Svelte Cycles: Heritage Part 4

At only 20 years of age I signed my first pro contract with the then ranked 2nd in the world Team Farm Frites. Riding for Team Mercury I had taken the domestic scene by storm not necessarily by being the best U-23 time trialist (who was by far Dave Zabriskie) nor by being the best U-23 one day racer (easily Danny Pate) but by being the best stage racer and notching consistent top 5 and 10 results in NRC multi-day events.


This is me with my sister Elise only days before hopping on a plane with a one way ticket Holland. I left everything behind to compete in the 1st Division (now "ProTour").


So when offered by then Team Farm Frites manager Jacques Hanegraaf before the ink was even dry on my first D1 Pro contract to compete in arguably the worlds most difficult stage race, I could do only the reasonable thing...


Of course that first race was a real eye opener. Competing against the fully "topped off" Italians was no easy feat for a 20 year old, 140lb neo pro with a hematocrit of 40. I digress, that was the business I had chosen and to be honest I couldn't have cared less... I was having the time of my life.


I had fame. (can you name the riders in the background 2nd pic down?)

.

I had fans.

... And in Italy, I had the best agent/aunt a kid could ever ask for. Only months after this photo was taken this innocent little lady in pink talked hard-ball to legendary Team Saeco manager Claudio Corti and negotiated my 2001 contract at the Saeco corporate offices in Gaggio Montagna, IT.


So did I finish the Giro D'Italia? Hell no I didn't! You try racing against guys who are riding up mountains in their 53s while only breathing through their noses!


But I had some great memories. Here I am waving to the camera (look close). I am flanked by my teamates Robbie Mcewen to my right and Miquel VanKessel to my left. That's Mario Cipollini on the front with Ludo Dierckxsens a couple riders to his left. Axel Merckx won this stage, a little 280km jaunt through the hills of Tuscany.


Up next: Look out Mario... Here I come! The Saeco years.

A Presto,
Justin Spinelli
www.sveltecycles.com

Svelte Cycles: Heritage Part 3

This picture is a summary of my campaign as an U-23 Elite.


With a clear objective, the right support system and an unwavering commitment to competition, I was well on my way to exploiting my talents. Neither I nor my crew would expect for me to reach such a high level in such a short amount of time.



So after reading that Boston Globe article: Did I impress the folks at USA Cycling? I did.
What about The Killington Stage race? How did I fare there? Answer below:


After turning heads in the uphill time trial (photo above) I consistently climbed in the front group with the likes of Tyler Hamilton, Scott Moninger and George Hincapie (who went on to win the overall).

By virtue of my efforts at the Killington Stage race and my performance at the Hessen-Rundfart in Germany a few weeks later, I was named captain of the US National U-23 World Championship Team. With the help of Danny Pate, I delivered in Valkenburg, Holland being the first North American to the line finishing next to the likes of Thor Hushovd and Cadel Evans.

At this point I had my own mechanics and support staff at the road races but come cross season I took great pleasure in assembling and maintaining my personal race machines. Did I take my bikes too seriously? Some people might have thought so...


... but I knew just how important a propper fitting and functioning machine was. A prime example being the 1998 U-23 National Cyclocross Championships.


Though the course was very fast it also featured treacharously steep and off-camber drop-offs to be negotiated at high speeds. All that spelled disaster for anything less than perfectly tuned machines.


After a 50 minute slug fest the race was clearly between three riders; Jonathan Page, Tim Johnson and myself. Going into the last half of the final lap Page rolled his tire on one of those nasty drop-offs I forementioned. Gone was his race. Tim would sprint away from me in the final stretch for the gold and I would hold on for the silver medal.


Pundits claimed Jonathan was robbed of the win but I was always quick to point out the race was not just "the race". Those evenings upon evenings of meticulously maintaining my equipment fleet were not just for fun.

At that time I began to form key alliances within the bicycle industry. This is me chilling in the Pedros wagon with Tim, my trainer Adam Nisson and the original co-founder of Pedros, Bruce Fina.


This was a time where though my prime focus of day in day out race preparation was intense, I was begining to understand that a strong backing flush with mentors I could trust was very important.


The following year saw my graduation to Team Cannondale. Though the spring campaign was spent racing in Europe with the first euro-based U-23 US National Cycling Team under Noel Dejonckere, I always rode my trade team machines supplied by Cannondale. Why? The same reason I refused to ride on the US National Team bikes (then GTs) the year prior (I competed solely on my Richard Sachs). Loyalty. In cyclings world of "what have you done for me lately" riders, I had a different value set. This value set would reap great rewards for me in the future.


