Lenny vs. Lance UPDATE

Turns out Lenny was holding out on us yesterday. In his typically modest fashion, he failed to mention that while he raced against Lance on Wednesday, he’ll be racing with Lance on Sunday (along with another local badass, Max Taam). There aren’t too many people who can call themselves Lance’s teammate, especially when they’re from the US, they’re NOT a domestique and they ride a mountain bike.

Lenny was trying to keep all this on the DL so the pressure wouldn’t mount, but then Sari outed him on her blog and then Velo News picked up the story too. So much for Lenny’s nice, little laid back race with the 7-time Tour de France winner on his team. The question is, will Len get spoiled with his access to Lance’s mechanic, masseuse, bikes, supplements, etc. And, will Lance fuel up with Honey Stinger and their awesome new organic chews?

Good luck Lenny. We’ll be rooting for you. Check back on Monday for a full recap.

Lenny vs. Lance

Big Agnes co-owner, local mountain bike legend, and our downstairs office dweller, Len Zanni, got a little surprise at the final race in the Aspen local series last night: Lance Armstrong.

Lance has been hanging around the valley ever since his comeback performance at the Leadville 100 last month. He says he likes training at altitude and that “it’s pretty similar to European mountain towns,” but I hear the reason he’s hanging around is because he’s dating a local girl.

Anyway, Mr. Zanni lined up against Mr. Armstrong last night at the base of Smuggler Mtn for the 10 mile race. According to Zanni he was ahead of Lance for a while but he got blinded by all the paparazzi flashbulbs at the finish.

In the end, Lance beat Len by just 14 seconds. But, Len claimed the overall series title.

Lenny crawling up Lance's muffler

Lenny crawling up Lance's muffler

Read the full race report here (“Lance Strong-Arms Local Field”…the copy editor must be really proud of that headline in the Aspen Times).

I just found out I’ll be lining up against Lance at the 12 Hours of Snowmass on my single speed this weekend. At least the SS gives me the perfect excuse when Lance yells “Passing on Your Right” behind me. And I’ve got a secret weapon on my team, my wife.

What makes something Sticky?

Every brand wants it. Not every brand has it. So what makes a brand sticky? What traits or features breed consumer loyalty? Not an easy question to answer.

Consider the VW Bus. We have a Eurovan – which is a great camping vehicle and perfect for kids and parents who just can’t quite stomach a mini van. Call it a bus, Westfalia or Eurovan – whatever – but for inexplicable reasons Vdubs breed loyalty. Their is an inter-connectedness between owners. Drive one and wherever you are other owners will wave at you. That doesn’t happen in Ford.

Check out this Bus, for instance, painted by local Aspen artist and octogenarian Gino Hollander. Gino was a 10th Mountain solider during WWII, and an expatriate who wore out 3 Vdubs on tours across Europe and Northern Africa.

I don’t know the answer to what makes something sticky, but I do think Gino is getting at something close to it here.