Articles – Page 32 – Seven Cycles

Rapha Prestige New England

We left Seven in the late afternoon after a long week of building and riding bikes. We drove west on Route 2 to where 91 shoots north into Vermont and arrived at our campsite after dark. The manager had gone home for the night, and it took us a little while to figure out where to set up, but we did eventually, eating some pre-made burritos and laying down for a quick night’s sleep.

In the morning, we drove up to Consider Bardwell Farm in West Pawlett and signed in for the ride, all of us a little nervous about what the day had in store. Our friend David, from Rapha, plied us with espressso and we got our act together as quickly as we could. The Prestige is not a race, but each team has a departure time, so we needed to depart.

Vermont is beautiful. We all knew it was beautiful, but it was nice the way the frenzy of the morning gave way to quiet roads and dazzling views. We all woke up a few miles from the farm and settled into our rhythm, working together, enjoying the scenery.

It turned out to be one of those great days on the bike for each of us. No flats, good food, cool weather, good packed dirt and fast paved descents, it was a great route, and we were all as strong as we could have hoped to be. It was classic Evergreening terrain, hilly, some of it paved, some of it not. 116 miles and 10,500 feet of climbing.

Greg, Matt, Jake, and Skip — (L-R) Performance Designer – Greg Marchand, Production Mgr – Matt O’Keefe, IT Guy – Jake Bridge, Tool Shop Mgr – Skip Brown

Vermont never disappoints and the folks at Rapha put on quite an event. Back at the finish just over 8 hours later, we sat down to a gourmet meal before repacking the van for the long drive back to Watertown, getting in after midnight, exhausted but happy.

The Sevens of D2R2

D2R2, the Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee, is the sort of event that challenges a rider, not only to ride great distances and climb what seem like endless New England hills, but also to come up with a bike that will meet all its challenges for traction, comfort and speed. With up to 180km of mixed-terrain and as many as 10,000ft of vertical gain, this is no small challenge. Every year we love to look around and see the bikes, and it seems that each year we also see more Sevens.

We might be uniquely suited to building this style of bike. We saw Axiom road bikes modified to take wider tires (and a flat bar) like the one below. We saw Mudhoney CX race bikes, and we saw Evergreens aplenty, our purpose built mixed-terrain bikes.

Here are just a few of the Sevens we saw at D2R2.

Marc’s Axiom S Fixed Gear Road Bike

This is Marc’s Axiom S. He wanted it dead simple. Track dropouts. Campy Pista crank. It’s not a track bike, but it has that seething-with-speed thing that track bikes have, while being set up for round-town road riding. Our friends at Velosmith did the build, and it definitely reflects their refined sense of what a bike should look like.

Chicago to Boston – Tom Schneider’s TRUE Fit

Tom Schneider is coming to Boston, by bike, from Chicago. There is a reason for this, but we should back up a little first. Schneider grew up in Rockland, MA on the south side of metro-Boston. Tom’s parents didn’t have a car, so he and his family rode bikes to get around. At an early age, he fell in love with physical activity, eventually doing undergrad work in Exercise and Health Sciences at UMass-Boston and then a Master’s in Sports Administration at Northwestern.

After working with kids during recess at several different Chicago Public Schools, he realized what direction he wanted his career to take.

“I saw the activity level of the kids during recess, and it’s definitely not that same as when I was their age. Most kids favor technology over movement, and they’re neglecting the activity they need every day,” he says.

Now, Tom coaches basketball and trains the athletes at one of Chicago’s college prep schools. He’s a personal trainer at the Wilmette Park District. He runs fitness clinics – both pay and pro bono – for kids throughout the city. And he spends a fair amount of time developing TRUE Fit, his education and fitness program aimed at kids of all ages.

The idea of the Chicago to Boston ride came when he and his father took a bike trip from their home in Rockland to the Martha’s Vineyard ferry and back. In total, they rode about 200 miles in 24 hours. Tom knew then that riding and conducting TRUE Fit clinics along the way would be a great way to inspire kids across the country.

That’s when our friends Tony and Julia at Velosmith stepped in to sponsor Tom, providing him a Seven to ride and some much needed expertise in long-distance riding.

Julia said, “Tom’s mission to teach kids about health and fitness is indisputable, and we’re excited to support his commitment to ride from Chicago to Boston,” said Julia. “Kids need to be active and get off their devices. Tony and I battle this with our two kids daily and we stand by Tom in his efforts to teach kids to make good decisions about food, move their bodies often, and get them pumping their muscles along the way! Tom is a motivator and mentor to adults and kids alike.”

Donate to the cause here.

Alex’s 622 SLX and the Mt. Evans Hill Climb

This is Alex and her new 622 SLX, which, as you can see, is made for climbing, right down to its Queen-of-the-Mountains paint scheme. All the titanium is painted Dianthus, one of our new colors for this season. We built it with Mark Brone at Brone’s Bike Shop in Fountain City, WI. We finished it just in time for Alex to take to Colorado for two weeks, culminating in the Mt. Evans Hill Climb. Here is her quick report from the trip:

Hi Seven,

I would just like to give you a feed back about my new bike.

We have returned from our trip to Colorado and the bike is amazing!

I was curious how this “custom made” is going to turn out and if I was going to notice any difference in the fit/feel. I have several bikes that are all “fine”, so it had to be better than “fine” to stand out.

And it…did!! Amazing, how comfortable it is. Not just a smooth ride, but I have never had any aches or pains (with climbing I got used to a uncomfortable “straining” feel in my lower back). I thought that the strain/pressure in my lower back is simply “a deal” for me in climbing position, not avoidable.

We first did the Independence Pass, then Loveland Pass (both from the harder sides, both about 12,000 ft elevation). A big surprise: I was not even thinking about any discomfort (other then the thin air…) and later on realized that I had no discomfort of any kind on that bike! Great!!

Our main event, at the end of the trip, was Bob Cook Road Bike race on Mt. Evans, to 14,140 ft elevation and about 7,000 ft of climbing in 28 miles. I was doubtful if I would make it to the top, but I did it! It took me 5 and a half hours (my husband did in 3hrs 22 min, riding conservatively as we did not know what to expect), but who cares? The weather was great (just luck), I felt perfectly fine going my relaxed tempo, so I kept going. It was an amazing feel to go through that finish line on over 14,000 ft height. Wow!!!

I am so happy that I was able to take my new bike on that trip. It would not be the same without it, so thank you for making the best effort at the end to make it happen!

Alex