I was also the youngest and the only woman.Normally that doesn’t bother me, but mywomen’s intuition registered the assemblageof four businessmen as T-Heads, a term one ofmy running friends uses to describe guyswhose testosterone drives them to silly malebehaviors. Mr. Eli Garrity, the president of the compa-

ny, had called me two weeks earlier to inquirewhether I would be interested in bidding for acontract to run a marketing campaign for anew product they were launching. I jumped atthe opportunity, and prepared and sent a pro-posal outline immediately. Mr. Garrity calledagain, very enthusiastic, and essentially saidthe job was mine. I spent an unpaid weekpreparing a detailed marketing plan and flewacross the country on my own dime, knowingthe first payment of the contract would coverthose expenses. All I had to do today wasshake hands with everyone, present the cam-paign strategy, and sign papers.Mr. Garrity, a self-confident, pudgy man,

introduced me to the vice-president and totwo other consults. The other consultantsmade their presentations first on financialmatters and software development, and I

breezed through mine. My stomach was still onEast Coast time and growling for lunch by thetime I finished. “Ms. Statham, this is an interesting cam-

paign you’ve outlined,” Mr. Garrity said, wav-ing the bound copy I had put on the confer-ence table, “but we’re not certain that’s thetack the company should take. We’re used tomore traditional strategies.”I froze. “What? You as much as said the mar-

keting campaign was mine. That’s why I flewhere this morning.” I could feel the heat ofanger rising up my neck and face.“Maybe you misunderstood. You presented a

proposal, not a done deal.” He laid the copyback on the table. “We’ll need to discuss it andget back to you.”I could barely control my voice. “Mr. Garrity,

where I come from, a person’s word is as goodas a contract.” I picked up the copy. “I didn’tneed to spend forty hours preparing this andflying 3000 miles just for you to tell me you’renot interested.” I shoved the copy into mybriefcase and picked up my small overnightbag. “This is not how I do business. Good day,gentlemen.” Without a glance back, I walked out of the

continued on page 3

April 5th, SundayCoastal Sports and Wellness

SPECIAL GUEST: ANDY POTTSOlympian,

IM 70.3 World Champion and3x winner of CA 70.3

Post race get together, shareyour recent race stories.

Bring your favorite side dishor desert. Prizes for bestdishes. Burgers, Brats andsodas provided by the Club.

APRIL CLUB MEETINGBBQ AND “POTTLUCK”

TRIATHLON CLUB OF SAN DIEGO TriNews

A Tale of Fiction 1TCSD Contacts 2Volunteer Members 2Board Members 2Event Calendar 2

Weekly Workout Calendar 5Member Profile 5New Members 6Ironman Conversation 7Race Discounts 8

Friends Offering Discounts 9Race Report 9Coaches Corner 10

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

2009APRIL

THE CONSULTANT A Tale of Fiction

Rushing from the airport after an early Friday morningtranscontinental flight, I was the last person to enter the meeting.

By Barbara Javor

Scott ForrestallJacob GillenJohn GoulartOfelia GutierrezHassan HakkiJulie HansenKatie HansenBrittany HarrisRobin HartTammy HermesMaria HerraNatalie HowardLinda IngallsSuzanne IvesCarey KlingerNate KredichErin LimonchiTim MaidesStephen MathisWilliam MayberryLauren McCarthyRobert McCarthyMeredith Caccese McConvillJake McLaughlinDavid MoranAlfonso MunozRenee NelsonJennifer NewtonManny NunoKawika OhumukiniTracy OlanderMelissa ParavatiLaura Parmer-LohaGreg PettyScott RiceWilliam Rodriquez Jr.Christopher RootsMiles RosemireShereen RossiniSean RussellChris SalvatoreEric SchaferMichael SchweitzerCheryl Shah

WWW.TRICLUBSANDIEGO.ORG7

NEW MEMBERS, cont.

Craig: How did you get started racingtriathlons?

