Post Traumatic Stress

Post Traumatic Stress, I am finally over it!  The last couple of weeks have been a little bit of a roller coaster since the news from the team that they will not continue beyond 2007.   I tried to take the news in stride but to honest it really got me down.  I am very proud to be a part of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team and I am sad to see them go.  After a couple of weeks of moping around Trek trying to figure out what is next, I have decided to make the best of it.  We have all been very lucky to have Tail Wind Sports (management company of the Postal/Discovery Team) around for as long as they have been.  Along with Lance, they helped put cycling back on the map in the US.  I am eternally grateful for all they have done for me and the sport of cycling.  Just because they are going to be gone, they will not be forgotten.    

There is still a lot to look forward to.  I was reading this morning about the Veulta, it is going to be a great race.  The Discovery Team is stacked and the race is wide open.  Not to mention the overall Pro Tour standings; CSC, Caisse d'Epargne and Discovery are all pretty close in the team points and there are only 6 Pro Tour races left.   I will be going out to the Tour of Missouri next month and I am very excited to see the Team off. 

Trek World Show

We hosted over 1000 dealers at our annual Trek World show a few weeks ago. The event lasted about 10 days for those of us that work out of Trek HQ here in Waterloo. Those 10 days are divided into three shows - one for sales reps and two for dealers.

Set-up takes a few days and can be a stressful time. Imagine arranging 200+ bikes for display and you start to get the picture.

Our dealers attend technical seminars, business classes, awards dinners and special events like the 1 World 2 Wheels presentation while they are in town. Occasionally we have guest like Lance show up but not this time around. We focused on the product this year which seems to be paying off with an endless array of positive comments from our customers.

An event that was related to the 1 World 2 Wheels push was the 1000 Lime bikes ride we surprised the dealers with. At the end of an hour presentation where 1000 dealers heard how they can change the world by getting more people to ride their bikes, John Burke started to direct the audience towards the doors where busses were waiting for the short trip to a BBQ dinner. A plant in the audience yelled out, "Busses!? Why don't we ride bikes!" So they did. Trek had assembled 1000 Limes and asked the city of Madison to close a few streets so we could all ride 2 miles from the event hall to a BBQ dinner. It was awesome.

Trek World is not open to the public although it would be cool to see if you are a bike nut. It's a bit like Interbike but focuses on Trek brands. We don't have a display at Interbike and instead host our own show. This gives us our customer's full attention.

Watch for all the 2008 product we showed our customers at your local dealer soon.

Be more Green

Trek's President John Burke recently unleashed an advocacy program aimed at curbing world-wide epidemic over-population, human obesity and chronic pollution challenges. The program is called 1 World 2 Wheels, A Trek Commitment. One logical, viable solution to the world’s unstable situation is to get more people riding bikes; any bike. To back up Trek’s commitment we are contributing monies to pro-bike organizations like IMBA and Bicycle Friendly Community as well as publishing literature that demonstrates how you can do your part in your part of the world.

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Kick the habit and get on your bike and ride!

Dissolved Team

As you may know by now the Discovery team management has decided to not pursue support for their race team in 2008.  Trek has long been a supporter of the team (since late 1997) and benefited greatly from the deep relationship.  There are currently discussions happening within Trek walls as to what we will do in 2008 and beyond (and we've been talking about this for several months).  In the meantime, Trek will promote and enjoy our 8th TdF victory while we reassess our options for future racing endeavors. 

Bike deliveries

Several comments here within this blog ask about delivery times for the new Madone.  Trek is making 2008 bikes as fast as we can to fill orders and make happy customers.  All production lines are at 100% and all sizes in all layup schedules are in production.  Orders are filled on first placed, first filled basis (big shops don't have priority over smaller shops) so as long as your local Trek dealer has an order in, it will be filled.

Winning the Tour

It is difficult to explain all that has happened since my last post.  If you have been keeping up with cycling then you already understand.  If you haven't then you are tuning in at the right time.  Hopefully most of the tumultuous times are behind us and we will get to celebrate our Tour win for the whole year to come. 

The Team rode a fantastic Tour.  They stuck together and did what they needed to do.  The race was a wild ride but in the end Contador and the Discovery Team earned their victory. 

I had the pleasure of riding in one of the team cars for the parade and it was fantastic.  The Champs Elysees was packed with people all waiting to see the team go by.   

I also had the honor of delivering a Yellow bike to Contador the night before the final day.  It was a huge honor to bestow a gift to the Tour winner.  Here it is standing alone as the Tour wraps up.  Check back in for more photos detailing my trip....

 

TdF Discovery video

Check this out: