I wouldn't say "friend" but I certainly respect him on and off the bike. I haven't had a beer or a meal or even a long informal off-the-bike discussion with him.

He and his guys do feature in the Rent race clips - they're truly very strong.

He's also a slick rider, knows a lot about subtle tactics. It's fun watching him do stuff, even if I'm the one that gets shelled because of it (he worked me over good one week and I was off the back in 8 laps).

He also coaches a lot of people in the area including a woman that won a number of medals on the track at the 2011 Nationals and Worlds (Masters).