JT: Thanks for the opportunity to talk withyou, Craig. I’ve been reading your interviewsfor so long, it has always been one of myfavorite parts of the TCSD newsletter. I neverthought I would be one of the “interviewed”.

My first race…hmmm. I grew up swimmingand then played Water Polo at LMU in LosAngeles where I studied MechanicalEngineering. In my senior year (‘97), waterpolo got put aside while I started a program atour school to build a race car for a nationalengineering competition (FSAE) – the autoindustry’s way of motivating engineering stu-dents to teach themselves about auto design.I basically didn’t sleep or exercise for the next18 months while we turbocharged/fuel inject-ed a 600cc motorcycle engine, designed andbuilt a chassis and suspension system, andthen raced the car in Detroit. This led to adream job at Shelby American (you know, theones that build that sweet Cobra). Going from5+ hours a day in the pool to no form of exer-cise while maintaining a 4,500 calorie dietmade me balloon from 150 to nearly 200 lbs!My roommate and co-worker Dan and I decid-ed to cut out our bad eating habits (e.g. a gal-lon of Dr. Pepper per day) and started liftingand swimming at the gym. When we saw thead for the “Pacific Coast Triathlon” 2 weeksout we thought “no problem” and, welaughed! Dan hurt his back the next week sohe dropped out of it, but I resolved to do it onmy own.

I remember going to the expo to get mypacket and seeing our own Gurujan Dourson ofT.N.T. giving a course talk and a transitionclinic—I listened to every word he said! (payattention beginners!) I swam with a shortysurf wetsuit (can you say rash?!) and a speedo

underneath. I changed to running shorts andsneakers in transition, rode my old mountainbike with slick tires, and then ran in my sneak-ers. That last hill in the PCT is BRUTAL! Ithought I was going to die. I finished in thebottom 1/3 of the race but I had a blast andwas hooked. I still remember the buzz I hadfrom that first one. I immediately went outand bought a road bike…so much faster!!

Craig: The Pacific Coast Triathlon is up inNewport, right? How did you end up in SanDiego and a member of TCSD?

JT: I was actually born here (my Dad was aNaval officer stationed here at the time, heretired here also). Professionally, ShelbyAmerican was being run out of business by“savvy investors”, so I had to find myself a

IRONMAN CONVERSATION WITH CRAIG ZELENTI had the pleasure recently to talk triathlon with long time TCSDmember, JT Lyons. Many of you have gotten tremendous assistanceon the bike from JT as he is the owner of Moment Cycle Sport.Please join me as we get to know this great guy who has madetriathlon his career.

JT racing aero at IMAZ 2008.

continued on page 8

continued on page 8

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TCSD RACEDISCOUNTSTo get your club discount, someevents require club members touse mail-in application and includea photocopy of TCSD membershipcard. No refunds of the discountedamount will be given if you havealready sent in your name andapplication.

Subtract the discounted amountfrom the total and be sure to alsowrite Triathlon Club of San Diegosomewhere on the application.

Additionally, visit the clubs discount section on the web foradditional details about discounts.

Auburn International Half-Ironman(World’s Toughest Half, Olympic andLong Course Duathlon NationallChampionships). TCSD members enjoy $10 off entry.

Big Kahuna Triathlon$15 off.

Elite Racing$10 off Rock & Roll Marathon. See website for additional racediscounts. www.EliteRacing.com

new JOB. Having worked with aluminum,steel, carbon, and titanium at Shelby, I decid-ed to build on my composites knowledge andjoined a local defense contractor, SPARTA Inc.Their specialty was carbon fiber componentsfor the military. I worked on several weaponssystems projects before returning to my rootsand running a development/production pro-gram for the Ford GT. Without going into toomuch detail, let’s just say this gig was inter-esting and everything was always “super-light/stiff/aero” That’s what we did…highperformance “stuff”.

