It's that time of year again! The Tempo & Timmy Time Trials start in March. If you have never been to these events, they are a blast. Ten miles against the clock in one of the most rider friendly neighborhoods in Sarasota. The group parks at the Tempo Cyclery bike shop at 5140 Palmer Plaza Blvd, Sarasota. From there it is a short ride to the race start at the corner of Palmer Ranch Parkway and Honore . The Individual Time Trials begins at 6pm. You might want to arrive a little early so you can sign the insurance waiver and get a numbered sticker for your helmet so they can track your speed. Then you simply line up and go. After the race, riders return to Tempo for the all important after race beers. The Tempo & Timmy Time Trials will now be held on the last Thursday of each month. The dates are as follows (Weather permitting): * March 27th * April 24th * May 29th * June 26th * July 31st * August 28th The races will take place in cases of rain but w...

A bike shop is often the heart of a local biking community. Even in a cycle saturated city like Sarasota, Tempo Cyclery had no problem filling their shop for their Grand Re-Opening party on Nov 16th, 2013. What a party it was! With good food from the grill, good beer in the coolers and prizes being raffled off every 15 minutes, the atmosphere was jubilant and anticipatory. Tempo owner Julian Gregory and his staff kept the shop running with sales and service even while it was filled with friends and customers. Between sips of Fat Tire Amber Ale and sweets from Sirard's Chocolate Cafe, the cyclists retreated out back to prepare for the day's planned entertainment. A chalk outline on the cement marked an obstacle course designed to be raced by adults on miniature kids bikes. The prize was two brand new Scott cycling helmets, one each for the male and female winners. A handful of men and women, some of them Ironman competitors, struggled playfully with the tin...

Personability is everything, especially when it comes to bike shops. In our internet obsessed society the modern store front is faced with a multitude of challenges. Each day dozens of websites announce a new sale, promising the lowest possible prices and free shipping. Add to this the bidding wars on Ebay plus the digital yard sale known as Craigslist and it has to make you wonder how any bike shop can keep their doors open. This gets us back to that personal touch. Since bike shops are in a losing struggle with online retailers, they have to make up for it in other ways. Their top three weapons are quality service, location and personability. At their September grand re-opening I got a chance to talk to Tempo Cyclery's owner and see their new shop. My question was, have they achieved the trifecta needed for further success? Store owner Julian Angus jr Enthusiasm can be infectious. When you are talking to a true cyclist, passion bleeds through every word. At th...

The folks from Tempo Cyclery dodged the rain yet again to put on another fun Time Trial down the beautiful  second stretch of Honore Rd in Sarasota, Florida. 61 riders gave their all in this monthly 10 mile fun race that tests an athletes top end speed plus their ability to accept pain and afterwards consume beer. The usual mix of unusual rides livened up the field with everything from the high tech Time Trial bikes, a score of road bikes, my own Mountain Bike and even a classic Tandem. The attendees themselves were an even more eclectic mix of personalities ranging from elite cyclists and triathletes to recreational riders and even a few BMXers. Both genders and all ages were represented as the watch clocked everyone's best efforts. The atmosphere remained light and jovial as ever. The guys from Tempo Cyclery stepped up their precautions by having riders sign a waiver at the start of festivities, better safe than sorry. Each person was assigned a number and...

What better way to break in my new Mountain Bike than to jump right into a fun race. Sarasota bike shop Tempo Cyclery holds a monthly Time Trial for their customers. The TT is free (Except for a few beers for the timer) and the atmosphere is friendly to all types of riders. Good thing too because I was the only person who showed up on a full blown Mountain Bike. After digging out my old gear I realized that I was lacking the appropriate details. My only MTB jersey is long sleeve (A tad hot in 90 degree weather) and all of my gloves are full finger so I decided to go without. My bike doesn't have a water bottle cage so I stuffed one in my back pocket only to later realize that it was a twist off cap. Can you tell that I've been off the bike for 20 months? We all met in the parking lot near Geckos restaurant on Clark road and then rode our bikes to the starting point at the corner of Honore and Palmer Ranch parkway. Here the sidewalk corner slowly filled up...