Friday, March 7, 2008

Corima Tour





The day stared pretty shaky. For those of you who are unaware, I'm going to tell you right now so there will be no issues in the future. A man who wakes up in the dim, wee hours of the morning to discover he is out of oatmeal (or whatever happens to be his breakfast of choice) is not a man to be messed with. Thankfully, nobody did but, I was still pretty grouchy after a meager breakfast of toast and figs. The drive to the Corima factory was not much better. In the middle of one of me and Fred's better conversations (zero translation issues) came the unmistakable sound of carbon scraping on metal. One of the team bikes had been ripped off the roof at 110kmph. After the recovery of the bicycle (which included some impressive street ballet moves from Fred and a lovely conversation with the woman who ran over the bicycle) the mood was quite sullen.

Upon arriving at the Corima things took a welcomed turn for the better. Did I understand the majority of the things said today during the presentations and tour? No. Was I floored by the professionalism and prestige of the Corima business? Hell yes. The coolest part about the whole experience (aside from the wheels themselves of course) was the way Corima really tried to make us feel like part of the Corima family. We met all of the employees, had a chance to ask ANY questions that popped into our heads (I was even permitted to ask in English!!) and we got to enjoy an amazing lunch, with our new friends, of wine, pizza, and ice cream at a very posh restaurant down the street. The perfect food for a kid trying to get down to race weight!!!

All I can say is, thanks Corima; that was fun.

Chris Boardman's hour record bike

The fastest bicycle on earth! Hard to believe when you look at the cranks!

Just plane cool

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