur team back in the day and has ridden for teams like Saeco and Navigators. His current team lists LeMond bikes as one of their sponsers, hence his presence at the Trek headquarters.
Not only did we get the lowdown on some great bikes that we'll be carrying, but I also got to channel my inner fanboy. The atrium/lobby of the new facility has a few displays of historically significant bikes from Gary Fisher, Greg LeMond and Trek including bikes from each of Lance's 7 Tour de France wins. I have to admit, I was definitely geeked out about two in particular.
The first is the time trial bike that Greg LeMond rode in the final stage of the '89 Tour when he came from behind to beat Laurent Fignon by eight seconds in the closest Tour in history. Greg liked the bike so much that when he switched teams the next season, he took the bike with him, had the new team colors put on it and continued riding it (hence the Z team colors).
The other fanboy bike was the bike that Lance rode in the '03 Tour on the infamous stage to Luz-Ardiden when Lance's handlebar caught a spectator's bag and sent him to the ground only to have Iban Mayo run over him. Lance got up, collected himself and then used the adrenaline to destroy everybody, win the stage and lengthen the lead for the overall on the decicive day. The bike has a visible crack in the chainstay from the Mayo impact and stands as a testament to how brutal that race win was for Lance.I had a great week and may write more about it as I get the chance, but I've got to get myself to work so I can sell some bikes this evening.
1 comment:
OHHHHHOHOHOHOHO!!!!! NO WAY!!!! I can't believe what I'm seeing! Seriously... I remember flying up from my couch the instant Lance when down, and watching the clock like crazy because my soon-to-be wife was coming to pick me up for a trip out of town... I watched him slip off the pedal, and got to see him begin moving back up the pack when I was forced to leave... I spent the whole rest of the day in agony, because where I went they didn't have OLN so I couldn't watch the rest of the race later that evening--I refused to hear what happened; I needed to see this through myself... I finally got to watch the whole thing again the next day (as I had my parents tape the replay) and my eyes were welling up with tears when he took the lead...
Any chance I can get a copy of that pick with you next to it, and I'll just photoshop myself in there with you?!?!
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