Sharpen that Ax

The cycling industry is a great little community.  Across the country there are roughly 5500 independently owned bike stores.  Of those 5500 stores some have multiplied.  This gives us roughly 7500 bike store fronts in the USA.  Pretty amazing if you think about it.  We're not all awesome.  We're not all horrible.  We can be found all over the spectrum with varying degrees of success.  A common question for much of the leadership is, "How do we improve?  How do we sharpen our ax?"

Terry Storch on Leadership:  Your capacity as a leader is directly tied to your ability to change or adapt in the moment.

I've never been comfortable running my business the same from year to year.  Sure, there are things that I don't change but somethings need to change.  Imagine if you owned a typewriter store 20 years ago.  You're probably not selling ribbons and ink anymore.  You might be closed.  Or better yet, you may have evolved your business to continue to be relevant.  Maybe you're a computer store now.

P2 Host:  BikeLAB OKC

10 years ago I was invited by Leslie Cunningham to be a part of a network of retailers.  It's a program under the umbrella of the National Bicycle Dealer Association called P2.  Leslie Cunningham and Dan Mann were the facilitators of the program for several years.  They grew the program to 3 groups with members from coast to coast and as far south as Chile (I wish I was in that group) and as far north as Barrie, Ontario (I'm in that group!!!).  Each group has from 8 to 15 members.  Members are non competing retailers of various sizes.

Our P2 Group (sans Morgan from Bikeland in Barrie, Ont)

We meet twice a year at different member stores.  I hosted my group in Sioux Falls one year ago.  We sat in a meeting room at the Hilton Garden Inn downtown and watched the river rise...and rise.  We watched all sorts of debris float by the window.  It was surreal!  Our last meeting was hosted by Bike Lab OKC (they have a coffee shop IN the bike store!!!!).  Our next meeting will be at Motion Makers in Asheville, NC.  We spend a significant amount of time reviewing the host's physical store along with it's digital imprint. We are constantly sharing our financials with each other but if there's a specific need, then we'll do a deep dive for the host. 

Kent from Motion Makers in Asheville, NC working on his store review.

Think about a group of business owners visiting (judging) the host store.  One year ago I had a handful of some of the best retailers at my store reviewing every square inch of Spoke-n-Sport.  Nerve wracking stress ball of anxiety is maybe how I would describe it.  Is the bathroom clean?  Is all the merchandise priced?  Did someone leave pizza out on a counter?  Is there a typo on our website?  All the above?

Mark from Landry's of Boston completing a SWOT analysis of BikeLAB OKC.

Think about it through a different lens.  Think about a group of COACHES visiting that love this industry so much that they want you to succeed!  They want me to succeed with my team for the sake of cycling in the region.  HOLY COW!  Talk about an opportunity!  A coach doesn't just say, "You need to ride faster!"  A coach gives you the skills and training you need to ride faster.  A coach creates a training plan that will carry you through to success.  Intervals and meal plans along with encouragement and support.  That's just one part of the P2 program.  It's a team of coaches always wanting each member to succeed.  I feel the same way about every member in my P2 group.

Kent sharing some Point of Sale ideas with Brent of Bike Tech Cedar Falls and Tony of BikeLAB OKC.

It doesn't stop there.  There's more!  I've often imagined specialty retailers being very independent...to a fault.  Independence turns every problem into a new frontier.  When turning on a light you don't have to remember the history of Ben Franklin and his kite to know the switch will illuminate your midnight snack run.  The problem has already been solved.  The problems of retailers often consume a lot of time.  We're not accountants or IT professionals yet those are some of the problems we challenge ourselves with every day.  Some of them are as simple as needing more traffic in our stores or an easy way to make signs for merchandise.  Many of our problems have already been solved.  We are problem solvers!  With a group of problem solvers visiting, all you have to do is ask.  I don't even need to wait for a visit.  They are all there waiting at the end of an email address. The solution might not come from one member but from several at once.  It is often a group project with every member having a piece of the puzzle.  What an incredible resource.  We don't always agree on the solution.  You'll see responses like, "No, that will never work."  "You can't do that!".  That's when the fun starts because the problem solver has the data to back up the solution.  I love it when the answer is, "Not only does it work, we've been successfully doing it for X years and we've reduced our expenses XX%". 

