Pavé Interview - Jeremy Dunn - Part 2

Here's the second half of a recent interview we conducted with Embrocation and Rapha's Jeremy Dunn.  You can read Part 1 here.
 

 Photo by Daniel Wakefield Pasley

11. Tell us a little about your bikes—what are you riding?  

Well, my Rapha Continental bike was elegantly made by Richard Sachs.   My road bike was hand crafted in Switzerland by the fine folks at BMC.   Embrocation Racing cyclocross bikes for the last few years had been custom made by Igleheart. I've been pretty lucky to be have found a dear friend in Chris, he makes AMAZING bicycles...so I also have a 29er that he fashioned for me. It’s called the "Guilt Trip" for two reasons; one of those is because I don't get to ride it as much as I want to.

This year we have had the amazing fortune to be riding Custom Painted Ridley X-Fire bikes. I have never ridden carbon during cross season, so this is a new one for me as well. A little bit of a departure from the one-off custom guys, but it is always good to try something new and these machines do not disappoint.

Photo by Jeremy Dunn

When I was in Belgium this past spring I had the chance to tour the Ridley Factory, and I while I was there someone said “you have a cyclocross team right?” I said “yes” to that and the wheels started turning.

They are a great crew, the people from Ridley and they have done a great job of equipping us with some hands down AMAZING bicycles. Plus, it feels like we’re part of the Belgian cyclocross tradition at this point as well, and that never hurts.

12. What’s your favorite piece of “classic” equipment?      

I was always a fan of the old Shimano logo. The one with the green light blue and navy blue stripes. Good stuff color wise. Equipment? Mavic rims. I have this Mavic rim display at home that has cross sections of all the rims at the time. Very useful selling tool I might add.   Tubulars are also nice. Are they considered "classic?"    I also have a Lemond steel bike that apparently was made by someone named Pegoretti? I think he's Italian. In any case, it’s a very nice road bike.

13. Any heroes or role models—both cycling and non-cycling?  

Heroes, eh? That is always a funny question I think. The way I approach heroes is this: find some amazing qualities in the people, and then surround yourself with these people. Make sure that you interact with them as much as possible and in a genuine way and the experiences that come out of this are going to be hero worthy. Therefore, I have a lot of heroes. So, here goes:

My parents Dan and Kathy have always been my heroes. They are both teachers in many senses of the word and have impressed the "learning" vibe on me. Plus, they're both really into supporting everything that I'm into, so that always helps. And they're awesome and hilarious, so there's that too.

Peter Rubijono. He knows how to go into the dark places not only with his artwork, but also with his bicycle riding. I've been riding with him for years now and it’s amazing to see what comes out of both creative outlets for him. But the best part?  He knows how to come back from those places to hang-out and be a great friend too.

Slate Olson and Carey Schleicher-Haselhorst are also heroes of mine. It is pretty compelling to see what they have done with the Rapha brand in only a few short years; I feel pretty lucky to be involved with the two of them. Slate is always coming up with these race ideas and Carey has the design sensibility to make them look abso-freakin’-lutely amazing. Any of the design stuff that you see coming out of the U.S. office is all her.

James Morrison is my business partner when it comes to the Embrocation side of things. We like to call it a Creative/Business separation. I just come up with crazy ideas and he figures-out how to make them reality. He is really good with all that stuff. At some point along the way I realized that I couldn't do all of this on my own and James happened to be standing there saying "well, I think I could help fill that void." Plus, he can tear my legs-off on any road ride around...

…I could go on and on about all the people that are heroes to me. It is a seriously involved list.

14. Got anything in the creative pipeline we can look forward to?

Well, yes, of course, there is always something, is there not? I have been working on a few things that should drop around Christmas holiday. I have also been experimenting with this idea of putting out the publication entirely by myself, like, all my writing and all my photos… I know, it sounds incredibly vain, but an experiment nonetheless. Something like Edward Bair’s The Art Of Eating, although I just saw the new issue and it looks like he has other contributors as well.

The Rapha Continental is developing quite nicely as well. I have a feeling that you will be seeing quite a bit more of these guys this coming summer. We have the usual Gentleman’s Race’s planned for both coasts, but it sounds like we are going to be hitting some of the iconic American Cycling Events around the country. Things like that now-famous D2R2 and Ragbrai and Cycle Oregon. Which, I have to say, if the Continental has taught me one thing it would be something about Community, so I am excited to participate in these classic rides.

Then there is the matter of NAHBS this year too. I have yet to hear if they are going to approve my press pass, so, we shall see how that goes. Although I am interested in seeing what the town of Richmond has to offer. Should be good.

