Wow, great thread bringing back some great memories for me. During this era I was a cat 3 rider and also became the Florida race marshal for the Pepsi Tour Of The Americas race. My favorite memory of this time period and of the 7/11 team was of Andy Hampsten winning the Giro in 88. I was also in Switzerland when he won that race in 87. Thanks for all the posts everyone has contributed to this thread, brings back some great memories!!!

This was yesterday Aug 2, 2015 at Brentwood (not my picture) just after the P12 race where his son raced.

Here's a little story, loosely related:

A guy from South America came to Australia for a holiday a couple of years ago, and brought his bike with him. When riding around Melbourne one day, he popped into a bike shop which was run by an ex-elite trackie. They got talking, and the tourist started complaining that his new bike didn't feel as good as his old bike, and he didn't seem to be riding as fast.

The old Aussie track rider is a pretty blunt guy, so he said something like: "well, I don't know where to start. Your bike is crap and your position is so bad I don't even wanna get into it. Why did you buy it?"

The tourist: "I wanted a new bike, and I bought it from a nice young man with a new shop in my town who made some very convincing points about why this bike would be good for me."

The Aussie shop guy elaborated on why he thought the bike and his position was wrong for him, then the tourist said: "ya know, the things you're saying sound a lot like the things another man in my town says all the time. I think he used to be a pro."

The Aussie: "well, maybe you should listen to him instead of the young shop guy. Is the shop guy a pro?"

The tourist: "No, not at all, but he seems knowledgeable."

The Aussie: "Well, like I said, I think you'd be better off listening to the ex-pro."

The tourist: "Well, maybe. He does win most of the races in my town, even though he's well into his 40s."

The Aussie: "Really? What's his name? I might've heard of him."

The tourist: "Hmm, I think his name is Raul."

The Aussie: "Don't tell me it's Raul Alcala."

The Tourist: "yes, yes!! That's him."

The Aussie: "Oh my god! You should DEFINITELY listen to him!!"


Yeah, yeah, pros don't always know everything, but it's a good story

As a Cat II, I got tired of racing against the Slurpees in 81 - 83. While they did great things for American cycling, I knew that I was not in their league, especially working full time. Good memories now of drafting Heiden and marveling at the size of his muscular thighs and the quickness Phinney in a crit.

Wow, this thread has been through a number of revivals.

Nothing wrong with that. Love the team and I credit Andy with getting me into cycling/road racing.

2 quick funny stories -

1. I got a text from old forum member who has been banned forever. We'll call him "TimothyAdventure". He had moved to Colorado and was rooming with our mutual friend and ex-pro and good friend of Taylor Phinney.

TQ: "So guess who is our neighbor?"
Me: "Who?"
TQ: "Andy Hampsten."
Me: "Holy shiz... that makes sense. that's awesome. He got me into cycling."
TQ: "I know. and you got me into racing so it's like he got me into racing. I have him to thank for everything for all these years."
Me: "I wouldn't lead with that when you meet him."

2. As many know I have a very large team and we attend a lot of races. My job, because I suck at racing, has been support. I cart around a team tent compound around 450 sq feet of coverage, walls, heaters in the winter, chairs, tables, work stands, event racks for bikes, full tools, pump, etc. I show up to one of the prairie state cycling series events (now Intelligentsia Cup) as they were filling the void left by Superweek. I had never formally met Marco who is the "local" race director. I show up super early and haul my gear alone then park my car. Total pain in the behind. Dripping sweat and po'd. I go to ask one of the race personnel where teams can set up tents. They look at me like I am speaking in tongues. I get shuffled to a guy who tells me where I can set up. I move all the gear (takes like 10 minutes and 20 trips) and I start setting up. Marco shows up and tells me I can't set up there. I get mad but at least he is officially the race director and he tells me where to set up. I then haul the gear again. Alone. They don't offer to help and none of the 20 volunteers standing around debating the best way to wear the volunteer shirts offer to help. Takes about 30 minutes and probably 5 or 6 trips to get everything moved again as it's further away. I set everything up. Riders start showing up. Everything seems to be going well....