I can’t recall exactly how, but I soon discov-ered TCSD. I went to a few meetings withnotable speakers (like Tim Deboom and PeterReid) and was impressed, intrigued and couldtell everyone was having fun. I joined imme-diately and started showing up at events. I dida couple of Olympic distance races and con-vinced myself I could do a half, did it, then Igot the idea to try an Ironman (Brazil). Idragged my friend Dan along for this onetoo…how could he refuse Brazil!?!

So, now that I was training for an IronmanI had to get serious. I think I went to everyTCSD workout for a 9 month period, every run,every club race (back when 25 people was agood showing), and even led a regular TCSDride for a while there. The encouragement, andfriends and food have always been a favorite.I trained a lot, overcame some obstacles,slacked off at work (almost too much), andmanaged to finish IM Brazil in a time of 11:45.

Craig: Have you done other Ironman races?

JT: I just completed IMAZ in November, whichwas a great experience for me. I didn’t get totrain as much as I would have liked, but wasstill happy with my time. I think I was mostlyhappy that my legs didn’t cramp on the bike(thanks to my salt tablets!!) The swim wasmellow, I tend to veer to the left when I swim,and (of course) the swim course had a slightbend to the right. So, I bounced off of everybuoy in the water. But I got out with a solid 1hour swim. I did the first loop of 3 for the bikeon a 4:30 pace, and then decided I’d betterslow down. I backed it off, and went easy forthe second loop. In the third, I picked up the

effort a bit, I managed to pull off a 5:13 bikesplit. It was fun to see people I knew out onthe “spectator friendly” course – I got to seemy girlfriend Lynne twice on the bike and 5times on the run!! TCSD had an amazing rep-resentation there. I went into transition andsaw Philippe (my crazy fast Swiss friend) fin-ishing his first lap of the run on his way to acourse record…impressive! My run?..well let’sjust say it hurt a bit! I finished with a time of10:53. I wanted to break 11:00 so I met mygoal and was happy to pull it off thanks to allof the TCSD people out there cheering. Icouldn’t have done it without you!

Craig: Of all the many races you have done,which was your best? Or which race perform-ance made you the most proud?

JT: I think my favorite is when I’m racing afriend or rival and I manage to pull out thewin. I love to joke around with my friendsabout who’s faster. Cory and I have quite thesmack sessions at the shop on occasion. I’mmost proud when I’m able to hold off or passsomeone working hard on the run (the run ismy biggest weakness). One year, I was 6th inmy age group at LA Olympic, placed at theTurtleman in MN, and got second in a coupleof club races. I always give it what I can onthat day and have fun.

Craig: When/how did Moment Cycle Sportcome about? How has your background helpedcreate a unique experience for your cus-tomers?

JT: Shortly after IM Brazil, I started gettingtired of the status quo. I liked the work I wasdoing (design & manufacturing) but I wantedmore control and freedom over the selection ofprojects. So I just had to figure out what Ienjoyed that could pay my bills (my athleticambitions are not on that list ;-)). I thoughtof starting a bike company but there was toomuch competition, and talk about HUGE mar-keting budgets! So, I decided to try my handat designing bike components (bars, forks,cranks etc.). I saved up a bunch of money,quit my job and started designing. I puttogether some nice stuff, but I was burning ahole into my savings fast. Product develop-ment, testing, patent applications, etc are NOT

Ironman Conversation, continued

continued on page 15

Nickie SmithStephanie SnamanCathleen StaffordCathleen StaffordDenise SurisKristin TaddeyGreg ThompsonJaclyn TrosperTaylor TurnerBenjamin UrichKen WagnerJim WalshAnna WeltmanJonathan WhitmanRebecca WhitmireRussell WilliamsLeslie WinchellMatthew Zuniga

NEW MEMBERS, cont.

15

Hike, Bike, KayakDiscount: Buy Two La Jolla SeaCave Kayak Tours, bring anotherperson for free! This is a two-hourguided kayak tour of the gorgeoussea caves area. (Includes equipment and plenty of free instruction on proper paddling technique.)