15. And finally, what comes to mind when you hear the word “pavé”?  

Nothing. Literally, my mind goes blank.  When I finally had the opportunity to ride the cobbles that were Flanders, Gent and Paris-Roubaix my mind went blank. I thought about all the stuff that people had said. That you, in fact, had said leading up to the moment when I hit the cobbles. But I think the best way I can describe it is that my mind went completely blank. Your brain rattles in your head and you can't focus for a second.  Pavé. What a word. 


Boonen Coming Through from j. dunn on Vimeo.

Thanks for the time, Jeremy--I know you’re a busy fella.  We’re looking forward to reading/seeing/riding what you’ve got in store!

Pavé Interview – Jeremy Dunn - Part 1

Photo by Dan Sharp

Embrocation, Rapha, Rouleur, Bicycling—the list goes on and on. 

Jeremy Dunn’s hands are in several projects; chances are you’ve seen something of his over the last 2 years—especially if you’re a frequent visitor to Pavé.  He’s professional, talented, hard working, and—as I painfully learned during my day with the Rapha Continental, very, very fast.  Recently, Jeremy’s taken some time from of his busy schedule to answer some questions and share his thoughts on cycling, heroes, and of course, pavé.

We hope you enjoy the conversation!

1.  Hi, Jeremy, and thank you for taking the time to talk to Pavé.  Let’s start with something basic: what’s your 6-word memoir?  

I'm not done with it yet.

2.  Clearly, Jeremy, but I doubt if someone as hard-working as you ever will be.  You’re originally from the Midwest, then there was Boston, and now you’re in Portland.  Can you connect the dots for us?  What inspired the moves?  

Let’s see, I moved from the smallest of small towns—Lancaster, Wisconsin—to Milwaukee, and from there to Boston, and now I find myself roaming the streets of Portland. Milwaukee to Boston happened because at one point in my life I was into the documentary television world, and the best place to be for that was Boston. (PBS, in fact.) Good times over there...but then I got bored of that—or maybe it got bored of me? Can't tell which it was. Either way I went back to working in the cycling industry and that took me all over the place, finally landing on Portland.

3. “I went back to working in the cycling industry” is a bit of an understatement.  You’re involved in so many endeavors and projects—maybe too many to discuss here.  But how ‘bout we start with Embrocation?  How did it begin?  What inspired you to get it rolling?  

Embrocation started as an idea really. What I thought was, it would be great to put out a monthly little publication that would come out three times a year, all during the cyclocross season. But then, as I started to pull together writing and photos for it, and realized that I knew absolutely nothing about magazines or how to put them together, the project kind of evolved. This happened by basically pushing my own deadlines back further and further and seeing the content grow larger and lager. Plus, I read an issue of Rouleur somewhere in there, which totally changed my perspective on what a cycling publication really could, and should, be: an honest, beautiful look at the sport. Thing was, they were only talking about what was going on in Europe. So, I shifted my focus a little bit.  Richard Sachs and Chris Igleheart were also both an inspiration behind getting it going. I took a real liking to some custom steel-ness and when I saw the passion that these two were putting into their bicycles it made me want to produce something that was akin to that sentiment.

4. What’s the biggest challenge associated with running your own journal?  

Getting people to submit stuff on time and being on time with deadlines that I've set for myself (insert nervous chuckle).  It always seems that time is slipping away from me. I've got all these ideas and they all try to come out at once, so what I try to do is make sure that they have the proper outlets for getting out--sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

5. The Embrocation Racing Team was a good idea.  When did you decide to roll the magazine and name into team sponsorship?  Why?  How did it come to be?

Well, that's always been the idea. I, along with a few others like Craig Roth (of Cambridge Bicycle and way back, Strangers Racing), have been putting together these slightly small scale cycling teams for a couple of years now. Racing for one shop or another (Harris Cyclery and then Cambridge Bicycle) and we always used to say to each other, wouldn't it be cool to be racing for something that we were doing, making, producing...I mean isn't the point of the team to advertise? Well, let’s make something that we want to advertise...and then at some point it made sense to just kind of roll them into one.

Photo by Dan Sharp

6. What is your vision for Embrocation?  Where do you see it headed in the next several years?  

Years? Shoot, man I'm trying to focus on the next few weeks! Although, to be completely honest, it blows my mind to know that a year has passed and I've met and exceeded my goal of putting out more than one volume of Embrocation.  [Editor’s Note: if you’ve never laid hands on a copy of Embrocation, Volume 4’s a terrific place to start!  You can order it here.]