....Then this guy shows up and starts yelling at us that we can't be set up there. He doesn't offer us a place to move just says "you can't be here! who the f told you to set up here!!". I lose it. I start yelling at him, he starts yelling at me. He pushes a rider off a set of rollers, I throw a pile of wheels. He pushes our tents back....etc. I say things like "F this. I am telling everyone in Chicagoland to boycott these races. You guys can't get your heads out of your asses long enough to actually think about the racers. We're treated like crap and yet we're technically the reason all this exists." We steam and simmer and yell at each other for a while. A lot of people show up to break us up. Friends are giving me "WTF" looks. His race people are whispering to him.

I'm thinking, "why does it seem like both sides are telling us - 'you should chill you don't know who you're messing with'." Then my friend from Wisconsin who is camped next to me whose boy was shoved on the rollers say, "Damn Schuler, chill the f out!"

...and that's how I met Tom Schuler.

I think he's great and a real asset to the sport and would bend over backwards for him today. Half the time when I see him I can't decide if he's going to yell at me or if I need to grab one of my old 7-Eleven posters and get him to sign it. He reflected on our first meeting a bunch of years ago and said something to the effect of, "I get it. it totally makes sense. I think we're both just so damn passionate about all this." One of the biggest compliments I have ever gotten.

Another quick one about Schuler - a bunch of years back Steve Tilford (RIP) made a poorly veiled attack at Prairie State series for how much they were charging, etc. Implying it was a tactic from race directors that just want money and don't care about the journeymen racers.

I chimed off in the comment section defending the race promoters and roughly telling Tilly to shove it.

A year or two later Tom stops and talks to me at one of the races and say, "Hey btw I wanted to thank you for what you said to Tilford when he attacked us. I was sitting there trying to formulate some sort of correct response and then all of a sudden I was told, 'hold on...Rob is jumping in...let's see where this goes' . Turned out it was good enough we didn't have to get involved. Thank you. ..... between us though I just think Tilford is still just pissed because of all those years I could always kick his ass."

Oh, I'm not saying it's bad. It's a really interesting history. I just thought it was cool that it was revived like 10 years ago, then petered out, then revived a couple years later, and then again now.

I met Tom Schuler in about 1984 when I bought a pair of wheels off him, like most pros then and now he was always selling last years gear. I believe it was Schuler that a friend of mine bought a custom bike from around that time - Eisentrout if I'm remembering the builder? It was a beautiful bike - would be fun to have it now.

He's still around. He doesn't build frames for sale anymore, however.

I would have loved to have gotten one of his (or Bruce Gordon's or one of many other builders') before he retired. Unfortunately, not in the handmade custom frameset income level at the moment. At least not if I want to keep the wife happy.

I'm remembering now a different friend (and I mentioned it earlier in this thread) that bought a Murray branded 7-eleven bike from Tom Schuler. I think the Eisentrout was from him as well, but it could be mistaken on that one. My buddy that bought the Murray was also had a mad teenage crush on Rebecca Twigg - posters in his bedroom, wrote her letters, etc...

I didn't know who she was so Googled her.

She apparently is homeless now.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...ss-in-seattle/

She and Connie were in the same Acton race I was in. I got to see them at the start line.

Yeah...not a straight forward thing either. After this all came out a lot of people close to her brought a lot of other issues to light. I wish her the best with your health issues and hope that the support system that does exist around her remains and can help her on her journey.

I missed a bit in the timeline. Did 7-eleven become Motorola and that became USPS or was it that Motorola dissolve and then a number of their riders became the core of USPS?

Can't remember the name of the management company but the same group was 7-Eleven and Motorola. USPS, Discovery, Radio Shack was Tailwind sports. Different company.

Actually motorola didn't become USPS. But 7 eleven did become motorola.

Yup that's what I said but it wasn't clear.

USPS, Disco, Radio Shack was Tailwind Sports - owned in large part by Lance.

7-Elevn and Motorola were not Tailwind but another company that was owned by Och.

We posted at the same time, responding to the same post.

And USPS emerged from the old subaru-montgomery team.

Ah ok, there were a number the same guys (and Lance obviously), so for some reason, in the foggiest parts of my brain I connected the two teams.