I don't know where to begin. Insane jealousy maybe at his ability to capture what we all see and feel in still and moving celluloid as cyclocrossers. Or maybe it's his ability to keep focused on the true core of who we are, what we do and most importantly why we do it weekend in and out. I'm speaking about Brian Vernor, photographer, videographer and historian of what will become 'our time' in cyclocross here in the United States.

In 2005 I was invited to see a debut of his movie here in Boulder, only a year after I'd left the Bay Area. What I saw was...well...a big part of my life actually. Pure Sweet Hell, Brian's break through movie captured so much of our 2003 racing season in beautiful film, it's a special keepsake for me. Seeing how Brian has evolved both in video and in his amazing still photography blows me away...shot quite often without all the fan-dangled digital apparatus that hacks like me rely upon. Instead Brian relies upon methods from yesteryear with good old film and true artistry in knowing how to operate f-stops, aperture and lighting.

At the 'cross Nationals in Bend in December, folks will be lining up to see the debut of his new movie, The Cyclocross Meeting. It will be obvious after seeing it how Brian will help you relive what we do and why we do it. I wanted most importantly to give people a better lens into Brian and what he does for our sport. I've also peppered the post with some imagery from Brian to whet your appetites.And without further adieu, Five Questions With: Brian Vernor.

1) Brian, you are a crosser and only a crosser can appreciate the depths we go through in our minds bodies and souls on any given weekend. Your media reflects this (photos and video). Tell me about how you got into 'cross, those that inspired you and what you love about our sport.

Growing up in Santa Cruz, CA I was exposed to mountain biking very young. Since my friend Justin Robinson was racing (on the Yeti Cycles team), I learned about racing, and this extended to cyclocross with the Surf City CX Series (the longest continually running series in the US). Some of the first races I attended were only two blocks from my house, so it seemed like not that much effort to do it in the first place. When something is accessible like that you don’t have to justify it with great ambitions, you just do it because if you weren’t racing you’d be riding some trails anyway. I think races were $8 for juniors. This was 1993. I went to the Nationals that year as a junior, in Tuolumne, CA, and I saw one of the greatest last lap battles in US cross nats history, which was between Don Myrah and Peter Webber. There were only about a hundred people watching but still there was so much energy following that race. Having that public display of suffering and potential failure is a huge part of the racing for me. I don’t get nearly as excited for forms of racing where the individual racer’s breaking point is not absolutely going to be witnessed.

2) Your Pure Sweet Hell was a break through for our family of crossers. It was perfect (and so much of our racing in Santa Cruz/Bay Area was captured in 2003 in that film! Such great memories!). Tell us about that film and the struggle to put it together. The results are astounding...but the path there was invariably hard. What were your greatest challenges?

Pure Sweet Hell was only a struggle to make once the heart of the editing was happening. Until that point I had never made a film over five minutes in length, and assembling a film about something we cared so much about was painful. I just pictured it failing so many times. The worst would have been people just shrugging and not really caring about it. Some people have pretty strong opinions about PSH which is the best way to have it, whether they are good or bad opinions doesn’t really matter because there are both perspectives out there. When we started filming we had a totally lame idea of what the film would be (kind of Hoop Dreams on bikes), and if there was a struggle, it was in finding a way to make only what mattered to us come through in the film. It is really not easier now than it was then, though now I have a little less anxiety about not finding the way.

3) Your eye captures inexplicable beauty...frozen in time...for us all to appreciate and smile about. What to you prefer most? Shooting still or shooting motion?

That is really strong praise, thank you. I like when I succeed at accomplishing my own standard of beauty, whether with stills or motion. Both formats I use hoping to achieve a similar result depending on what is appropriate. I’m not a gear-head, the equipment is not enjoyable in and of itself, so I have to care about the communication that is the result of the image.

4) Tell us about the Bay Area 'cross scene. The mafia out there is so core (and I miss them dearly!). Rick Hunter, Paul Sadoff, Justin Robinson...so many! What encapsulates the Bay Area cross scene in a paragraph?

