Like most people in the bike industry, I realized how well coffee and bikes go hand-in-hand. I just had no idea that I would eventually make a living through both. In 2013, I submerged myself in the bike world and never looked back – from full bike bum status in Whistler straight into living in my antiquated Ford Econoline full-time with my girlfriend, looking forward to a clean toilet and shower at whatever Anytime Fitness was nearby. Driving from dirt parking lot to dirt parking lot, race to race, in hopes of making a name for myself one day.
Early in my career, I fully embraced the words of Bukowski, “find what you love and let it kill you.” I dropped out of college and quit a reliable career as an electrician in hopes of finding stable ground within the bike industry one day. Along the way managing to convince my other half that this was somehow a solid plan for our future. I feel incredibly fortunate to call the Yeti / Fox team home these days as I race the EWS Series full-time alongside teammate, and good friend, Richie Rude.
I eventually realized how obsessive I was about my riding, from my elbow angle in a corner to my knee position in relation to my top tube while airborne. Coffee is the only thing I've stumbled upon in life besides biking that gave me that itch I had to scratch. Coffee roast profiles and extraction rates have replaced the elbow angle and knee position discussions these days. Traction Coffee Roasters was born 2.5 years ago out of this obsession with long-time biking friend, Mike Murfitt. The company was built around the idea that coffee is a catalyst for bringing people together, whether that be around a coffee table in the morning or fueling for those "Type 2 fun" kinds of days.
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