Tour of California Wrap-Up
Posted on 17. Jun, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, Pro Wrenching, The Gear Movers
Arriving in San Francisco for Stage 3 of ToC, beautiful and typical weather of this area
An 8 day bike race wrapped up and done, but geeze, it feels like a grand tour. This 2010 edition of California’s premier sporting event was by far the most exciting and intriguing race I have done in years. I have worked this race every year but one and couldn’t have asked for anything more. I have never worked for a ProTour Team before, and this was an experience. From the late nights, to the extra little bit of work we did all day to set ourselves apart from the other teams at the bike race, it was definitely a good experience. From the outside the Garmin-Transitions ProTour Team looks like a looming fortress of pretentious staff and riders. It is not, this team is a huge family that after spending a week and a half with them I noticed how close they really are!
Jordan with the Specialized Angel at the start of Stage 3
Garmin-Transitions Team Super Fan, this kid was soo adorable!
The 20 some staff and 8 riders gelled really well together during the race. We had 2 personal chefs, 3 mechanics, 3 sougniers, 2 directors, 1 team photographer, and multiple media and sponsorship liaisons. Can you imagine the logistics of getting each one of these people to and from each race every day? I don’t know how it all gets done.
Our Chefs Chris and Barbara Grealish with thier new parking lot toy!
Probably some of the best times at the bike race where had by the 3 mechanics, hanging out in the parking lot after a bunch of bike working, eating the leftovers of a gourmet dinner served by our two chefs! I gotta say, Chris and Barbara Grealish, thanks so much for the food! On stage 7, the Time Trial in Downtown Los Angeles, I got to follow Tom Danielson during his ride. What an experience, he was flying through the course and although he didn’t post a great time on the day, he had an impressive ride through some of the gnarly windy sections and the one steep little climb.
HTC Columbia mechanic Chris Franges and his awesome bikes get ready for the TT at the hotel in Big Bear
Following Tommy D in the TT on Stage 7 in Los Angeles
Hanging out with TT1 mechanic Alex Banyay and Fly V's mechanic Tennyson Hulcy after Stage 7 of the ToC
The SRAM crew poses for a photo op in-front of the Staples Center at the Stage 7 TT in Los Angeles
I gotta say the number 1 experience for me came on the last day of the bike race when I got to drive the 2nd caravan car in the peloton on the unassumingly tough Stage 8. A lot of teams came into the last day unprepared for what was about to hit them. What looked like a simple course turned out to be a leg/lung burner. A super technical, twisty climb of more than 5k, followed by one of the gnarliest descents I have ever witnessed. I had the 4 tires on the super reliable Subaru Outback squealing on the 8k descent, ohhh my gosh it was the most fun I’ve ever had! I definitely envy a Team Director who gets to sit in the front seat and drive on a regular basis, my spot in the backseat is like a desk-job…boring!
Redwood forests from Stage 3, beautiful!
Mechanics Tom Hopper and Jordan chilly and wet to the bone after Stage 2 to Santa Rosa. It was a downpour all day...
We took two stage wins, and the overall team classification win for the entire race, what an impressive performance boys! It looks like I will be working part time with the Garmin-Transitions Pro team for the rest of the year. On tap next will be the USPRO Championships in Greenville, SC in early September. After that I will most likely do my first ProTour races in Canada – Montreal, and Quebec City, if I don’t do those, look for me on TV at the Vuelta a España, holy cow! Adios amigos!!
Post race dinner, me and Dave Zabriskie getting comfy...
Haiti
Posted on 15. Jun, 2010 by Elizabeth in The Gear Movers
Earthquake Damage to the Port-au-Prince Presedential Palace
I had the amazing opportunity to go to Haiti the first week in June, even though a week is certainly not enough to get to know this country. Also, what I was planning on doing in Haiti had been arranged long before the earthquake. Besides, outside of Port-au-Prince, the earthquake really had little effect, even though it might be hard to distinguish from the looks of the rest of the country. Haiti is, without a doubt, a very poor country with limited resources to begin with, so it is now wonder that the earthquake had such a devastating blow, crumbling the concrete buildings that once made up the city. In the single day I spent in the capitol city, I did witness the tent cities that now stand between the rubble and collapsed buildings. But the people of Haiti continue with tenacity in their daily lives, through the congestion and the remains.