The Northern California cross scene is stubborn. There are very strong ties to and awareness of the history of the sport here. There is a reluctance to accept a new direction defined from outside this region. That means our races are focused on the atmosphere as much as the racing, and the ideal is founded on our past and present community, not some inflated view of Belgium, or Eurocross, or something the racing here never was or will be. The racing in Europe is amazing and the character of the race scene is unique from the US. That is a good thing. I think it is fine that cross develops in unique ways in each region. As a documenter I want to be honest about what those unique qualities are and focus on them. The guy wearing Belgian blue, eating frites and drinking a Chimay is not that interesting to me unless I’m in Middlekerke, Belgium.

Northern California promoters have given the middle finger to USA Cycling and I don’t see anyone here anxious to jump into the UCI affiliated races game, but it will happen again due to a sense of responsibility to the regional racers with national ambitions. I do think this would be good for our community regardless of the hassles.

5) Everyone is amped to see "The Cyclocross Meeting" in Bend at Nats! Newt and Wicks get their (more than) 15 minutes in this one. What a unique vantage point to take...'crossing in Japan. Tell us about this movie and what the greatest challenges were in making it. And what was the craziest thing you saw in Japan (besides anyone rocking SRAM...).

The Cyclocross Meeting is about expanding your own community via cyclocross. It is amazing that we can go to Japan and find that we are passionate about the same thing as people we’ve never met, and who come
from a completely different reference point. I mean, we’re so lucky that we’re involved in something that universally brings joy to people. That said, it’s also about going really fast. I wanted to mostly focus on Elite racing, both as an update of where the US scene is at the highest level, and then as a comparison to an emerging scene. Pure Sweet Hell was about the whole scene, pro and amateur, and I didn’t want to show the same thing. I also find that really fast people are much more compelling to watch, unless a slow rider is crashing, puking, or trying to drink a beer while running in ankle deep mud (I’m sure someone is filming SSWCCX).

Japan is a crazy experience the moment you leave the airport. To see an industrialized country with such different priorities of space compared to our own to inspiring. It is very isolated in some ways while also obsessively studying outside cultures, but Japan does everything it’s own way. Respect.

I don't even know where to begin with this...with the exception that I now truly know 'cross is universal! Truly global.  From Portland to Diegem and on to [CLASSIFIED CITY], Iraq. We all love it so. And so how this all came to be? Let me tell ya...

I get an amazing amount of emails a day from readers. It still blows me away. I try to answer every single one as this is one giant brother/sister hood of folks who simply want to play in the mud. You have to keep up those connections, yo! Keep on sending 'em!!

And so it was with Mr. Norton. Lance Corporal John Norton, United States Marine Corps. A simple email to talk about cross equipment, frames, tires...all the goodness. And of course we got our geek on in an exchange of great e-mails between he and I. At some point it occurred to me: this home boy is in the service. And a few exchanges later, John is in I-R-A-Q!!!! And so, without haste, a package was bundled up and shipped to John as I wanted him to have a bit of U.S. cross love surrounding him. A little of the hup hup for a guy who is clearly no buttercup. And with that in mind I was impulsed to do a '5 Questions With...' episode with our crossing brethren. The following is a unclassified and unaltered set of answers from John, and I am so proud to have had this exchange with him to share with you all. 

John, just know we are thinking about you and your fellow Marines over there. Get back home. Stay healthy. And cross on. We'll try and keep ya entertained!

1) LCpl Norton! Welcome to Mud and Cowbells man! First, know that this entire M & C community is super proud of you and want you safe and home soon to tear it up on the 'cross bike! But first, tell us a bit about you and your job in Iraq!
Hayo the BIG question, what do I do? Besides sleep, eat, sleep and eat, I am truck (MRAP) gunner,  I have the best seat in the house, paired up with my second wife a beautiful M2 named Betty for when shit gets hot. Our mission is to ROLL DEEP and provide security on the streets of Iraq from point A to point B, while at the same time making sure the package does not get jacked up or lost and time to time scare the living shit out of people who want to fuck with us. Nothing like a loaded M2 pointed at your dome.

2) That is some SICK lightweight ride you've got there in that picture you sent me. Kidding (you can pummel me when you see me). Tell us about your 'cross ride here in the States. I 'hear' through the grapevines (even all the way from Iraq) that something new and scandium is coming to you. Do tell...
If I tell you, I might just have to kill you! I do not know who your informant is but their time is short. I will be rocking a sexy Rock Lobster Team Scandium steed.