The Cannondale USA team was spear headed by chief CAAD designer Chris Peck. Chris consistenly gave me the latest machines to test both on and off the race course to relay valuable feedback. My years with Cannondale would see the development of the CAAD 4,5,6 and 7. This is Chris and I hanging out pre-race with his lovely wife Heather. Curt Davis who also was employed by Cannodale was a great mentor and supporter as well ( believe he is to my left).


Forecast of things to come...


At this point I was a hot commodity and after some reluctance and a nudge by Greg Lemond and Judge Jones (pictured below)...


... I took the leap to the most powerful (and also the most short lived) Domestic Pro Team of its time; Team Mercury.


Did I impress at L'Avenir?

Yes.Did I earn a spot on Team Mercury for the following year? Of course I did.

But later that fall back in the comforts of home, after a year of traveling the globe, it was business as usual.


Much More To Come,
Justin Spinelli
www.sveltecycles.com

Svelte Cycles: Heritage Part 2

As a late teen my attention began to focus on speed-sports and also initiated my fascination with bicycle mechanics. After working in a wood shop the summer of my 16th birthday, I hit the big time in my own mind by landing a job at Goodales Bike and Ski in Nashua, NH. My position at Goodales developed from sweeping floors and emptying trash, to prepping bikes for repair, to assembling "boxed" bikes and ultimately evaluating incoming repairs and quoting to customers on the spot repair estimates and details. This was a learning process of over three years. Also by my third year I was building all my own race wheels and would not let any one go near my race bikes. Some things never change!



The results board. "Oh gee that's neat. I won."


That time saw me morph from a high school punk on academic and behavioral probation to the captain of the varsity ski team. An accomplishment to this day I am very proud of as I did not even make the selection for Ski Team as a freshman.


The end of my high school junior year also saw me racing mountain bikes. I found sucess immediately.


That's my dog Abby greeting me after winning at Sunapee, NH.


With High School behind me...


... my trainer Adam Nisson and I developed a plan to peak for the Mt. Snow Junior World Cup scheduled for June '97. I would then hang up the mountain bike and focus my attention to the Killington Stage Race coming some three months later. At this point I had a set training program, a strict diet and a one track mind: -Make It Big-.

As you can see the first part of the plan was a sucess. I came from relatively out of nowhere to show up all but one of the top juniors in North America at Mount Snow.

So close...

... yet so far away.
2nd place.

At the then prestigious Killington Stage Race I time trialed into 2nd Overall going into the last stage but tactics shuffled the GC and I ulitmately reliquished my spot on the podium. Regardless that ride put me on the radar of the folks at USA Cycling. Watts are watts. As you will see later, that was not the last Killington saw of me.

PS: that's me on the far left next with Will Friskhorn (on my right in the orange sprint jersey).


Part 3 will feature me coming out of High School and going straight to the league. This was perhaps the most magical time in my racing career as I staked claim as being one of the best U-23s in the world all within the span of one year.

Stay Tuned,
Justin Spinelli
www.sveltecycles.com

Svelte Cycles: Heritage Part 1

What makes Svelte Cycles special? Why would anyone purchase a multi-thousand dollar bicycle from a "kid" operating out of a workshop with no staff, no set store hours and no big shiny advertisement campaign? Heritage.

I am Justin Spinelli. For the last 15 years I have dedicated my life to racing bicycles, bicycle mechanics, industrial design, modern art and the practice of good business.

They say without pictures it never happened. The series that follows is a visual catalog of events portraying just how deep my pedigree, passion and commitment to the sport and industry of cycling runs.

Enjoy,
Justin Spinelli
Owner of Svelte Cycles

Ma...
and Pa...


I was born in the now hot-bed of cycling culture; Portland, Oregon. Here I am chilling with my mother (Cynthia) on the steps of 2222 NW Irving Street well before the days of Stumptown Coffee, Rapha and gentrification in the 97205.


I came from a very modest home but we always had a good time. This picture of me at speed in my "sled" pretty much sums it up.


Excercise was fun. In fact most things were. Both my parents were amazing athletes in their own right. My father the Co-Captain of his college football team and my mother a competitive swimmer come fitness buff. I always had the choice whether to participate or not. Most of the time I did.


Our move to New Hampshire didn't change too much for me aside from leaving the French-American school and enrolling in a traditional education system. Skateboarding and its culture took a very strong hold on me and I dreamed of becoming a professional athlete . Little did I know what was to come.



It begins....


To be continued...

XXX,
Justin
www.sveltecycles.com