Renee M. is a member of VSP's Corporate Marketing & Brand Management team.
This past Wednesday, one of my cycling dreams came true as I received a two-wheeled escort across Golden Gate Bridge from Kyle Rose, a member of the 2009 Team Type 1 Elite/RAAM cycling team.
Having never biked across Golden Gate Bridge, let alone alongside a pro, I was stoked when Kyle offered to take me out a few hours before our scheduled video shoot of his annual eye exam (a pretty big deal since it was through an annual eye exam that the then 16-year-old Kyle discovered he had Type 1 diabetes).
Despite the thick fog and damp weather (that’s summer in the Bay for you), our ride was awesome, especially bombing down the twisting switchbacks of Hawk Hill. Thankfully for me, Kyle kept a casual pace (he had done his real training the day before) so I could pick his brain about anything and everything that came to mind: Team Type 1’s recent mountain stage victory at the Tour of Ireland; the good, the bad, and the ugly of semi-professional cycling; his favorite local rides (Hawk Hill being one); the not-so-favorite aspects of training in the Bay (i.e. tourists who come to a dead stop on their rented bikes in the bike lane); and his future (January 2010 he plans to move to France – where he was born and raised – to train and race for Team Type 1 in the European circuit).
We also talked about life beyond cycling (Kyle plans to study business while living in France) and things he’ll miss most about San Francisco. Like most good times, our ride ended much too soon. But I’ll always have my memories! And my cool helmet cam footage!
Top Ten Reasons I’m a Fan of Kyle Rose:
10. He likes to chase down and pass cars on Marine Drive.
9. He speaks French fluently.
8. He’s passionate about sharing the Team Type 1 message.
7. He thinks helmet cams are cool.
6. He isn’t afraid to get his eyes dilated (a key step in making sure your eyes are healthy).
5. He is uber-polite (didn’t even blink when I flubbed my video intro).
4. He doesn’t mind trying on tons of frames, even ones that I pick out that make him look a little nerdy (hey, I happen to think geek is chic!)
3. He knows what a figure eight knot is.
2. He agreed to my request to be pen pals while he’s in France.
And the number one reason I’m a fan of Kyle Rose: he’s a person who lives and breathes the mantra – don’t let anything stand in your way.
Today is World Sight Day 2009. World Sight Day is an international day of awareness, held every year on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.