3) What's the deal with training, man? Can you jump on that trusty steed and get some hot laps in when you're not on duty? Do you need to moto-pace behind a Hum-V?
That trusty steed is more like a death trap, I think it would do more use as a battering ram! I’m going to pour lighter fluid all over it and ride it for a sick photo op. Training: It all starts with an Oreo Sand Protein Shake, let me explain the steps. Take one complete row of double stuff Oreos, two 32oz G-rade packets, one scoop of muscle milk, and a bottle of water, mix it up and BANG! Oreo Sand Protein Shake. For the daily train it is up to my body, but I do anything from 3 - 4 mile runs,  push-ups, pull-ups, life fitness machine, and variations of core workouts.

4) Any chance that "Hup Hup, buttercup" could replace the primal "hoo-rah!" of the Marine? Who do I need to send a shirt to up the chain of command?
I would love to say thank you in advance. Some folks have started to call me buttercup! I think the “Hup Hup, buttercup” as a war chant sounds much more intimidating, as I pass little Iraqi children and grown-ups a like I will shout “Hup Hup, buttercup.Now go and check out mudandcowbells.com biatch!"

5) Bart Wellens or Sven Nys? C'mon Norton! Who's your guy?
Sven Nys of course! 

Boulder. It’s not just a rock. Nor is it just the town where Mork and Mindy hung out and bought suspenders and relished in their rad 80’s styles.  It’s a town of hyper-motivated folks who always have a gaggle of irons in the fire. Never resting; always moving. Probably the highest concentration of Type-A’s anywhere on earth. Amazing place, this Boulder.

Speaking of style, Boulder and its outlying area is and has been known to some of the leading sports-clothing companies on earth: Pearl Izumi and Decente? Yup, both here among a slew of others. There’s a TON of design, fabric and materials intelligencia here due to this outdoor sports and lifestyle concentration. So when an upstart like Panache Cyclewear opens its doors amongst this level of competition, they’ve got to be serious.

I am SO finicky when it comes to my cycling clothing…I’m always fidgeting: un-sticking chamois from my crack, pulling bib straps back into position as they slide off my shoulder and my least favorite: trying to organize my ‘junk’ to ensure comfort. I’ve been on a quest to find the right solution…and after trying Panache’s ‘Eleven’ jersey and bib, I may have found clothing Mecca.

Intrigued, I had to reach out to Panache’s owner and proprietor, Don Powell, and get the G-2 on Panache…and yup, a perfect segue for yet another chapter of ‘5 Questions With’!

1) GK: Whatup, Don! OK, let’s get down to some history first. Tell me about the genesis of Panache. What inspired you to build out the company?

DP: To make cool shit!  To up the style quotient in cycling apparel – and to create cool technical clothing that  I…and likely any other racer…could wear while training other than our team kits.  Cycling is the only sport in the world that trains and races in the same exact kit. Look at any soccer field and they’re decked out in training kits. We need other options like that – and we weren’t happy with the cartoon / bumper sticker options available in the stores.  At the same time, I felt that the level of quality was slipping in the cycling clothing and we wanted to create fast, comfortable clothing without compromise.  Thus was born Panache.

2) Got it. I am a TOTALLY finicky freak about the fit of my clothes as after 4, 5 or 6 hours, the littlest things drive me insane and totally distract me from having a good time on the ride. Tell me a little about advantages you have in your products as well as for teams looking for good quality kits.

DP: Time to delivery, quality and price are all variables as is fit and materials in this game.  For teams we make customizable clothing (e.g. we can put individual rider names/nicknames on their kits) on a chassis that is made for performance cyclists.  We use the latest in digital printing technology which allows us to hit any pantone (color) in vibrant color.  It also allows us to cross seams with design (so that the design matches up).  Our fabrics are top notch and most noticeably the jersey fabric is extremely pliable and wicking.  Our all-way stretch Pro-Stock chamois is what separates Panache from everyone else.  We don’t compromise and give racers a cheap ride, we give them the best.  Best means comfort AND it means performance.  The high density foam provides a bridge for blood flow and allows the rider to concentrate on going fast AND on going fast because blood doesn’t get hung up down there.

