Support your LBS!
It's no secret that your local bike shop (LBS) quickly becomes a central part
of your cycling life. It's great to be able to walk into your neighborhood shop,
see friendly faces, and get expert advice in choosing new equipment or repairing
equipment you have. NICA and the SoCal League are supportive of high school
riders and clubs supporting local shops.
SoCal is honored that three shops have stepped up to support the League as a
whole.
Rock n' Road
Cyclery in Orange County and
Cynergy Cycles in Santa Monica have stepped up as sponsors
while
Casino Bicycles in
Hemet is returning as our SRAM Neutral Support partner bringing great service to
every race.
So why are these three shops stepping up? Eric Woods, owner of Cynergy, a
major Specialized retailer, says "This country is in desperate need of a
grassroots cycling development program – one of the major reasons the Euros are
so strong in most if not all disciplines of cycling is due to the fact that
should a kid decide to try bicycle racing the support is there. If one of my
kids wants to get into soccer, football or even tennis it’s relatively simple if
not expected for them to do so. Granted it would be easier for me being already
in the sport but where would I even think to start if I were a non-cycling
parent? We need to make it easier and more accessible that way; open the gateway
and show parents and kids how many opportunities are here." Eric is looking
toward Cynergy being a catalyst to develop high school clubs on the west side of
Los Angeles County. Particularly in Santa Monica.
Matt Ford, owner of Rock n' Road, has four Specialized Concept Stores
throughout Orange County. He is no stranger to involving his shops in supporting
local programs in the forms of Velosport (Sho-Air/Rock N' Road), B4B (Mountain
Bike Team), Team Blackstar, Team Baghouse/Rock N' Road (with Johnny "Oshow"
Omara), Athletics Unlimited, Trail Angles, Rock N' Road Diva's. As for where he
thinks the SoCal League will be impacting over the next 5-10 years he said "We
truly believe that the SoCal cycling league will be the catalyst for growing the
cycling community with the younger generation. We are supporting the league
because we are passionate about the sport of cycling and want to make sure that
all kids/young adults have the chance to share our love for the sport!"
Matt Medore, owner of Trek retailer Casino Bicycles, has had a tight
relationship with Hemet HS since pairing up to support them when they were a new
club and he was opening a new shop. He was a high level bike racer during high
school and he remembers having no support or recognition on campus. He sees the
SoCal League as giving opportunities to kids to get involved in cycling and
notes that "Approximately 70% of the Hemet HS kids were not into cycling before
joining the team." He also sees SoCal as growing the sport outside of League
noting that he has seen big increases in junior fields in non-league races
across southern California.
Be sure to stop in and say hello and let these shops know you appreciate
their involvement in supporting SoCal!
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