29, July 2008

Greetings -

Here's how I'm going to roll this week's Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team email-a-thon atmo*.
From top to bottom, I have 1) news about the RS DVD that went live this past Spring, 2) some
time-sensitive information from Roland Murphy of our title sponsor for the past three years, RGM
Watch Company, 3) a nice note from pal James Overall, his firm being a new addition to the
lineup of team sponsors, and 4) some pearls of wisdom from that well-loved lass with two first
names, our perennial choice for President, Amy Wallace.
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As many of you know, Des Horsfield spent many months in 2007 filming here at the shop, and
around Chester, and - best of all - at the 'cross race venues, and the fruits of his labor is a wonderful
(I'm biased) DVD entitled Imperfection Is Perfection. It has been available through my site since
late Spring, and recently I started a blog devoted to it. On the blog, I keep all the links to reviews as
well as allow viewers to chime in with comments about the DVD. There are recent reviews from
Cyclocross Magazine and Bicycle Quarterly. Click here for the site link and here to read the
blog. If you are one of the many who has viewed the film, please scroll down on the page and leave
a comment or two. There's a comment icon at the bottom of the blog. Thanks, huh!
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Here is an email I received from Mr. Murphy:

Richard,
Joel Ankeny works here at RGM and he is an avid rider often riding Centuries and other rides
here in Lancaster County. He will be riding this Fall in this charity ride, we are proud to sponsor
him and MS. He will also be wearing the RGM/Richard Sachs colors during the ride.

I would like to invite all who can to get involved and support Joel in helping fight MS.

Here is the link to donate http://msnyc.kintera.org/bikems/captaincrunch

Thank you

Best Regards,
Roland Murphy
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Mr, Overall, from the firm of Boathouse, Incorporated, is now a sponsor of the RS 'Cross Team.
I expect we'll here more from him in the season, but here are some nice words he sent over that
speak to this new liaison between his agency and our team.

Boathouse is an ad agency started by two rowers and a cyclist. A few years ago at the holidays,
we gave all 50 employees bikes. And this summer, everyone got a gym membership. We
believe in the goodness of sports and sweating. We believe that fair, open competition brings
out the best in us.

So sponsoring Richie's team just feels like a natural fit. We're a New England company and
cyclocross is a passion here. We dig the grassroots feel of Richie's team. They race hard, they're
good folks, the men and women compete equally, they laugh a lot, and they have a dog as a
mascot—what's not to like? Their team is of a size where a small sponsor like us can feel like we
make a difference.

Lastly, even though the racers usually finish each race covered in mud, they all ride clean. In our
tiny way, we want to help clean riders and a clean sport.
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And lastly, as part of my regular attempts to humanize these email and spam-a-thons by adding
texts and thoughts from the very people that make up the RS 'Cross Team, here is a gem that
Amy, a.k.a. Issimo, a.k.a The President, the very kitten who let me know that, "...women are the
Devil, e-RICHIE", sent to me just this past Sunday while sitting in O'Hare International on the return
trip from the Windy City.

The beginning of my third season with the Richard Sachs team is approaching fast. Training is
officially underway, bike tune-ups are officially not yet underway, and all the spongeworthy race
dates are marked out on every weekend of my calendar from now through mid-December. With
the transplant of Alie to Boulder and Pookums to New York, the only thing I'm not looking forward
to this season is a lack of Boston-based travel buddies!

It's quite safe to say that bike racing has been a big part of my life for the last eight years.
Fittingly, I spend a fair amount of time thinking about the role bike racing plays in my life… how
much time and energy am I willing and/or able to devote to training? What do non-bike racers do
with all their free time, and what wouldI do with it? Does bike racing still make me happy? I won't
keep you in suspense – the answer there is yes.The relationship I have with cyclocross can be
challenging, rewarding, difficult, and wonderful all at the same time, and (new train of thought
here) often makes me think of the movie Fever Pitch – I apologize for the obscurity of this
reference, but a particular scene in the movie seems particularly relevant to the way I think of my
relationship with cyclocross. In the movie, Jimmy Fallon is a big Red Sox fan, and a kid says to
him at a critical juncture, "you've always loved the Sox…but have the Sox ever loved you back?"
It's a good question,and one I seem to ask myself a lot with regards to 'cross… does it love me
back? I think that anything I give so much energy to rightly should love me back to some
degree. Here I am still writing, so at this point you know that I've decided it does! I've found a
unique sort of fulfillment in cyclocross that I haven't found with any other hobby. From the love of
competing and playing outdoors to the adrenaline and energy to the cheering fans at a race to
the fact that you're reading this text now… cyclocross does love me back. Most importantly, I've
got this pretty awesome thing called the Richard Sachs family to share it all with. I think it's a
special gift we've been given to have found ourselves brought together by this team, and I'm
really looking forward to the upcoming season.
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Well, now that a certain French race thingy is finally over, we can say so long to the road scene
and pronounce that 'cross season has finally begun. All of us on the RS 'Cross Team are counting
down the weeks until racing begins. In the mean-time, I'll keep you up to speed as often as I can.

Thanks for reading.

e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA

*according to my opinion