The entire Presedential palace was destroyed
Most of my time was spent on the northern coast, in the small village of Saint-Louis du Nord. Dust encrusted, sweat drenched, bruised from the jostling bus ride, eight hours and 120 miles later, I finally arrive and get to meet the community where I will stay. In the mornings, working alongside the Haitians, I helped build (or at least tried to contribute to) a new school building. With over ten people working on the tiny site, it was hard to share the single shovel and the single trowel, but non-the-less brick by brick, the building gained momentum upwards.
Here is a Google map of Haiti and Elizabeth's location in Saint-Louis du Nord
In the afternoons, even though I’m pretty sure I was more of a distraction than help, I worked at the old school. Bursting with over 150 students in four tiny classrooms, it was easy to see the need for a new building.
A map carved into a chair on the destroyed island of Haiti
School children running during our visit to the local school in Saint-Louis du Nord
School children looking out of a window of the school in Saint-Louis du Nord
Young girls looking for snacks in Haiti
A little girl smiling during school in Saint-Louis du Nord
A kindergarten class in Saint-Louis du Nord where we were helping to rebuild the school
The faces of Haiti, young school girls in Saint-Louis du Nord
A beautiful shot of a young girl holding my hand
Blowing bubbles with the kids in Haiti
Kids watching the bubbles pop in Haiti
A young girl blowing bubbles is entertained in Haiti
And on my day off, as if being in Haiti wasn’t enough; I was able to go sailing to the neighboring island of Tortuga, from all the pirate stories! Our boat was a luxury liner – the mast looking like it might just be a tree trunk. From a devastated shore, covered in trash, the small sailboat delivered us, surrounded by pristine, bright blue water to a quiet, car-less island.
The sails of our "luxery liner" on our way to the Pirate island of Tortuga
The sails of our "luxery liner" on our way to the Pirate island of Tortuga
Sailing to the Island of Tortuga
Majestic sailboats off the island of Tortuga
Beautiful blue water off the coast of Tortuga
New Additions to our Shop
Posted on 28. Jan, 2010 by Jordan in For Sale, The Gear Movers
Jack Bissell shows off his new Crosskate Neck Breaking All Mountain Skates, yikes!
Not only have we been having tons of fun at the shop posting our clients cool Gear but we have added some new employees and some new features in our rad warehouse. Isnt it every grown persons dream where they can work in a cool environment that pushes them to have fun on the job? Well we try to do that here although we do have a custom pool table that has remained unused in the last few months, what a shame. We actually need to have the table re-leveled, does anyone know of someone in Boulder, CO who could do that for us?
New additions to the shop include our employee Mr. Jack Bissell. He hails to us from the great Full Cycle bike shop in town and has so far stated “That he fits into our little operation here just perfectly.” When asked what his favorite part of working at TGM, while posting cool things like the Crosskate Inline All Mountain Neck Breaking Skate (we are still trying to understand these things, check the video below) he states: “The great level of respect everyone has for each other here and the chance to check out cool ‘Foot Hummers’ at TGM.”
Fast Tube by Casper
Well these skates are truly cool, check out the auction and win them for yourself in our eBay store: Crosskate Inline Backcountry All Mountain Ski Skates
Our groovy unused custom pool table and new frame and wheel racks - full!
Along with the addition of Jack, we have added new storage in our “Pool Table” room for the overwhelming inventory of frames and wheels we have been recieving from our consignors recently. As we travel into the new year we are starting to sell through our once large Ski, Skate and Snowboard inventory and start to focus more on the bicycle aspect of the business. A note to summer – “You can’t come soon enough!”
A new addition - more wheels and wheel racks!
Peace out from The Gear Movement, we are going to go try these neck breaking crosskates, but only after we update our health insurance plans!
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