So on Friday I had a really interesting opportunity to participate in the Cycle for Science benefit (benefiting the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History). The benefit offered the rare opportunity to ride shoulder-to-shoulder with 2 top pros (Levi Leipheimer and Jason McCartney – both formerly of Discovery Channel) while supporting a great cause. The benefit also included performance testing from Carmichael Training Systems and dinner with the riders the night before the ride.
The ride was a great time and really let you see just how strong pro riders are (they picked up the pace a couple times – several stretches of 30+ mph). We also stopped at a local elementary school along the route and the guys spoke to the kids for a few minutes about the importance of being active and healthy, etc. These kids had no idea who we were, but in our flashy cycling kits and $5,000 carbon bikes, they were still pretty impressed.
What really became clear is that these guys are just like the rest of us (recreational cyclists and amateur racers) – guys who just really love to ride their bike. These guys just get paid to do it, have more drive and more genetic potential than the rest of us. However, they have definitely made a lot of sacrifices to get where they are today. I’m glad to see both of these guys land good contracts (Levi with Astana and Jason with CSC) with Discovery coming to an end.
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Linky’s Round-up! at West And Clear // October 26, 2007 at 2:32 am |
[...] over at Texas Tailwind gets to ride with some American cycling legends, and posts some pics to share the experience with the rest of [...]
Another pic with Jason and Levi « Texas Tailwind // October 29, 2007 at 4:18 pm |
[...] a great new pic from my ride with Levi Leipheimer and Jason McCartney so I thought I would put it up. Again, great job to Carol and everyone at the FW Museum of Science [...]
Let Levi Ride « Texas Tailwind // February 18, 2008 at 8:14 pm |
[...] had the opportunity to have dinner and ride with Levi last year. He is a genuinely nice guy that is totally passionate about cycling. As he talked about the Tour [...]
Mellow Johnny’s « Texas Tailwind // May 30, 2008 at 3:18 pm |
[...] had the pleasure of riding with Bart Knaggs (one of the owners of Mellow Johnny’s) at the Cycle for Science ride last year. Bart’s a good guy and I wish them luck with the new shop, but with the team they have [...]
Tour of California Report - How good are the pros? VERY GOOD « Texas Tailwind // February 23, 2009 at 9:31 pm |
[...] All three of us came blow-away that someone could average almost 30 mph riding that course. I’ve ridden with pros before, but now I have even more respect for their skill and power on the bike. There is a reason these [...]