For Monday’s post, there can be no other topic than the serendipitous weekend in which I met one of cycling’s greats: Eddie “B” Borysewicz. This wonderfully gracious man offered up words of advice and extended warm hospitality, including a plate of vegetarian lasagna and a bottle of Polish beer. He also challenged me to adopt key fundamental practices for better cycling performance. I’ll be sharing more details later in future posts. Suffice to say that when Eddie B gives you advice, you pay close attention. He’s coached some of the U.S. Cycling’s giants: Lance Armstrong, Greg LeMond, Alexi Grewal, Davis Phinney, Andy Hampsten, Steve Hegg, and most recently Tyler Farrar (before signing on with Garmin Transitions).
“Those are my boys,” Eddie said Saturday afternoon.
I first came to learn of Eddie B when I was a college student in love with cycling and triathlon. Skipping the occasional biology lab (I was a journalism major) and riding the San Diego “back country” of Ramona, Santa Isabel and Julian, I’d see team 7-Eleven on training camps in the early and mid-80s. I piled in the car with training buddies for the 1984 Summer Olympics to witness the men’s and women’s road race in Mission Viejo, in which Americans Grewal and Connie Carpenter took gold. Eddie B was the cycling coach. Little did we know then where things would stand today when it comes to Americans in the European pro peloton. I’ll be spending more time together with Eddie B in coming weeks. He’ll be in the car. I’ll be on the bike–with other national champs and RAAM finishers he’s coaching.
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