What to do for the die-hard cyclist this weekend? You could catch the final stage of the new UAE Tour, grab your bike and get some winter miles in, or stay in town and catch a ride with everyone’s favorite ex-pro, Jens Voigt. He’ll be in Arlington for the Grand Opening of Trek’s new store.
“Jensie” is one of road cycling’s biggest personalities, known for his colorful commentary during the Tour de France and his memorable quotes, including Shut up legs! Even my non-cycling friends get excited to hear him when the Tour is on. But aside from his insightful commentary and entertaining personality, he’s amassed quite the collection of professional achievements over his 20 years as a pro: winner of the Criterium International five times, many other stage racing overall victories, one Giro d’Italia and two Tour de France stage wins, and (brief) holder of the Hour Record.
Jens is also German, something he has in common with a couple of well-known locals, Eddie Holsopple and Dieter Scholtyssek. Dieter is the brain behind Wheelbrothers.com and Eddie and his partners are bringing Trek’s new concept store to Arlington. Eddie is well-known and loved in the local cycling community after having spent over 25 years in the bike business, including many years as manager of Bicycles Inc.
When talking to Eddie about his goals for the grand opening, he responded that “I just want to ride and get a photo taken of me riding with Jens”. Eddie takes pride in his German heritage and is more than excited for Jens, the athlete that has the best of both worlds, German and raced for Trek, to come see him open his new store.
So whether you’re interested in meeting and riding with Jens or supporting our own local cycling legend as he embarks on his new adventure with Trek, make it a point to swing by Trek Bikes of Arlington on Saturday, March 2nd, at 9 am if you’re interested in the ride or between 1 and 5 pm for Grand Opening festivities.
Here are the ride details from the Trek press release:
Morning group ride leaving at 9AM with two ride distances, 35 and 60 miles. The Ride With GPS map files of the route are posted on the event’s facebook page. The 60 mile ride is a 18-20 mph pace DROP ride with a rest stop at mile 31 at Fellowship United Methodist Church. The 35 mile 15-16 mph pace no drop ride is a short airport loop that cuts through Viridian and then heads to Airfield Drive for a short airport loop then concludes the ride with an exciting downhill that ends at the shop. Rockstar Energy Drink will be out with a support vehicle along with two vehicles provided by Park Place Mercedes Benz.
The Grand Opening will kick off at 1 PM. Trek invites families to bring their kids and bikes for a bike rodeo and family fun ride. The fun ride starts at 2:45 and the bike rodeo which goes over safety on the bike will begin at 2:00 PM. There will be many festivities throughout the day open to all. There will prizes and raffles all day and music by Adrian Garza a DJ and performer!
The store’s service center will be putting on a fix a flat race at 1:15 with prizes to the winner who can fix a flat the fastest, and don’t worry the skilled technicians at Trek Arlington will not be competing. The service center will also be raffling off a maintenance clinic for the winner and 20 friends to get an exclusive maintenance clinic at the store.
To conclude the event the store will host a single speed cruiser crit race. For those who don’t know a crit, short for criterium, is a timed race where the course is a tight loop. It’s perfect for spectators because you can watch the whole race take place from one spot. The cruiser is designed to be silly and fun because cruisers are probably the worst kind of bikes for a tight course. So the added challenge of riding and handling the cruisers will make for an entertaining ride for all. Spectators are encouraged to support the race by yelling, heckling, and cheering. The use of cowbells is strongly encouraged.
Trek Bikes of Arlington:
1001 NE Green Oaks Blvd, Suite 190, Arlington, TX 76006
(817) 642-5039
Marin Campbell is a contributing writer for WheelBrothers, an avid cyclist, and a former competitive mountain biker and triathlete. She resides in Denver where she also works as a physical therapist.