bicycle – C-VILLE Weekly

Riding lessons: A cyclist learns a lot about himself—and America—on an epic tour

On six-week jaunts over several years, Charlottesville’s Chris Register crisscrossed the country on his bike, interviewing people for his book series Conversations With US: Two Wheels, Fifty States, Hundreds of Voices, One America. The first volume, published in early 2019, is based on his 1,916-mile trip through the Midwest and Great Lakes states. Here, he offers a personal account of his journey and mission.

When I graduated from law school in Washington, D.C., in 2009, partisanship and political bickering were the worst I’d ever seen. I thought it would be cool to get out there, talk to people, and find what’s really going on. I did my first tour in 2010, nearly 2,000 miles, interviewing at least one person a day about their views on America.

After that tour, I took a break to work and save up my money, always knowing I’d get back to my tours and writing. In 2015, I quit my job and started my second tour. That’s recorded in the first volume.

Register’s book and more information about his travels are available at conversationswithus.com.

I’ll write about Charlottesville in the book that covers what I call Appalachia and bluegrass country. I remember coming down out of the Shenandoah mountains and riding straight to the Lawn. I interviewed two students—one of them came to the book-release party. That was cool. The next day I rode up to Monticello and spoke to Linnea Grim, the director of education and visitors’ programs. I ended up settling down here.

In all the ground I’ve covered, two stories really stand out. One is about the vastness of this country, and the other is about learning to walk in another person’s shoes.

I’m 39, so I grew up well after the civil rights movement. Most people my age or a little younger haven’t actually talked to someone who had to sit at the back of the bus. But when I was in Elgin, Illinois, I interviewed Ernie Broadnax. Ernie was the only black player on his debate and basketball teams in high school and community college. He told me, after a win, his white teammates would celebrate at a restaurant, but one of them would have to bring his meal to him on the bus. That upsets me. It gets me in the gut.

The other story unfolded at the Grand Canyon. I arrived at dusk. There was a full moon rising. After I set up camp on a rock outcropping at the edge of the canyon, I looked down and thought I saw the haunch of a large, brown animal that had moved around a rock. An hour later, after sunset, the moon was bright. I stood up and was looking out over the canyon. There was a sort of gray-blue hue to everything. I was soaking it all in. It was beautiful, an endless view. I looked to my left and saw bright flashes, like Morse code: dot, dot, dash. I finally realized what it was—a mountain lion. It had looked right at me, and the moonlight reflected off the lenses of its eyes. I never saw it again. If he wanted to get me, he would have. But he didn’t.

Ultimately, I’ve learned that I can do more than I ever thought I could. I climbed 12,000 feet to Independence Pass, outside Aspen, Colorado. My bike and gear are 125 pounds in all, and the oxygen gets kind of thin up there. I pressed on slowly, and I made it. Writing is like that, too. If you just keep going, you can do anything. Determination is the most important factor in success.
—Chris Register, as told to Joe Bargmann

Chris’ stats

15,769 miles

6,307,600 crankshaft revolutions

376 interviews

355 days on the road

47 flat tires

Poor performance: Parent company forces nationwide shutdown of Performance Bicycle

At a time when more people are pedaling, our area will kick off the new year with one fewer bike shop. Customers were told that longtime fixture Performance Bicycle in Seminole Square will close by the end of January, following the bankruptcy of Philadelphia-based parent company Advanced Sports Enterprises.

“It’s sad to see it close, sad for the people who work there,” says Andrew Sterling, an amateur bike builder and casual rider in Charlottesville. “The number of bicycle stores is shrinking. I’m surprised.”

Sterling points out that in addition to Performance, Cville Bike and Tri closed within the past four or so years. At the same time, other local bike experts say ridership is still growing.

The apparent disparity traces to overcrowding in the local market. Scott Paisley, co-owner of Blue Wheel Bikes, which was established in 1973, says industry norms suggest a city like Charlottesville can sustain about three bike shops.

Today, aside from chain store Performance, the city has Blue Wheel, two Blue Ridge Cyclery locations, the Bike Factory, Endeavour Bicycles, and Community Bikes, plus outlying businesses like Crozet Bicycle Shop.

No one at the local Performance store would speak with the media, and store manager Tim Gathright, who has been with the company 22 years, referred us to ASE, which had not responded at press time.

Performance was doing poorly two years ago. In August 2016, Advanced Sports International merged with Performance Bicycle and ASE became the parent company to both. Sales and profit growth lagged on the retail side, an ASE media release noted.

Performance has been known for its “head-scratchingly low prices,” and the low margins made profits difficult, according to Bicycling magazine.

Its closing could leave a sizeable amount of business available to other local stores. Shawn Tevendale, owner of Blue Ridge Cyclery, says that information he has puts Charlottesville as a $5 million to $6 million market for retail bicycles. Of that total, Performance has a 15 percent to 20 percent share, in the annual range from about $750,000 to $1.2 million.

Paisley says the pending departure of Performance may or may not significantly lift his business. “It’s always been hard to keep our nose above water,” he says. He credits the store’s 45-year longevity to co-owner Roger Friend’s attention to the bottom line and their ability to make financial sacrifices in the face of both brick-and-mortar and internet competition.

Tevendale is more optimistic. “Every retailer in Charlottesville stands to benefit from this and it will allow some other businesses to succeed.” He says he may be able to expand his team of 13.

“Cycling in Charlottesville is tricky,” says Paisley, “ but doable.”

Updated January 7 to add the Bike Factory among remaining bike shops.