John Howard Performance Sports1705 Old Mill RdEncintias, CA 92024(760) 944-3787, (203) 762-7578john@johnhowardsports.com www.johnhowardsports.comDiscount: 10% on Bike PositionAnalysis.

MHS-WorksThe Bicycle Doctor and Qualitybuilding Maintenance & RepairContact: Matt Sparkswww.MHS-WORKS.com(619) 756-3756Discount: 10% Discount off labor

San Diego Humane SocietyContact: Sarah WhorleyDiscount: 1 year extension to your membership if you adopt ananimal from the San DiegoHumane Society.

FRIENDS OF TCSDOFFERING DISCOUNTS

WWW.TRICLUBSANDIEGO.ORG

cheap. I also wanted to make sure that mydesigns/products would be well received bythe retailers or people who usually recommendthem, so I went to bike fit school, (F.I.S.T.Serrotta), then to professional bike mechanicschool at the Barnett Bicycle Institute. Ilearned a lot and generated many more ideasfor products but there was still the issue ofrunning out of money.

One day I was looking for office space for mybusiness and I walked into the space that isnow Moment Cycle Sport. I looked around, andit was certainly not a great office space, it wasclearly retail. I left, went home, and happenedto have a bike map on the table. It got methinking. I started marking locations of thebike shops in San Diego and saw a gap (espe-cially when you considered triathlon stores).This place was located on one of the more pop-ular bike routes in San Diego (to the CabrilloNational monument) so I thought “maybe Ican open a small bike shop.” I quickly learnedyou need to make serious commitments tobicycle vendors and so the “small” idea becamea lot bigger. Using my personal experience as atriathlete, I modeled my business on what Iwanted most out of a bike/multi-sport shop…customer service! Three years later, and a tonof work, I can say, that it hasn’t been easy butit’s been fun and rewarding. We don’t have theresources to carry every bike in every size (noshop does actually) but we always find thebest solution to meet our customers, needs(even if that means a special order).

Our strength lies in our knowledge and lever-aging CAD (computer-aided-design tool).

Ironman Conversation, continued

JT and Cory, at the October 2008 Fiesta IslandIndividual Time Trial.

continued on page 16

Looking for a

workout partner,

companion or buddy?

Use the TCSD website’s forum to post a listing. Make sure to

include location and intensity level.

Having a training partner

can bring new energy

to your workouts.

16

continued on page 18

Technical expertise I’ve gained from myprior work experience has been invaluablefor Moment Cycle Sport. I knew that Icould “fit” someone (optimize their posi-tion for riding a bicycle) on a “fit bike”(flexible geometry bicycle simulator),reproduce their position on the CAD sys-tem, and use that with bicycle geometrytables to determine exactly what bike ismost suitable for each person. For me the“fit bike” is essential, because if you don’tuse one, and instead you “fit” someone“to” a bicycle, assumptions have beenmade about that person’s physiology orriding preferences, and each bicycle isonly so adjustable. If your assumptions areless than perfect, so is the fit. In short,Moment Cycle Sport really fits bikes-to-cyclists, rather thancyclists-to-bikes. It often takes us longer to fit and sell a bikethan most, but I think Moment’s customers are more comfortable,

powerful, confident and likely tocontinue enjoying the

cycling/triathlon lifestyle as a result ofthis methodology.

With my professional design back-ground, it was a no-brainer for MomentCycle Sport to specialize in custombikes. We design our custom frames in-house using sophisticated CAD modelsand work as an advocate for our cus-tomer with the manufacturer. Thisensures our customers get only the bestdesigned and built custom bikes fromthe manufacturers. The geometry willgive the customer the best bike han-dling, and flexibility of fit over the lifeof the bike.