 
3) Bless you. My ‘nads are smiling already in anticipation of the next long ride in my Panache kit! So, let’s get down to the ‘real’ sport: What are you working on that can help outfitting cyclo-crossers for our needs? 

DP: Again the chamois is part of the equation.  Riding hard, bouncing, jumping on and off the bike… Panache smooths out the ride.  Another way we help out CX riders is in our vests and jackets.  We use a membrane technology that blocks the wind completely keeping the rider warm and dry.  We will be working closely with some of the local (Boulder) racers to improve and address some of the challenges specific to cyclo cross – and I plan on riding cross this Fall after my first immersion last season. I like the mud; I like “taking” corners; and you can’t beat the vibe at the races.  Although I haven’t raced much cross, I was actually teammates with two CX World Champions back in 1994: Radomir Simunek and Paul Herijgers, two hard working riders that taught me a bunch about training hard and paying attention to detail.

4) Classic! Herijgers is a legend! Speaking of legends, we have a boat load of them here in town as Boulder and Colorado in general seems to be the epi-center for cycling training, media and general ecosystem. Why Boulder for you and Panache? 

DP: I’m in Boulder because I love the riding, love the people, and love the weather.  Boulder is a great place for cyclists and has a heritage in cycling: the Coors Classic, the home of Davis Phinney, Andy Hampsten, and one of the epi-centers for cross.  Boulder is also a place that is evolving and growing.  There is a strong design scene here – folks like Joy Engine and Cypher13.  At the same time, the tech industry (techstars / me.dium / lijit) is growing, bringing in a more urbanite crowd.  For Panache, this is important because we are a cycling clothing company rooted in style and design that makes cool stuff - not just fast, technical clothing.  We like the convergence of sport and lifestyle.

5) My thoughts exactly about Boulder. That and my family THRIVES here. OK, the single most important question. Ready Don? Wellens or Nijs?

DP: The duels they have are insane, but if I had to pick, I’d go with Nijs – fluid style with a LOT of power.

Extra Points Tell us a little interesting tid-bit about your cycling past and if you can, weave in something about BEER:

DP: Good one! OK, heregoes: I rode professionally for Saxon in Belgium and we were sponsored by Brigand, a beer with a slight cidery taste; a big golden ale beer; a beer perfect for cold weather, mud, SCREAMING fans, and Cross.  How’s that for extra credit?

A few weeks ago I peddled on over to BCS to watch my boy Ted get his new bike fit....dialed in via the very capable eyes, hands and brain of Mr. Todd Carver and his Retül system. I followed this up with a "5 Questions with..." episode with Todd so folks could learn a little more about this dynamic bike fit approach. With all of my body drama and pains going on as of late, I needed to get dialed and have Todd put me under his lens so I can train pain free (and I mean the bad pain....) on my roadie. So, I got myself Retül'ed!

I showed up at my scheduled time at BCS and Todd was there waiting for me, and immediately got me up on the platform and 'dotted' up with all the various infrared nodes and he began his work. On the platform, I got plugged into the Computrainer.

Todd dialed me in and while I was spinning a bit, he began his Q & A and asked all sorts of questions to dig into what I want to achieve....and thus we focused in on areas where I have pain, etc. He then used the Retül technology to 'photograph' where I am at physiologically with this bike. TONS of imbalances to say the least.

During the course of the inspection, Todd would have me get on and off while he made various adjustments...all the while studying my movements with each tweak. All this ended up resulting in a saddle height raise by a CM and by bars by 2CM amongst some other micro-changes. My bars were at a 10CM differential to my seat height (e.g. super low and racy) and therefore needed to come up a bit to ~8CM.

So with the general dimensions re-dialed, we then dove into other body-mechanical issues...mainly surrounding feet/cleats. My feet have a naturally high arch so he prescribed got some Specialized ++ inserts to provide some support and reduce exhaustion I suffered from (e.g. cramping) and then dialed in my cleat position to ensure maximum efficiency. My theory had always been as far forward as possible but with the adjustments he made to the bike, he brought them back a fraction toward the heel and it is way more comfortable and allows me to pull through the stroke way more comfortably in a heel down approach.