Kent and Brent talk shop with Jeremy of BikeLAB OKC.

Our P2 group is just one method we use to sharpen our ax at Spoke-n-Sport.  We have a vested interest in cycling and when we improve, our clients see a benefit.  We don't squeeze profits out by reducing payroll our gauging our customers.  None of that even makes sense.  It's very short sighted.  We are a sustainable business in a tough market at a tough time that still aims to grow a community of cyclists.  Cycling truly is amazing.

Our P2 Group eats lots of tacos! 

Mid South Gravel and Mud Bonanza

To start things off, I just want to say that Bobby, Crystal and their crew along with all the sponsors put on one heck of an event.  Even though there was a national pandemic and a good ole fashioned Oklahoma thunder bumper there were still miles of smiles to be seen in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

If you ever get a chance to be a part of an event like this, just do it.  For example, when Cher comes to town...you just go...regardless if you like her or not.  It's going to be an experience to share with others for a lifetime.  I was going to be in Oklahoma City for some bike industry meetings and I thought why not sign up for Mid South the following weekend.  I got on the waiting list for the 100 mile and the 50 mile race.  I found out a week and a half before the event that I got a space in the 100 mile event (gulp).  Time to start training.  Training was a 30 mile gravel ride one week before the event.  Probably enough. 

The weather for Mid South was looking good.  Partly sunny with 70 degrees and minimal wind.  Just enough to keep the mosquitoes off of you.  I packed the appropriate bike and gear and drove to Oklahoma City for my pre Mid South meetings.  At the last minute I grabbed a long sleeve jersey, bib knickers and gloves just in case. On the way I got a text from a friend asking if I'd seen the weather change.  I hadn't.  Turns out it's a good thing I grabbed the extra gear.  Texted the friend back and asked him to get me a jacket.  It was going to be cold and rainy.  Rain mixed with Oklahoma red clay makes some pretty good chunky peanut better.

Had meetings all week with great people from across the country.  Visited The BikeLab OKC and Wholeshot Coffee.  If you're ever in the area, it's a must see store.  Went mountain biking....err....tried to go mountain biking (another story for another time).  At the end of the week I pointed my car towards Stillwater.

Friday morning was the SRAM / Zipp 20 mile shakedown coffee ride.  It was cold.  just above 40 degrees at 10 am.  Not a bad ride.  Everyone had to be cold at the start.  There was a little wind and no mud.  A little pavement and the rest gravel. This was a good way to confirm what to wear for Saturday as the conditions were to be similar plus rain.  Cold rides make for great coffee.  It was delicious.

Saturday was an early wake up for me as I stayed in a town about 16 miles from the start / finish line.  Up at 6 checking and double checking my gear.  Race start was at 8 am.  My plan was park within a couple hundred yards of the start / finish line and be there at 7:30 to check gear again and air up tires if needed.  The doubt started to creep in on the drive to Stillwater as the rain pounded heavier on the windshield while the early morning sky was illuminated with lightning.  I started to wonder what I was getting myself into.

I found a great parking spot and made my final gear check. My slow roll toward the start line found a lot of cyclists going the opposite way.  Arriving at the start line I found out there was a 30 minute delay due to weather.  One can only assume the promoters were having the same thoughts I was on my drive in.  What are we getting ourselves into.

The streets were clear but the dry spaces under the downtown business awnings and back alley ways were crowded.  The line at the port-a-potty grew.  We watched 8 am come and go.  The lightning stopped and the rain slowed down a bit.  At 8:30 the race announcer requested the racers start lining up.  I took my spot at the back.  I needed 2500 rabbits to chase.  I also knew no one would judge someone leaving from the back of the pack to go get more coffee and a couple more hours of sleep.  Every bone in my body was telling me to not do this race.  Every bone was also telling me it was too cold and wet.  8:36:45 am I rolled across the start line.  The hardest part of the race was over....I was now in a race.