My manufacturing experience hasreally helped in our service department. We have developed qual-ity control systems that ensure EVERY bike that leaves the storeis adjusted to the same high standards. It’s rare, but occasional-ly I’ll even design custom adaptors or other such parts to helpimprove customers’ bikes performance. Custom colors for parts ofyour bikeW we can do that also. Vintage Campagnolo…got it. We

Ironman Conversation, continued

It’s finally over! JT & Lynne at the finish ofNovember 2008 IMAZ.

18

enjoy the challenging projects. It keeps things interesting.

When I first opened the store, to keep costs down, I actuallylived in the storage room in the back. I built a “loft” for my bedup above the storage shelves and slept there. It wasn’t fun, butit allowed me to get the store up and running without payingrent at both the store and a separate apartment. (No, I don’t livethere anymore!). My friends Cory Osth (now one of our keyemployee/mechanics/owners), Clay G., Lynne and Matt Sparks (ofMHS Works fame) helped me remodel the space for the store. Icouldn’t really pay them, but I tried to keep their bellies full withfood and beer. I still remember Clayton holding me on a stoolholding Cory on a ladder putting in screws over his head 12’ inthe air, hoping no one was going to fall. It was a scene right outof the Three Stooges. I never could have done it without the helpand encouragement from my friends and long time girlfriendLynne Branchflower. Somehow I thought it would be less expen-sive to do it myself…WRONG!! What probably could have been a2 month remodel became 8 and I paid the rent for all 8 monthsI wasn’t open…oops!

Craig: With the current economic challenges everyone is facing,can you prioritize your recommendations for someone on a budg-et wanting to improve their triathlon performance?

JT: The economy is tough, and triathlon isn’t an inexpensivesport. It doesn’t have to break the bank though. A good bike,running shoes (and a speedo.. ;-)) can take you a long way.Depending on your budget or current equipment, the following isthe order I’d recommend:

1) The first is absolutely positively a good bike fit. It canincrease your power output, and comfort on the bike, make iteasier to run after the bike, and is absolutely the most effec-tive way to be more aerodynamic on a bike (aerodynamics DOmatter a lot). I don’t believe that “aero” and “comfort” aremutually exclusive. There are certainly limits, but I’d say 90%of our customers leave the store in a more comfortable ANDmore aerodynamic position on the bike. If you calculate theamount of time you will spend on your bike training and rac-ing, spending $150-400 on a bike fit is a pretty small num-ber. In my opinion a good bike fit requires the use of a “fitbike” and then translating the new position to your bike.

2) A well fitting aero helmet. Get one suitable for your body typeand position on the bike. It can make a huge difference inyour aerodynamic drag. If you are a person with a curved backvs a very flat back, different aero helmets are going to giveyou better or worse results. For $150 -$250 you’ll get thesame drag reduction of a $2,000 set of race wheels.

3) Transition 1-transition 2…work on it. It’s part of the race, freespeed, and almost no-one practices this. You can make upminutes on your competitors! I really like elastic laces tospeed up the run shoe swap, tri-bike shoes, and just beingorganized at your transition. Create a transition plan and fol-low it. ALWAYS pre-walk the transitions of your races. Yourbrain doesn’t work as well when all the blood is in your legs.

4) Train smarter not harder…make your fast workouts faster, andyour slow workouts slower. That is, you need long, slow work-outs to build base, and you need fast high intensity workoutsto build strength. If you need help, there are a bunch of greatcoaches available through TCSD.

5) New tires…A nice set of tires is a great addition before a race.Don’t get cheap on your tires for a race. New ones will be lesssusceptible to flats, roll smoother, corner better, and belighter for going up hills, rolling weight is more importantthan static weight. Don’t buy the crazy super-lights or super-grippy tires, just a good solid all around race tire will do thetrick, and actually give you more good training miles than youthink.