Afterwards, Todd sent me all my data via email as all customers get of the resultant tests in addition to your bike sizing...very valuable for when you need a frame built or buying a new one off the shelf and you need it dialed perfectly. A wonderful part of the service. I am going to ride on this new set up for a few days and see what if anything needs to be micro adjusted. But I am stoked to go and train pain free!

Ah, performance. Everyone is trying to get an advantage. Obviously it starts with great fitness but short of that its enjoying yourself on your bike and when having fun, ensuring that every pedal stroke has meaning and is putting all of what you need behind it. Nothing wasted. To ensure that, you need to be properly 'fit' for the bike. There's more to it than just ensuring your stand over height is 'seemingly' correct. And further, its WAY more than just being fit when you are sitting there...static...on the bike. You move...and the bike moves. Dynamic. To be fit with THOSE dimensions in mind is key.

Over dinner at our dear friends house this weekend, my bud, marketing guru and fellow bike geek Ted of Anthem Branding here in Boulder mentioned that he was getting a fit for a new bike he received by Todd Carver. "Hmm. Really?" I say. Looked like a perfect opp for a "5 Questions With". Todd now is involved with a company known as Retül (say: re-tool) which is applying mad science and technology to work with cyclists of ALL types (from Pro racers to daily commuters) to make their riding experience better....where 'better' may mean better performance, less pain and fatigue....ultimately more a more enjoyable ride.

At 11Am sharp I showed up to Boulder Cycle Sport, one of Boulder's premier shops which provide Retül services...and lucky enough to have Todd, himself, so close!...to watch what goes down on a Retül fit to help you learn more about it. Todd and I go way back as he and I love to throw the gauntlet at each other in cross races. My boy is "fit." Trust me on this. Today I learned a LOT of the reasons why....

M & C: Todd! First, congrats on all the excitement around Retül! Yet another Boulder success
story. You make me all misty eyed with your success. Can you fill me in on the genesis of Retül? When did it form as a company and what was the inspiration?

Todd: Thanks Greg. The product was developed by Cliff Simms, an engineer at Boulder
Innovation Group and fellow MTBer, and the cycling-specific spatial model and biomechanical analysis were enhanced by me. We have also teamed up with Franko Vatterot, formerly of CAT and TriDubai, for business development, marketing, and sales. The inspiration was to give more fitters access to motion capture technology so that more riders have access to a top notch, research level, biomechanical analysis in their home towns. We have also created an open-forum communication fitting network across the nation that is only possible with the collection of accurate, objective data. Old fitting techniques were too subjective. Motion capture, and maybe video someday, is the way of the future.
M&C: Bike fitting has been an artisan trade for what seems like centuries, mainly done by rotund Italians with gray hair, cigarette dangling from their mouth and a string with a weight on it as about the most scientific apparatus they have during the whole process. What do you think has been the single greatest milestone improvement in bike fitting in the last 25 years to improve an athlete’s performance?

Todd: Without a doubt, dynamic fitting. As it's name implies, dynamic fitting records data while the rider is pedalling under normal, physiologic loads. Simply put, we are fitting riders to ride bikes, not sit on them. When a rider transitions from sitting to pedalling, or when a rider transitions between workloads (power) and cadences, things change. And they change dramatically. Also, the motion of the pelvis and frontal-view knee tracking have been implicated as big players in the development of leg power and the diagnosis of overuse injuries. It does not good to record anything statically.
M&C: There are a number of fairly scientific methods now to fit a riders body to maximize performance. What makes Retül bleeding edge? Why should I opt for Retül versus other approaches as a cyclist?
Todd: There are two things here Greg. We, as a company, have two different business models. First, if a bike shop or physical therapy clinic want to purchase a system for bike fitting, there are other options. The other options are mostly video-based systems which offer great visual benefits to the fitter and rider. Hook up a video camera to the laptop and the rider becomes an image on the computer screen. That is called 2D. 3D actually creates a spatial model of the rider's TRUE 3D motion (through 3+ camera angles) and takes the recordings from that stick figure. 3D is known industry-wide as the gold standard of accuracy. Second, if you want to get a fit done and are deciding between options, you should not only factor in the technological capabilities, but you should choose a fitter that has a good reputation. As much as we hate to say it, some of the finer details of fitting is still an art. And there are good artists and bad artists. It usually comes down to how the fitter uses the technology, and interprets the data.
M&C: So Todd, assume I come into my local shop and get a Retül fit on my road bike. How does this translate to my mountain bike or my cross bike? Is it desirable to have specific fits per discipline and the equipment used for each?

