14 months ago, in December 2011, I was finishing up my first season of racing cyclocross, I was about to graduate college in Albany, New York, and I was primed to move back down to the Bronx and start messengering again. I had a good reputation with my company and they always took me back when I needed to dive in and work for a while, which was nice.
This past year has been completely dedicated to cycling, and without the support of my sponsor, Continuum Cycles, many of my goals and aspirations for the various races and events that I participated in across the spectrum of the disciplines of the sport would have been largely unattainable. When Jeff saw me race at StatenCX and decided to bring me on board, I was a nobody Cat 4 with five races under my belt, but I got noticed at that race because I decided to lead the maxed out field for two laps with a gap before dropping my chain three times, burning out, and fading to 6th.
That same night he opened up the shop just so that we could have a one-on-one meeting, and he put a handmade Italian frame and a full run of team clothing in my hands and I became a bike racer.
So, when I finished up school and was reluctant to go out and immediately try and find a job in my field, messengering while staying in my family's apartment was a good way to save some dough, and I finally had ties to a great shop that hooked me up.
This post is called 'a year in bikes', because it was last January when I told Jeff that I wanted to do a roller race, and he said, "alright, I'll get you a bike." That type of familial support doesn't come easy, and I'm happy to have earned it. So, we put my 54 tooth chainring on the Continuum track bike he loaned me, and It wasn't until we got to the roller races that night that I told Jeff that I had never ridden on rollers before. There were some practice rollers in the back, and after almost killing myself a few times, Jeff begged me not to go in front of a crowd and make a fool out of myself. When I tried to find any write-up of that race, the only thing I could find was this:
"I think in total there were 8 riders. A few T-town riders showed up, including one multi-national champion women's track racer. In addition there was Gavi, the local former-pro, and a few messengers including one who had never rode rollers before."
But after a shaky start I got my legs and rode a 19 second 500m qualifier, and after three rounds I hadn't fallen and I wasn't dead last, so life was good.
