ZenTriBrett wrote:
Yeah, that looked like the opposite of a cluster-f to me. That looked like a team of Marines or Seals had been told to make a beach landing and they were told they had to use bike fit as a weapon instead of guns, and they had been training for it for 10 years. Everybody had a job, knew what that job was, and was doing it with focus. I was definitely impressed.
Glad it looked that way because it didn't always feel as organized as I would have liked. We were working two separate locations about an hour apart (SoCal traffic), but I was lucky to have an amazing team that had everything set up for us at the outdoor locale - canopies, food & drink, even power, was at the ready. Not my first rodeo, and certainly not the biggest crowd I've dealt with when working with high profile athletes. Definitely one of the most professional, though.
Ivan showed up with a clearly defined plan of attack, which is an absolute necessity. Canyon was very well prepared, as well, and ready at the drop of a hat to change directions with equipment, which is also important for this type of work. You don't often find this with manufacturers, who sometimes let marketing get in the way of what's best for the athlete. Not Canyon, they seemed all about doing what's best for Lionel. They weren't there to make a commercial, they were there to get a job done.
Talbot is like a great referee, you don't even know he's there as he goes about his job, but the end result is pure quality. I can't state the importance of this enough. Having been through this many times, trust me when I tell you it can get real f*ing annoying have a camera in your face and a boom mic over your head all day long. No problem there at all. He knows what to do, how to do it, and he's practically invisible.
Make no mistake, Ivan is Lionel's fitter. They're taking a long-term approach working not only on position, but range of motion, biomechanics, etc. Lionel made a good choice in hiring Ivan. I would never have been in the position to devote that much energy to one project. I also believe Lionel made a great choice in going with Canyon. I know what his other options were. All were fine, but I was really impressed with the energy Canyon brought. I just love that company more and more.
No mention of the aero stick? AeroLab was there for support even when it had nothing to do with their sensor, and the data we acquired was very helpful. Obviously, I can't post results. Maybe I can show some yaw data without CdA. I'll check.
Jim Manton /
ERO Sports