Todd: Absolutely. Each position is different and all equipment will be different. More importantly, you will pedal each bike differently. Between a neutral road/MTB position and the TT position, we see HUGE changes in the 3D kinematics such as joint angles of the ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow. Unfortunately for the rider, there is no good way to transfer the position between bikes other than actually fitting each bike. I guess that is good for guys like me.
M&C: OK, Todd, the ‘big’ one: Vervecken or Boom?

Todd: Well, I guess I have to say Boom.

Todd, thanks so much for being part of "5 Questions with!" I have learned TONS by watching your fit today with Ted and with the answers to my questions above. I am sure it'll help our readers!

Note the following as well!:
As Todd mentioned above, each discipline of cycling ranging from road to mountain to cyclocross requires a specific 'fit'. To supply the huge demand of 'crossers growing here in Boulder, Boulder Cycle Sport in conjunction with Todd Carver/Retül and Brandon Dwight will be offering 'cross specific fits this coming season. Stay tuned!

If you are interested in Retül and where this dynamic fit system is located near you, or perhaps you are a shop interested in providing this service to your customers, click here to find a dealer or general product/service info.

Earlier this year I started up this series of posts on local businesses here in Boulder...businesses circulating in an around the cycling industry. I did the first one with The Pro's Closet and now am bringing you the second in this series with a company and a more importantly a person near and dear to my heart: Bobby 'Bring The' Noyes, owner and creator of RockyMounts bicycle carrying systems here in Boulder.

GREG: So Bobby, tell me a little bit about the genesis of RockyMounts. When did you start up this franchise and what was the inspiration?

BOBBY: Every bike shop i worked at, i always ended up as the "rack guy", for better or worse. After listening to customers complaints about the, literally, two choices they had in racks, I set up shop in my garage on 34th and Baseline. It was pretty ghetto at first selling them out of the trunk of my car. Money was tight, so I kept my bike shop job and tried to sell them in my free time.

GREG: What inspired you to move away from the stove-top black color schemes the ‘other’ roof rack makers are still to this day rolling out and offer such a variety of colors and patterns? Further, how are these designs actually created/applied on your racks?

BOBBY: It was purely by chance. We sponsored the CU cycling team, and made them some yellow ones. They came out pretty cool, and riders started asking for them, so we obliged. We have our powder coatings done out in Platteville, CO, by a good ol' boy we refer to as Smokin' Joe. Watching him spray powder smokin a Kool Menthol earned him the name. The printed patterns are done in Denver by a Kolorfusion the patterns are printed on fabric, wrapped on the aluminum trays and baked on. Most of their business is doing Mossy Oak Camo on Polaris ATV, but they manage to sneak in a coupla bike racks.

GREG: Talk to me about bicycle advocacy here in Boulder, Bobby. You are ALWAYS involved and donate so much of your time to ensure cyclists can…well cycle! In your opinion, what is the most important issue cyclists face here in town and in the region?

BOBBY: Boulder has always done a good job with transportation for cycling, but they have never completed the mission and left the sporting component off the table. The wind has been changing, and city officials realize how big a factor we are. The Parks Department especially has been fantastic to deal with lately. When we first asked for facilities, they asked us why we could not use the bike path. Now, we are working on a full blown bike park on the north side of Valmont. Although it is not a done deal, we should have an announcement in early July.

GREG: What kind of changes have you seen in the bike industry all these years have been immersed in it?

BOBBY: The bar keeps getting raised. Through both people's passion and down right greed, last year's designs must constantly be improved. Most for the better, but some for the worst.

GREG: OK, so lastly, Bobby: Slipstream or 7-11? Who’s cooler?