Not sure of the final count but there was a large rolling parade of cyclists bee lining for gravel just outside of Stillwater.  One or maybe two crashes on the pavement in the excitement. Riders were back on their feet in seconds with what looked like damaged pride and no other injuries to speak of.  The start of the gravel was about a mile down the road.  We had heard the conditions were everything from pouring rain to just spitting over night.  By now the rain had picked up again.  Overnight rain probably didn't matter anymore.

We arrived at our first gravel.  To my surprise it wasn't that bad.  It was just standing water (and sometimes rivers of water) on top of hard packed gravel.  It was messy but everyone was rolling through it quickly.

My plan was to ride 10 miles  at a time.  At the 10 mile mark I would stop and force myself to eat, drink and stretch.  I wasn't racing.  I just wanted to cross that finish line on the same day I started.  I came to the first 10 mile stop and I did just that.  I stopped.  It was good.  I was actually feeling a little better than the previous days shakedown coffee ride.  I had chosen my riding gear well. 

When I ride I just fade into my own little world.  Don't feel like talking to anyone.  I let my thoughts wander.  Take in the scenery.  Sometimes people watch.  Or bike watch.  Got to see everything from 1980s mountain bikes to the latest greatest gravel bikes.  The numbers of bikes was not unlike the types of riders.  Tall, short, skinny, big, men, women, young, old, long hair, short hair, 10 year old???  I heard there was a 10 year old out there and that he completed (ROCK ON).  I was surrounded by a large cycling community and even a smaller cycling community suffering through the same part of the course that I was at any given time.  Sometimes it was familiar people sometimes not.  One common cause.  We all wanted to finish.  Everyone encouraging everyone else.  "YIKES" when you see someone make a last second course correction to prevent themselves from hitting the mud.  "YOU GOT IT" when someone grinds through the gears past the walkers.  I even heard a "WOW..PRO MOVE" from a couple on a tandem when I had shifted into my lowest gear; mud and rocks caused my chain to drop to the inside of my cassette (NOT GOOD!).  I had caught it when I heard "THAT" sound.  I quickly back pedaled and got my chain back on track without missing a beat.  So encouraging out there with all those cyclists.  Glad I made the commitment to ride.

The rain stopped around mile 10 or maybe it was mile 15.  The roads still had standing water on some parts.  Small creeks running down the double track in other parts.  I knew the conditions were going to start changing as the water slowly soaked into the red clay.  They did.

I don't know the history but there's a climb at mile 23 that's a long grind.  Many were talking about it.  It was here that mud started to become an issue.  As you would start the climb (16% grade in some spots), you had to balance speed and power.  Too little speed and you would have to apply more power which meant your rear wheel would start to spin and traction would be lost.  I circumvented all the physics and just walked.  I saw maybe one or two pedal up the entire thing.  It was just under half a mile long.  At the top was coffee, Skratch, pickle juice and smores.  I opted for Skratch with a side of coffee.  It was at this point that I got the feeling back in my toes and fingers.  I was starting to warm up.

Conditions started to worsen.  I started paying more and more attention to my line.  Upper body was getting tense from the rough ride and keeping my bike going the right direction.  The ruts underneath the mud would cause my front wheel to veer right or left.  I'd have to react quickly to stay upright.  I've been a mountain biker with good handling skills more days in my life than not which made descending on these roads easy.  Stand up on the pedals and put the weight on the back of the bike while aiming downhill.  Others were doing the same.  Like me, some were doing it by choice.  Others....it was the only option.  Lots of riders were having brake issues.  Mud packed up in their brakes and or brake wires.  Or they had the wrong brake pads which wore out quickly in these conditions.  Their choice was to hold on.

A WATER HOSE!  I suppose it was mile 25 or so we came across a line of cyclists that were hosing down their bikes.  We got in line.  Some hosed down everything from their tires to their drive trains.  Others, a quick shot to the drive train before heading off.  The reality, would it matter in 10 minutes?