7. Now the Rapha Continental.  What’s your role?  How did you come to be involved?  

Oh boy. That's a good one. Short answer: I was asking around to find some people to help out with my booth at NAHBS two years ago in Portland and somehow paired up with the “Dynamic Duo” of Daniel Wakefield-Pasley and Dan Sharp. Both were involved with the inception of this "Continental Project" and soon enough, so was I. I had the fortune of being able to pull together some of the bicycle builders from the East Coast as well as a crew of incredibly tough, incredibly handsome gentleman to ride said bikes. My role now: always evolving, always writing, always riding.

8. And now the inevitable question for anyone involved in the Rapha Continental: how do you define “epic”?    

I would like to think I've come to define it by saying that as long as I'm having a good time out there then its epic. Bill Strickland recently told me to re-read every sentence that I write and ask myself if each and every one is completely honest. Well, I just did that, and I feel completely OK with the above statement.   That being said, the hardest days always end up being the most fun.

9. Well, you’ve certainly had a lot of fun then.  What’s been the most rewarding thing you’ve experienced as a result of your involvement with the Rapha Continental? 

Well, I think that seeing the whole project come to fruition is pretty great. But the best thing? Absolutely the most rewarding thing about the project?

The people involved. Each and every one of the riders on the "team" I would call a friend. And when you're out riding with your friends it is going to be rewarding every time you swing your leg over the bike.

That, and standing in a taxidermy shop in West Virginia watching a man that makes his own moonshine play the banjo for my friends and I who were out on a bike ride together.

10. When packing for a trip with the Conti crew, what’s one thing you never leave home without and why?  

There is always something that gets left out. But the one thing I never leave home without is...well, embrocations. How can I help to insure that everyone looks great on the Conti rides? Make sure that I have enough embrocation for everyone. 

That's it for Part 1.  We'll post Part 2 later in the week in which Jeremy discusses what bikes he's riding, heroes, classic equipment, and of course--pavé.

Pavé Interview- Take Two! - Zac Daab

We had some publishing difficulties yesterday, but here's the inaugural post in what we hope will become a regular feature (not the errors yesterday) on Pavé. Zac Daab is a legend in many circles--on both coasts. Originally a member of the Seven Cycles crew, Zac moved to Seattle where he is now the owner and proprietor of the Cascade Bicycle Studio. Perhaps more importantly, he and a few friends are the brain-trust behind HUP United, a team of like-minded individuals with a penchant for many of the wonderful things we here at Pavé appreciate, in particular: Belgium, dirt, and of course, pavé.

We hope you enjoy the interview, and we thank Zac for his willingness to be our first subject!

First of all, Zac, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Let's start with some background: what would your 6-word memoir be?

"Do great work; take risks." I guess that is five words!

We'll accept five words; math was never my forté either. Can you tell us a bit about the beginnings of HUP United. ? Who, what, where, when, why, etc.?

HUP United started when I was at Seven Cycles in Boston. It was really just me and a few fellow friends at Seven: Max, Bernard, and Mike S. We kinda wanted a shop team, with a specific shop kit. It was getting a bit complicated making it happen, so I just made it happen, without any connection to Seven. The first race we went to was in New Hampshire, part of the Verge Series. It was completely snowy on the course; the night before they plowed. We had a wicked good time, and the traveling to races together really formed HUP. HUP started out with 4 folks, and now we have about 8 regions, with nearly 100+ CX honch and honchettes lurking about.


Can you summarize the “HUP philosophy” for folks who might be unfamiliar with it?

Race your bike. This is not about sponsorship; we are our own sponsor. Onehupfindsanother.

HUP’s clothing and image certainly make several nods to Belgium and Belgian cycling culture; can you tell us more about that? Were these premeditated decisions, or did they just happen organically?

Our kit started out green and blue. We felt it was too close to another New England team though, so we set-out to create some designs based on Mapei and the Belgian National kit. Mapei was such a unique set-up with an Italian-based company joining forces with Belgian and Italian riders, and just destroying the spring classics, with style. The kit was truly flamboyant and loud. We liked that, and were inspired by this sensation. Now, if you go to nearly any cross race in America, it’s guaranteed you’ll see at least one HUP rider FULLY kitted out. We have three iterations of kit right now: Blue, NOIR, and Blanco. NOIR has kinda been the CX kit, Blanco is the Memorial Day to Labor Day kit, and Blue is classic.

After several years spent working for Seven, you’re the founder/owner/proprietor of the Cascade Bicycle Studio. What inspired the switch? Were you at all apprehensive to give it a go on your own?

