Life on the Road

Life on the Road is a new monthly feature from the PBMA.  As implied this is a tale of happenings from outside the normal 9 to 5 shop job.  Life on the road will feature events, places and time from around the country and sometimes the world; photos and stories as told by those who experienced them.  

The cycling industry is full of opportunities. Working on the road sounds glamorous and many are surprised to find out it oftentimes is not.  Long days, long travel and exhaustive work aren't for the faint of heart.  At many events, be it expos, demos or races you find a familiar cast of characters akin to a traveling circus at times.  The rewards from being on the road come in many forms from friendship to food!

The road can be fun, seeing new places, experiencing worldly cuisine and making new friends.  It also has its challenges such as being away from your family or not seeing "home" for weeks or months on end.  Trust me when I tell you there is something very special about being in your place and not a hotel.  The road challenges you as an individual, it challenges your will.  Surviving equals growing as a person.

Believe it or not, I spent 300 nights in a hotel one year.  I have reward points, frequent flyer miles and I've been to somewhere around 22 countries and more cities than I can actually remember.  Its fun to talk about and people can never believe it, however it's an odd feeling when you're on the road and half way through dinner you realize you've eaten at this restaurant before.  That feeling turned into a happy memory because the food was amazing both times!

Life on the Road is going to highlight the ups and downs of travel.  A real life view of what happens when your workbench is mobile, be it in a van or out of a tool box.  Life on the Road is going to capture the essence of the traveling mechanic.  We hope it will inspire you and provide a realistic view of what its like in the wild.

We look forward to offering you insights from Marty Caivano, James Stanfill and surprise guest writers over the next few months.  First up in February will be a story from Marty including her visit to the DT Swiss "Mother Ship" so be sure to check back in or subscribe.

This intro to Life on the Road was written by James Stanfill and you can check out his 2017 travel map by clicking here