Lynn tweaks the fit for Mark, Leslie looks at the new kits, our friend Dennis catches up with old friends from the music business, and Scooter approves

Of course, we love all of our customers; but as you can imagine, we have to have a few favorites.

Mark and Leslie Morell just happen to be two of our favorites!

Mark first came to Gran Fondo within weeks after we opened. It's hard to believe that it has been seven years, but Mark had just suffered a stroke and he wanted to use his passion for cycling as a key to his recovery. As soon as he was able, he began to rebuild his strength on a stationary trainer. We also like to think that Mark was somewhat motivated in those early days by the custom Tommasini that was ordered straightaway for him. We all watched as Mark's strength returned and a daily commute on his beautiful steel bicycle became a normal part of his routine. Mark rode the bike so much that we needed to sell him a couple of other bikes so that he had something more appropriate for the rainy day or he had something whimsical when in the mood. The beautiful Record-equipped Tommasini is still performing well, but after seven years it is time to add another bike to the stable. That special Tommasini doesn't need to be in service every day!

Besides sharing a love of cycling with Mark, we share something else. Mark and Leslie have a daughter who was born March 9, 1981. Lynn and I have one of those too! Many of you may not remember when our daughter Katharine used to work in the bike shop, but Mark does. Now our Katharine is off being Ms. Professional Bike Racer, but the last time that Katharine was in town for a visit, we had just finished building up the Lynskey demo/rental bikes. The smaller size Helix was Katharine's size, so she was the first one to ride this special bike. Fast forward to the end of summer, and the Lynskey bikes are now for sale, and the bike that Katharine had taken on its maiden voyage was just Mark's size. As the bike was lightly ridden (by our favorite pro and Mark's) and in perfect shape, Mark took the bike home for a couple of days. After one ride, he knew the titanium frame would be his next bike. Of course, we needed to dress it up and make it more special - so how about a SRAM Rred Gruppo, and a set of Fulcrum Racing Ones? Now this bike is spectacular and special enough for Mark!



When you have a customer like Mark, who has a passion for beautiful bicycles, is an incredibly strong rider, and finds such joy in beautiful craftsmanship and componentry - it is an absolute joy to put him on a perfect bike. Thank you, Mark and Leslie, for allowing Gran Fondo Cycles to be your bike shop!!