HOW TO GET THE BIKE YOU WANT 101
TODAY WE VISITED ONE OF MY 5 DADS, the one that helped me purchase the Schwinn LeTour.
At the time, he lived just down the street from Fullerton Bikes - which back then was owned by the Mulroony family, before the Great Mike Franze.
Visiting one day, I ventured over to the shop and fell in love.
She was dressed in red, with shiny chrome evvvvverywhere.
A real looker.
My knees shook.
I had to have her... and being a kid, my natural selling genius was in full form.
Gomez, loved tennis... and we spent a lot of time practicing and playing. He really wanted to me to learn the game... and for some reason unknown to each of us... he cared and loved me as his own.
There were no bike lanes.
I had to traverse 6 miles of busy streets.
It would be dark on the way home from practice.
Real concerns only a real parent would have.
I countered with Just think how much faster and easier it will be for me to get from school over to the courts.
Using the timetested strategy of never giving up... we made a deal: he'd buy it and I'd make payments of $30/mo for 4 months.
If he knew I'd never play tennis after high school, I'm not sure he woulda done it.
Of the many things Gomez has taught me, it's to play hard and work hard.
He worked his buns off.
He landed in the US at the age of 5. His parents split and his mom worked as a seamstress to support the 2 of them in a studio apartment. He went straight from high school to Korea. Came home and purchased a gas station with zero dollars... Union 76 believed in him. With a ton of hard work he parlayed that into Porsche/Audio/VW/Subaru dealerships.
By 3pm every day he was at the club, playing the game he loved.
At my best, I could never get more than a game or two off of him. He'd say Ya know Toddy, you won't beat me until I'm a hundred years old.
He's 92.
Can't play the game he loves any more.
Unless you count being a dad.
One day I reckon we'll all have to hang up the cleats and helmet for good...
... and even then, won't every day still be a raceday? I sureasheck hope so.
https://pedalindustries.com/collections/all-hats
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164 lbs
Stretch n Roll
8 hours sleep
https://www.strava.com/activities/3680436662