Seven was thrilled to welcome multiple-time national champion mountain bike racers and two-time Olympian Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick to our Watertown offices yesterday. Mike and Mary are back from the Thirteenth Annual Alpentour Trophy and stopped by on their way to Mont Saint-Anne in Quebec for the second race in the 2011 UCI World Cup Series.
It was wonderful to see Mike and Mary, as always! They are like family and whenever they visit it feels like a reunion. Not only did we get a chance to catch up on their season so far, but we were able to have some productive discussions about Seven’s most recent offroad R&D endeavors; and it’s always helpful to get Mary’s and Mike’s astute insights.
Their race situation is fairly unique: they race at a world-class level and are their own mechanics; meaning that they themselves have to fix whatever goes awry. In most cases – at this elite level – the bike mechanic and the athlete are separate. Combining both aspects in one rider provides a type of direct feedback that we at Seven find particularly helpful. Mike’s many years of race experience combined with his ability to communicate equipment subtleties provides a one-of-a-kind R&D feedback platform.
During the visit we also had some fun, and got the chance to see Mary and Mike’s home away from home up close: a super-clean van hitched to a trailer.
Said trailer provides all the conveniences of home plus a full bike shop, all in one.
We especially appreciate that Mary can do yoga and Mike can rollerboard in the trailer while motoring to their next race – of course not at the same time.
Follow the continuing adventures of Mike and Mary on their Blog; and on Cyclingnews.com.