BOBBY: That's a tough call, i would like to see a Cage Match to decide it. Andy Hampsten/Davis Phinney vs. Christian Vande Velde/Jonny Coln, loser buys small house coffees at Amante.

Bobby, thanks my brother.

When you drive around town, nearly every roof is covered with an array of reds, cammo's, yellos, blues etc. When you see a stove top black rack, it's noticeable....and then you see that they are not RockyMount racks!

Make your region colorful and bring some of those back home! Visit the store www.RockyMounts.com and get some PRO racks for your rig...but as Bobby says:

Use 'em ONLY if you absolutely, positively can't ride there...

So as I mentioned previously, I am selling my 2004 Moots YBB to make room in the stable for my new custom Ahrens 29'er. There's lots of ways to sell your used stuff directly, eBay, Craig's List, local paper, blog...you name it. I'm perennially strapped for time, so I needed me some help. So, I opted to leverage the up-and-comer's "The Pro's Closet", conveniently located here in the Republic, and tap into their expertise and vast machine they are creating to provide an intriguing supply of pro-level stuff (most is used and hard to find 'last season' items from professionals) to cover the growing demand for quality stuff at the right price for shmoes like me and you to grab while it's hot.

So the more I dealt with this lot of folks at The Pro's Closet (TPC), the more I got intrigued with their growing business and how this whole operation runs...ironically 100 yards from my house. I swung by at lunch one day while working from home to see local blogger, MTB'er and all around nice guy, Nick Martin. I wanted to give you a perspective on this business that can be helping you find what you may have been looking for!

So, with that, let the five questions with fly!

1) M & C: Hey Nick! So, I'm here to tell the world a
little sumpin' sumpin' about The Pro's Closet. But,
before that, gimme a little thumbnail sketch of
Mr.RideWithNickMartin:

Nick: Well for the previous 4 years I had sacrificed
everything in the pursuit of my dream, to make cycling
my "job". In the process I took my camera and writing
background with me and shared it will cyber space over
at ridewithnickmartin.com. Pretty simple life really,
travel-ride-coffee-repeat.

2) M & C: So, from the starving Pro to The Pro's Closet. Intriguing. Can
you tell me about the genesis of TPC. Who's idea? In
fact, tell me exactly WHO is TPC?

Nick: Well in order to pursue my cycling habit I ended up
trying to sell all of my worldly possessions on ebay.
From my Grateful Dead bootlegs to last years kits, I
sold it all... Now this went on for about 3 years,
completely supporting my cycling until I simply ran
out of things to sell. At that time my good friend
and training partner Zack Vestal (now mgr for Trek/VW)
suggested I help him unload some goods.... from there
word of mouth took over. The Pro's Closet really
didn't evolve into what it is today until I hired
Pete Lopinto, Sierra Nevada Crit guru. Pete networked
with the roadie circuit and I spread the word on the
NORBA scene... from there we brought both worlds
together and The Pros Closet took off.

3) M& C: Sounds like a killer crew of folks who REALLY
know about the equipment you are selling to lots of
lucky people. So, speaking of the biz, how do people
find you?

Nick: Right now it is completely through word of mouth. One
guy/girl in a group ride will tell his/her riding
partners on their experience cleaning out their garage
with us and then before we knew it the spider web
formed. We have been growing consistently now for 2
years and today we are up to 6 employees and a consist
client base of up to 100 athletes.

4) M&C: OK, crystal ball time: Besides driving a Carrera
4 S and sipping Cristal, where do you see TPC headed.
What's the biz look like in 5 years?

Nick: You know there is so much gear out there that still
has many miles left in it and simply needs to find the
right owner to put it back to use. Ebay is an
exciting marketplace for both buyers and sellers and
it opens doors to items that you can't find at your
local shop. We are helping our clients free up
valuable space and putting gear into the hands of
people that will get outside and put it to use.

In 5 years I am hoping that the business will be
running itself and I can go back to my days
procrastinating the real world on my bike.....

M & C: Great to talk with you man and best of luck with the
biz! So one last question: Nijs or Wellens

Nick: They have put on a good show and it is a tough call...
Wellens

So go ahead and visit The Pro's Closet! Now you know a little more about the crew of folks makin' it happin' for you.