I gained so much experience at Seven Cycles, working with Rob Vandermark on fit and design, and working with the sales and marketing folks who really have a good handle on a service-based brand. When I went out on my own in 2005, I knew that I could be successful because Seven was a very strong brand, and I had a very strong relationship with the company. I honestly can say that Seven is in a class of it’s own, and is way ahead of the curve in so many areas.

Lately there’s been a lot written about the Pacific Northwest—particularly Portland—bike scene. What’s your take? What makes the area so special?

Portland is a funny place. It’s like Park Slope and Williamsburg rode their bikes to the West Coast. I think part of the special-ness centers around a very vibrant geographic location where there is a lot of green, access to major alpine areas, and ocean. Portland is comprised of extremely talented and creative folks, who value the outdoor lifestyle. And, at the end of the day, Portland is still a small town, with an NBA team. I know the city has been extremely pro-active about transportation and bicycling, and I believe that is also a draw. That said, if I see one more t-shirt with a unicorn, I’m going to vomit. I’m waiting for the bumper sticker that reads: “I grew a beard, and all I got was this lousy lugged steel frame.”

What about your bikes? Can you take us on a tour through your stable?

My current stable is quite plentiful right now. There is a fine line between the bikes I ride because I own a bike shop with demo bikes, and the bikes I own outright. That said, right now on the road I am riding a BMC Racemaster SLX 01 which is an aluminum/carbon frame. I also have my Seven Odonata (now called the ID8) from 2000. This serves as my winter rain bike with full fenders, and my base mileage (3+ hour) bike. In Seattle, nearly everyone has a rain bike. And they are usually nice. For CX, I have three bikes: custom Sycip aluminum, custom titanium Seven, and a 333 fabrication single-speed. I was riding the Seven the other day, and thought it was super cool how versatile this bike has become: I ride it regularly as a commuter single-speed with a fender, I have raced it in Belgium at Master’s Cross Worlds, I have ridden it up the Koppenburg, I have won single-speed cross races on it, and right now it’s set-up as a single-speed with file treads as my summer commuter. Finally, I have a Sycip Java Boy which is the bike of all coffee bikes, with painted Honjo fenders, and Shimano Alfine disc/internal group. Oh, and I just got an Ibis Mojo SL ATB rig with 5.5” of travel. It’s insane! 24 lbs and 140mm of travel in the rear. I have a Seven ATB single-speed, too. I think that’s it. My girlfriend Beverly and I rode a Co-Motion tandem for the first time last weekend and had a ton of fun.

What’s your ideal ride? Location, weather, companions, bike, etc.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I pretty much had the perfect riding weekend. On Friday afternoon, I went out with Max and B and we hammered the s*** out of each other (that sounds wrong) and rode for about 1.5 hours with relentless attacks on our road bikes. It was a local road ride, and it was 70 and sunny. Saturday I rode up to Woodland Park, a city park about 10 blocks from my shop, and I pre-rode a cross course that we’re using for a race this fall in Seattle. There has never been a CX race there, and me and my friend Terry are putting on a 6-race series this fall called MFG Cross. I rode my singlespeed with file treads. On Sunday, my pal Dieter and I went to Bellingham to ride our ATB’s. We spent about 5 hours exploring a local mountain called Galbrith Mountain. Lots of small connected trails and many possibilities to get lost. D hucked some ILL 10 footers. I watched. We ate burritos. On Monday, Beverly and I went for a tandem ride in the city, and ended up at a local beach. I haven’t ridden a tandem in a while, and it was a ton of fun having some chitty-chat on the bike, and staying together.

What, no pavé? We'll forgive that one for now. Do you have any heroes or roll models—both cycling and non-cycling?

VDB. What else is there to say about the dude? Wicked doper, hopeless comeback, but few look better on a bike than Frankie Boy. I'm also big into basketball. I am a fan of CP3 (that's Chris Paul-ed.) of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, and really liked watching Rajon Rondo play this season. Rondo is like the little man at 6’2", and was dunking OVER Dwight Howard this year. Vicious.

What do you want to be when you grow-up?

If I grow up, I’m in trouble.

And finally, what comes to mind when you hear the word “pavé”?

There is a photo on pages 68 and 69 of the book Flandrien (we're trying to locate copies of these-ed.). I think this photo does justice to what it must be like to ride pavé in epic conditions. I rode some of the Ronde a few years ago, but it was tame on a cross bike with 32’s in the sun and dry conditions. To race for 5+ hours on constant pavé must just be a nightmare. Or, "ass-mare".

Thanks so much, Zac. Please keep us posted on all that's going-on over at HUP.

And again, please accept our apologies for yesterday's publishing technical difficulties. Thank you for reading!