At mile 28 there was another really rough muddy stretch.  It was thick enough and rutted enough that I got off and started to walk.  Carrying my bike instead of rolling it made more sense because as it rolled, it collected more and more mud.  In 10 feet I added another 5 maybe 10 lbs of mud to my bike.  I could feel it.  Once out of the mud I started cleaning off the bike.  Got my drive train fairly clean (didn't I just wash this?).  Started pedaling through other cyclists that were doing the same thing.  In the goody bag there was a paint stir stick.  I didn't get one.  I should have.  I kept pedaling.

I've always been pretty good with figuring out problems with a bike by sound.  Describe the sound, when does happen or how often does it happen etc.  I heard a sound and I didn't have to look down to know what it was.  I knew I was potentially done riding.  The crunching snapping grind of metal I heard was the sound of my rear derailleur wrapping around my cassette.  Nooooooooo!  I had already seen dozens of riders carrying their bikes with the slack of their chain hanging lifeless.  Derailleurs dragging on the ground as riders pushed their now useless bikes off the red clay road.

Some friends were waiting for me up the road.  I had two options.  Try and bend things back or quit.  I wasn't ready to quit so I pulled the derailleur out of the rear wheel and straightened it as best as possible.  Best as possible allowed me to use one gear.  It was pretty mangled.  I moved ahead with one gear.  I also had to get rid of a lot of mud on my drivetrain.  I could use my second water bottle to hose it down or risk making it worse by not cleaning it.  I kind of hoped there would be a random water stop down the road. 

It was the right gear.  It was perfect for the flats.  Not too tall of a gear for the climbs.  In the next 25 miles I had only one or two hills that I had to walk.  It's challenge trying to ride a tall gear up a muddy hill.  Too much power and the rear wheel spins.  Too little power and you fall over.  Not that I'd want to do the entire race on a single speed. 

The next 25 miles were just a slow grind to Perkins. The plan was to get there and re-access what to do.  If I could find a derailleur and or a tool to straighten out some things, I could keep going.  Turned out there were no other water stops down the road.  I was out of water and quickly becoming dehydrated. 

As we pulled into Perkins we realized the timing mat was gone.  We didn't have a way to check in.  Then we noticed a lot of the neutral support was packing up and leaving.  When we asked one group if they had parts they said they were already closed and heading down the road.  Shortly after one of the race promoters announced that if we hadn't left yet, there would be no support for us.  The idea of pedaling on back roads at night with a bike that had been compromised made the decision for me.  At mile 53.  I was done.

Would I do it again tomorrow?  Nope.  I think I'd be ready to try it again in a few weeks though.  I learned a ton.  I left for Stillwater  a week before the race which didn't help but when I do it over again these are the things I'll do differently.

• More water.  I would use a Camelbak.  The hose being next to my mouth would have allowed me to drink more often.  
• Better clothing.  I would bring more cooler weather clothing options.  A lot of my clothing was ok.  Better clothing would have helped.  For example my booties were slowly allowing mud into them.  By the end of the ride I must have had close to 5 lbs of mud packed between my shoes and my booties.
• Second pair of gloves.  After the rain stopped I was still wearing rain soaked gloves that were covered in dirt.
• Salsa Cutthroat!  The Cutty would have been a much better bike to ride.  Much more clearance between the frame and the tires and that 1 x 12 drive train has much fewer moving parts.
• Different food.  I had a pretty good selection but a peanut butter sandwich would have been awesome.
• More friends.  Friends are there to push you and for you to push them.  I'm glad I went and I hope I was able to be pushed and also be the pusher.

There were some things I did do right.

• YBN Chain....get one.  They shift like magic.
• Giro shoes.  You can't beat them.  Comfy...super comfy.
• SRAM components!  Love em!
• DT hubs!  I found many times I rolled faster.  Might be a gravity issue.....I'll say it's those DT hubs.
• GIRO Clothing!  I love Giro.
• Friends.

I did my laundry last night to close out the weeks events.  I even cleaned off my bike.  I brought back a ton of red clay.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments.  Registration for Mid South 2021 will open this fall!