Things always begin as a question.  "Hey we are looking for a mechanic for X."  It's a call, text or email I get on a weekly basis.  The PBMA is keeping me pretty busy but I always enjoy supporting athletes.  

​As usual the call came in, this time for the Amy D. Foundation and instead of connecting them with a mechanic I said I would be honored to be a part of their team for the Redlands Bicycle Classic.  The team was incredible, we had no expectations other than to give these athletes a professional experience in a Pro-Am race.  Well by the end of the weekend they owned the top two spots in the best Amateur classification and the 15 year old wonderkid on junior gearing scored 2nd in the criterium, being bested only by a solo breakaway rider...

Redlands has been around for 33 years they say.  Myself like a few others have been to this "small" Inland Empire town year after year for perhaps more years than we care to remember.  What's familiar in Redlands is the local love for the Classic.  Residents opening their homes to host teams, filling the sides of the streets to cheer the racers on.  

The favorite spots to grab a bite like El Burrito and the usual "union" meeting on Friday at The Royal Falconer.  Redlands is a race worth going to and well worth supporting with whatever resource you offer.

Lucky for the PBMA the team needed a vehicle moved back to Colorado.  This offered me a couple days of windshield time.  Between Redlands and Golden are a couple of important stops like Vegas, Moab and Grand Junction.  Vegas perhaps not so much but a place to sleep... plenty of days yet to be spend there in September for Interbike.  In Moab I was able to make the hour detour to visit PBMA member shop Poison Spider Bicycles, a shop I'd personally not been to in somewhere around 10 years.

Grand Junction was the next overnight with a morning visit to DT Swiss who are doing some amazing things in a small facility off the beaten path.  Most don't know but this facility serves all of the Americas for aftermarket and warranty needs.  They also handbuld somewhere around 30,000 wheels a year and produce much of the spoke product sold in their region... all right there in Colorado.  One of the most interesting things for me about their facility is that for most assembly in the US bicycle companies that spec their wheels... DT Swiss is producing and delivering that product from this Colorado facility... think of brands like Pivot, Yeti and others.

Since as noted I am always asked for help or to assist in connecting teams to help... while at Redlands I was asked if I could go to a race in Gatineau (Ottawa).  I said yes.  So home for 4 days and on a plane again (60 airports now this year).  

Gatineau is great if you like Poutine... going into Canada always offers some unique and interesting challenges.  Think it's hard to get into the US... Well Canada is harder.  Luckily this customs crossing was seamless unlike the 2 hour delay and questioning last year entering into Calgary Alberta.  

Gatineau is distinctively French, the language, roads, menus and way of life.  On my quest for things needed I popped into a little bicycle shop in Hull.  I wanted tubular glue, the shop owner said "nobody is asking for this for like 10 years", he then proceeded to show me a collection of NOS never seen the light of day tubular rims.  I want to buy them all when I go back at the end of June - please let me know if you want some!

The racing took place almost entirely in the Parc de la Gatineau which is just beautiful.  I was working for the Sho-Air Twenty20 team and had 4 athletes.  My function was all things as it was me as the entirety of the staff.  

We had fun, three raced the TT with 5th, 7th and 10th places and all raced the road race.  The Canadian National Team had a strong group and their play was almost derailed when their sprinters rear derailleur literally blew up.

There she stood on the left side of the road trying to cross a field of riders and a caravan of cars.  Understanding how support works, I let her cross.  Her car came about and made the bike change and her team waited.  Nobody attacked when they probably could of changed the entire outcome of the race being this whole incident happened at the base of the climb.

Oh well, that stuff happens.  For myself as a mechanic my goal is to never get out of the car.  Mission success, driving and jumping is not for the faint of hear nor the untalented.  I've had to change a bike in a TT while driving... like most things, when you're in the actual doing of it - you give it very little thought leaving you to reflect or watch it on TV.

Life on the road is fun... no doubt.  That said, it's always good to be home!

PBMA is proud to introduce our newest Mechanic of the Week, Ralf Medloff, of Corte Madera, California!

For those of you just tuning into #mechanicmonday, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, chosen at random from nominations submitted the week before. It’s all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics – even behind the scenes, where we are proud to say that our Mechanic of the Week is presented by none other than Abbey Bike Tools and the Friar himself!

