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I had the good fortune for Frankie Andreu to park beside me at the Cheaha Challenge Century. Frankie competed in the Tour de France nine times, riding with US Postal and Lance Armstrong for a portion of that time. We both arrived at the parking lot about 6 or a quarter after for the 7:30 start and parked side by side. I didn't know who he was and he didn't know who I was. We struck up a casual conversation soon after getting out of our cars and stretching from the ride to Piedmont. I asked him where he was from, he said Michigan. He in turn asked where I was from. I told him. He said since I was from Gadsden he needed directions on how to get to the Birmingham airport via Gadsden. He wrote down the directions. I asked him did he come down specifically for this century ride. No, he was down here on a business trip. I asked him did he fly his bike in. No, he was borrowing the bike he was riding from a friend. I told him that he was brave to ride a loaner bike on a century. I envisioned a beater bike in his car. I told him about me riding the slightly too small Red Rocket with the stiff bottom bracket, in the Cherohala last year and being uncomfortable the whole 9.5 hours. I told him I did not plan on doing another century on a bike that didn't properly fit. He said he knew his bike measurement numbers and adjusted the bike, plus it was the same brand as he sometimes rode and was comparably equipped. I told him he was lucky his friend's bike was so familiar, but I started thinking something was a little out of the ordinary on this. I wondered who knows their bike measurement numbers beside me. I have mine posted on my workshop wall. I asked him if he was doing the whole 100 miles? He said he'd probably just turn around at the top because he had an early plane to catch. I asked about how much he was riding to prepare for today's ride. He said about 200 miles per week when his schedule allows. But lately hadn't been able to ride as much as he liked. Hmmmm...
Then he pulled out a top-end Felt from his trunk. I told him you must have a good friend to loan and trust you with a bike that nice. I asked him does your friend live around here and why isn't he riding it? He said his friend was from Anniston. I told him I worked in Anniston. I was starting to wonder if he stole it; his car wasn't loaded with the usual biking paraphernalia. Most carry their bike on a rack, and not in the trunk. I thought very few people in Anniston have bikes that nice and I may know his friend. I said, your friend must ride a lot trying to find out whose it was because I probably knew whoever his friend was. He said it was from a local bike shop and his friend was Wig. I told him I knew Wig and did business there.
I set my bike up on the stand to air the tires and got my tripod seat out as I normally do. He came over and took an interest in the Synapse's drive train. Told him I had the cassette custom made and went on to tell him how good it did at going up Hog Pen Bizarro the weekend before. He was familiar with Hog Pen but didn't know what Bizarro was, so I explained it to him. I asked if he had done Hog Pen, he said he had done it both directions. He said he'd not seen a drive train quite like what I had on the Synapse, then bent over and started counting the teeth on the front chain ring. I volunteered there are 46 in the big ring and 34 in the smaller one to save him the trouble of counting. I told him the bike tops out around 26 MPH at 100 RPM with this cassette (14-34) and that was fine with me because any faster and I'd just start coasting because I'd be going downhill. I told him I called this setup a direct drive 1:1 (34x34) ratio because it has a 34 front ring and a 34 rear cassette. He continued looking the Synapse over.
He said, I see you put a long arm DA derailleur and a mountain bike cassette. I told him it was the GS model derailleur and the cassette wasn't a mountain bike cassette, but a custom touring road bike cassette 14 by 34 put together by Harris Cyclery. He was familiar with the New England bicycle shop. I told him the gearing that was on the bike today made the bike equivalent to a triple in terms of gear-inches. He said, I can see where a double front will save weight over a triple especially with the smaller front rings. I told him yes it does, that it weighed in just over 16 pounds with the pedals. I told him I had a variety of cassettes (21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32 and 34) that I interchange based on the terrain where I will be riding, but my standard cassette is a 27 tooth. Swapping out the cassettes puts the gear spacing much tighter than if I stuck with the same cassette all the time like most people do. I told him that it's a little more trouble, but I didn't mind and I surely won't miss the 12 and 13 tooth sprocket today. He said "that's okay if you're not racing" and riding the hills around here. I told him I didn't race and didn't plan to start.
Later, it became known to me who he was when people started coming up asking for his autograph and picture. I asked him what size cassette he had used on Mont Ventux and the like. It was on my mind from the emails about him from the week before. He says he usually used a 23. He said that pretty much was what the others use as well. Another fan took my pix with him. I hope he emails it, which is looking unlikely after 10 days and explains why I'm sending this out so late. I gave the guy with the camera my business card and I was nice enough to snap his and Frankie's pix. He promised faithfully and I reminded him again after we finished to send me the photo as we were loading the bikes. Frankie did autograph my bib number but I'd rather have the photo. Too bad I didn't have my camera. I was heading straight to Atlanta from Piedmont on my business trip.
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