This is Grant Petersen. He's the founder and owner of a highly regarded yet very small bicycle company called Rivendell Bicycle Works. I don't know how many miles per year Grant pedals in and around his home in Northern California, but I can tell you this: he grinds out the majority of those miles in Teva sandals and a seersucker shirt. Why not clipless pedals and a skin-tight Lycra speed suit? The answer to that question is easy. Grant believes no one should dress like a clown, a space man or worst of all--a racer-- just to ride his bike. I'm planning a visit to Walnut Creek this December to meet and ride with my cycling hero, and I'm sure he will smoke my ass like a Virginia ham. That will be an indignity I can't wait to suffer, as I have admired Mr. Petersen's products, prominence and philosophy--his "velosophy" as he calls it--for nearly 20 years. I'm not sure which of my four bicycles I will take on my adventure, but I know what I'm going to wear: cargo shorts, Chuck Taylors and a Hanes Beefy T. If street clothes are good enough for Grant, they're certainly good enough for me.
1 comment:
Damn McGoo.........wish I could come ride with yoose all. Best I can do is some trailbuilding this weekend. Tell Grant we need a fresh reader! We are lucky to have one of the few Rivendell dealers here..Acme Bicycles.
Post a Comment