Nothing like getting a prank call on a Monday morning to start your week, right? But amazingly enough this turned out to be a true call… this really was George Hincapie and he wanted to talk to me.
OK, forgive me for the sidebar but some of you probably need
to know who George Hincapie is before we go on: He’s been a professional
cyclist for many years and has ridden in 15 Tours de France and five Olympics
among many other races during his 19 year pro career. What interests me in him
is his persistence in always wanting to be remembered as a “great teammate” and
his support of the winning of eight yellow jersey wins is a testament to that
attitude. For more please see: http://www.georgehincapie.com/bio/.
He now lives in Greenville, SC and has a successful cycling clothing business
among other activities.
So… why is a famous cyclist calling me? Well, several months
ago I ordered a club jersey from the Clemson Cycling club and they use Hincapie
Sportswear to make their ‘stuff’ (aka a “Kit” in cycling lingo). Shortly after
I received my jersey I got a mass email encouraging people to apply for the “Ride
Hincapie Ambassador” program. This is a program that Hincapie Sportswear uses
to “…help support and promote our favorite cycling apparel brand through social
media and local grassroots efforts.” In return for doing so I would receive two
complete ‘kits’ and numerous other perks and fun things. I thought to myself: Holy Sprocket, Bat Man, FREE CYCLING CLOTHES ! ! ! I’m in.
The application process was quite fun. I had to complete a
form they provided to answer a few questions about my cycling history and
discuss a little about why and how much I ride. They also wanted to know how
active I was with the multitudinous Social Media websites and apps. All easy
stuff, right? In addition they
encouraged a multimedia presentation of me answering five specific questions –
ouch. So I sat down with my trusty webcam and proceeded to make a video of me
talking about me and answering the five questions. Then I made it again since
it was much longer than the five minute maximum they would allow. Then I made
it again, and again, and again…do you get the sense that I’m just not a
multimedia kind of guy? BUT, in the end I ended up with a five minute video
that had a music intro and exit, titles, fades and my snarky attitude littered
throughout the whole thing. This video was ME,
in all my newfound cycling glory. So I finished up the form and sent it
along with my multimedia masterpiece to the Hincapie Sportswear headquarters in
Greenville, SC.
Several months (or weeks, we artists tend to be inpatient)
went by before I got that ‘prank call’ on a Monday morning – “Hi James, this is
George Hincapie”. I laughed and said ‘yeah
right’ and luckily fought off
spouting some reference to a former cycling team captain (who will remain
nameless). Then I heard several people in the background of his call make that
laugh that sounds like ‘there’s another one who doesn’t believe him’ and
instantly started gushing and stammering at the same time. He went on to say
that he had enjoyed my video and thought that I would be a good choice to join
the “Ambassador” program. Of course I agreed and thanked him for the
opportunity and he then mentioned my goal to ride in RAGBRAI and wished me
luck. I thanked him for that and then said something like…”I wish I had a way to record this conversation, no one is going to
believe me”. He laughed that nervous laugh that all stalking victims have
and thanked me again for applying, wished me luck in my riding and politely
signed off the call. “WOW, I’ve been
selected….i wonder if they selected everyone” was the thought going through
my cynical head as I hung up the phone. I can’t help it, I’m a natural born
cynic and have just learned to live with it over the years. A few days later I
received an email from the coordinator of the program congratulating me on
being chosen and containing a long list of ‘stuff’ that we will be receiving
once we return our sizes and other information. Of course I counted the number
of people on the email and it appears that there are only about 15 of ‘us’ who
have been chosen this year. A quick google and facebook search turned up some
interesting information on a few of them…there are at least two pro cyclists on
the list, several tri-athletes who compete at a high level, many cyclists who
compete in local and regional races and me, an old guy who’s happy to get in a
62 mile ride without falling off of his bike! This week I received my first box
of ‘goodies’ which includes a spiffy jacket, a cool trucker hat, two pair of
really nice socks, a water bottle and a box of ‘business cards’ that have my
name on them as part of a discount code that can be used to purchase Hincapie
Sportswear items and also to receive a discount on the registration fee for the
annual Hincapie Gran Fondo that will be held in the Greenville, SC area in the
Fall. I’m looking forward to receiving
my riding ‘kit’ in a few weeks since the riding season is getting up and into
full swing about now. I’ll post photos once it all arrives.
So there you have it.. I’m a Hincapie Ride Ambassador for
2015 and happy to be representing the Hincapie Sportswear line to all of you
and my friends, co-riders and anyone that wants to know how great their stuff
is. Should be a fun time !
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| Discount Coupon for Hincapie Sportswear |
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| Discount Coupon for Hincapie "Gran Fondo" Bike Ride |
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| My NEW Socks and Hat |
TRAINING PROGRESS
As for riding I’ve had a few up and down weeks. There were a
few weeks where I was busy with some family matters and didn’t have much time
to ride but I got back on my back a couple of weeks ago with the local weekly
rides and last week I rode 140 miles over 4 of the 7 days including my second
62 mile ride of the year. That has me a little ahead of my training schedule
and I’m hoping to stay ahead as long as I can. Later this week I’ll be riding
in another 62 mile ride on Saturday, a 40 mile ride on Sunday then the weekly
ride on Monday but until then I am ‘recovering’. J
NEXT WEEK
So that’s it for this edition of “James’s Ride to RAGBRAI”.
Hopefully you’re as excited about my new ‘job’ as I am! Next week I’m thinking
that I will talk a little about the struggles I’ve been through so far trying
to stay hydrated and fed during the longer rides and cover some of the eating
plans that I’ve come across. What do you think about that? Be sure and leave
comments and/or questions below… I’d really like to know what you’re thinking and
appreciate any feedback you have on how to make this blog more better. Thanks
and have a great week!