Ralf Medloff is arguably one of the best-known and best-loved staff members on the pro tour. Originally from Germany, he has been working all over the world as a professional bicycle mechanic for over twenty years. Most recently, Ralf worked as a head team mechanic with the Jelly Belly men’s team (2011-2015) and the Twenty16 women’s team (2016), until “retiring” this year to focus on his own business. While Ralf no doubt enjoys being closer to home this year, he still can’t stay away from the pro tour! He’s already returned to big races like Tour of the Gila and Redlands Classic in a directorial role, reuniting with the athletes and support staff that have become like family to him.

This “family” is 100% responsible for Ralf’s feature this week. Over the last month, we’ve heard from countless athletes, fellow mechanics, and pro tour staff who love working with Ralf and want nothing but the best for him in his new business adventures. We share their hope that this feature will help increase awareness about Ralf’s new business and causes that are so important to him, like youth sports and women’s representation in sports.

Today of all days, it is important that Ralf is PBMA’s Mechanic of the Week, because today is Ralf’s birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RALF!!!!! With lots of admiration, hugs, and high-fives from your cycling family and from all of us at PBMA, we hope you have a great day!

For everyone reading this at home, we encourage you to join the #MOTW conversation: Post a picture of YOUR favorite mechanic and tag us @probicyclemech, #probma, or #mechanicmonday, or nominate him or her to be featured in next week’s post!

PBMA is proud to introduce our newest Mechanic of the Week, Tom Siler, of Tom’s Pro Bike in Lancaster, New York!

For those of you just tuning into #mechanicmonday, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, chosen at random from nominations submitted the week before. It’s all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics – even behind the scenes, where we are proud to say that our Mechanic of the Week is presented by none other than Abbey Bike Tools and the Friar himself!

Tom Siler is not the namesake of Tom’s Pro Bike, but as one of the shop’s longest-tenured mechanics, he is the foundation of its success. The retail side of Tom’s Pro Bike is a Specialized Elite Shop, and its service department is well-known for its “Bicycle Parts Vending Machine.” Tom Siler personally has over twenty years’ experience as a professional bicycle mechanic, and his knowledge and expertise are invaluable to colleagues and customers alike. When Tom is not working in the shop or riding for himself, he volunteers countless hours to support his local “Ride for Roswell” and “Tour De Cure” events.

Tom was nominated by his customers to be featured this week, all of whom gave Tom their “highest recommendation” for Mechanic of the Week. Every one of them wrote to us about Tom’s professionalism, friendliness, knowledge, and skill. Clearly, Tom has made an impression on his community in western New York! And as always, we are thankful to have true professionals like him in our PBMA community.
​
For everyone reading this at home, we encourage you to join the #MOTW conversation: Post a picture of YOUR favorite mechanic and tag us @probicyclemech, #probma, or #mechanicmonday, or nominate him or her to be featured in next week’s post!

PBMA is proud to introduce our newest Mechanic of the Week, Dave Pitts! Dave lives in Schenectady, NY, and he’s the brains behind his own Pro Cycling Service business, as well as the former team mechanic for Saturn and Novo Nordisk!

For those of you just tuning into #mechanicmonday, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, chosen at random from nominations submitted the week before. It’s all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics – even behind the scenes, where we are proud to say that our Mechanic of the Week is presented by none other than Abbey Bike Tools and the Friar himself!

Dave Pitts is as well-loved as he is well-known within the pro tour community and within his upstate New York community. Not only is he a former head mechanic for Saturn and Novo, but he’s also wrenched for other high-profile programs like US Postal, BMC, and Jelly Belly. Now that he’s newly retired from the race circuit, Dave works from home most days. He runs his own Pro Cycling Service and helps his friend (and former MOTW) Ron Gainer at Velo Domestique in Chatham, NY.

Dave was nominated to be featured this week by the mechanics and volunteers who worked alongside him at the Women’s Woodstock Grand Prix this past weekend in Ulster County, NY. Dave was at Woodstock to support his wife, Stefanie, who did the women’s Cat 4 race. But like any good mechanic, he couldn’t resist getting in on the action by helping out wherever he was needed. He brightened up a rainy morning for so many people – as if we needed any more proof that he’s a true pro!

For everyone reading this at home, we encourage you to join the #MOTW conversation: Post a picture of YOUR favorite mechanic and tag us @probicyclemech, #probma, or #mechanicmonday, or nominate him or her to be featured in next week’s post!