6) An indoor trainer, and a good training video or two or three.I know, it’s San Diego, no-one wants to train inside, but solidhigh intensity workouts non-stop for an hour or more are hardto come by outside. It’s easy on a trainer. I really like thevideos from Carmichael Training Systems, they are heart

Ironman Conversation, continued

Tri Club Incentive Offer

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continued on page 20

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Discounts on labor and free consultation offered to TCSD members.

rate/cadence and or power based so as your fitnessimproves the intensity goes up with it. Always a great work-out, when I’m training for a goal race, I find at least 1(good intensity) trainer workout per week really makes adifference.

7) Race wheels. A good set of race wheels does more thanimprove your aerodynamics. They also can improve the ridequality of your bike, and lower its weight. All can lead to abetter run. Less fatigue on the bike = faster run. Make sureto pick a wheel set that is appropriate for your race, bodytype, bike handling skills, and riding style. It matters, andnot all race wheels are created equally.

8) A new bike. You may not need the most expensive bike outthere, but one that fits YOU well can make a huge differ-ence. Sometimes it’s the same size, but a different geome-try. If you’re limited to riding in a position that’s less thanideal for you because your bike can’t accommodateit….maybe it’s time for a new frame. Geometries of bikes(especially tri bikes) from different manufacturers are NOTeven close. Two bikes can have the same top tube lengthand fit TOTALLY different. It can make a HUGE difference.

Craig: What would you like people to know about Moment thatthey are possibly unaware of?

JT: Moment is employee owned. All of the full time employeesat Moment are owners. Our team is 3.5 strong now and has over36 years (cumulative) experience in cycling and triathlon andincludes myself, Cory Osth, service manager, LynneBranchflower, M.B.A operations manager, Daniel Wallis,

MHS-Works

20

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mechanic. We are professionals. This is our career, we strive to bethe best, and give you the best customer service possible. We’realso looking forward to our growth. Moment has added some newproducts and even a bike team this year…we’re excited to seewhere we can go. We’re here to stay and optimistic about ourfuture. We have some exciting stuff planned for this year, so staytuned!

Craig: What are your favorite benefits of TCSD membership?

JT: I think just the many friends I’ve made and all of the greatevents are a special benefit. I love to race, and the club races areso well organized and fun, and free!!

Craig: In all your years as a triathlete, what is one of the funni-est memories you have?

JT: Nothing really stands out to me that much. I’ve certainly donethe usual…run out of transition with my helmet on, put my run-ning shoes on for the bike. I even got on my bike still wearing mywetsuit. That transition was really fast!!

Craig: Who is your hero and why would your select that person?

JT: I don’t know that I really have a “hero”. I admire lots of peo-ple, but I don’t know that I could narrow it down to one. I thinkthat when people overcome true adversity that is really heroic. Weare not all given that “opportunity” so perhaps just being good atwhat we do is admirable. I really appreciate people who can getup and smile every day regardless of what gets thrown at them.

Craig: What are your future goals with the sport of triathlon?

JT: I’d love to qualify for Kona some day (who wouldn’t!). I thinkmy swim and bike are close, now I just need to train correctly for26.2 miles of running…I’ve never done a marathon except in anIronman, and it hasn’t been pretty yet. One of these days, I’ll setmy mind to it. I also think it would be really cool to win a race.The closest I’ve been was 2nd, but it would be cool to be on thepodium as first, if only just once. As a matter of fact, it would becool be on the podium. Every race I’ve placed in, for some reasonI missed the awards. I’m not going to kill myself for that either,balance is key, but it’s always fun to have goals. I also really enjoyhelping people perform to their potential. It was really fun to seePhilippe Krebs and Elizabeth Daubner, a couple of our sponsoredathletes this year, get even faster with some tweaks to their bikes.Some of the most rewarding moments are when a middle or back-of-the-pack person makes a big improvement based on our sug-gestion.

Craig: JT, thanks for sharing your story. Your team at Moment hashelped a lot of people in the past and I’m certain that will con-tinue long into the future.

Ironman Conversation, continued

21

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