Bob Roll delivers classic Bobke-isms, great night

friday night my buddy Kevin and I headed to Lawrence for the Sunflower Outdoor/Bike Shop's friends/family night with former pro roadie turned mountain biker turned very colorful commentator Bob "bobke/boobke" Roll. Roll perched on the steps of Sunflower's bike side and gave an hour-plus storytelling session including everything from his time riding with Lance Armstrong to his seasonal job as Tour commentator for Versus.


via his bio on the Versus site, Bob's cycling experiences include:
• Member of the Cycling Hall of Fame as part of the original 7-Eleven Cycling Team
• Former member of the Motorola Cycling Team
• Four-time Tour de France, three-time Giro d'Italia, eight-time Paris-Roubaix, and three-time Tour de Suisse racer
• Won stage three of the 1988 Tour de Romandie
• Won stage 11 of the 1985 Coors Classic
• Won the 1997 & 1998 San Franciso Hill Climb
• Raced in eight World Championships

Roll was great - all shaggy from his time off at home in Durango, the guy was extremely entertaining. also fun was the chance to catch up with some old Lawrence friends and empty a few Free State kegs by night's end. here's a nice article from the LJ World.

i could stop here and most would be satisfied, but this can and does tie into the marketing world by showcasing Sunflower's incredibly loyal customer base. there were close to 200 people attending, only told via word of mouth and an e-mail. kudos to Dan Hughes for putting this on and keeping on Bobke to come deliver one of his few speeches per year among middle-of-America flatlanders. Sunflower was set up with 20 percent off discounts for this friends and family group - all loyal cu$tomer$ - and the vibe was that of thankfulness and revelry in what is a strong cycling and outdoor community, much a credit to Dan and the Sunflower folks.

now i'm ready to pull the bike off the indoor trainer and hit the roads. had a long afternoon of climbing at Monster Mountain. not sure i like it as much as Ibex, but certainly appreciate its close proximity to my pad. now, time to crack some beers and watch some commercials.