Most of you know Ray as the “smiley, little guy” on Hometown’s sales floor… and as a blur on the mountain bike race scene. He’s a perennial, customer favorite – radiating Texas-sized personality and crazy-awesome bike smarts.

Now Ray’s given us another reason to bust our vest with pride, being selected as Michigan’s Jamis Grassroots Rider. That’s a giant leap toward Ray’s dream of becoming a Jamis Pro Team Rider.

We asked Ray a few questions about how he got into cycling and how he feels about Jamis and the sport:

Q) Who inspired you to ride a bicycle?

A) There wasn’t any particular person that inspired Ray to ride. He started riding trails with his friends to beat summer boredom, and wound up falling in love with cycling in the woods. Mountain biking became his ultimate get-away.

“When I’m riding, there’s no stress, no “clean your room,” no obligations – it really gets me to my ‘happy place.’”

Q) What made you want to ride a bicycle professionally?

A) “I don’t consider riding my bike a profession; I just enjoy it. I’m stoked every day to go ride my bike… not to win money or anything – just to see how far I can push myself, and how hard I can push the competition.”

Q) Where did you take your first podium?

A) Ray’s first podium was a win at the Pontiac Lake Time Trial in 2012 – the same year that he graduated from high school and first started mountain biking. A good friend, CJ Brish, had taken him under his wing, and helped Ray break into the competitive field.

At this particular event, CJ challenged him to move up into Expert, so that they wouldn’t have to wait for the 1:00pm Beginner division start time. Ray rocked the course, and won his first Expert race with a whopping 12 minute lead.

That’s when he knew he wanted to pursue racing.

Q) When you took your first podium, how did you feel?

A) “Amazed. I was blown away that, in the little bit of time I’d been riding, I could progress as much as I did. It made me realize that cycling is my passion.”

At that point, Ray dropped all other sports – including over ___ years of hockey – to focus his full energy on cycling.

Q) Why do you want to race for the Jamis family?

A) “The whole company is, in my eyes, the most amazing group of people. We share the same goals and views. Jamis does whatever they can to get you on a bike. They just want to get people riding and into the sport.”

Ray was also wowed by a personal email from Jamis’ CEO, Carine Joannou.

“I mean, what other president of an international company would email a small grassroots cyclist, like me? I also met Jamis’ factory pro rider, Erica Tingey, and she made a point of connecting with me on Facebook. It’s like having a second family.”

You made us Detroit’s BEST Bicycle Shop on the 2014 Detroit A List, and now we’re just itching to take home another gold in ClickOnDetroit’s VOTE 4 THE BEST CONTEST. What do you think, Hometownies? Can you help us get there??

Here’s what to do – CLICK HERE, sign in, and
VOTE ONCE A DAY, EVERY DAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14!!!

Thanks for sharing your Hometown love!

Ladies… this one’s for you! Masterminded by our Events Coordinator and recent mountain bike addict, Jennifer McCauley (center left), and her skilled cyclist daughter, Jessica Beaubien (center right), the Hometown Bicycles Green Gals meets weekly for judgement-free, fee-free, beginner-friendly, all-girl group rides.

WOMEN-ONLY MOUNTAIN BIKING:
Currently, the Green Gals bike Island Lake’s trails every Tuesday morning for a comfortable, 10ish-mile ride. No one gets left behind, and there’s a chance to hang out afterward with your fellow Green Gals at one of the many restaurants!

WHEN:  Tuesdays at 9:30am (inclement weather – call ahead or confirm on Facebook)
WHERE:  Meet at Island Lake trailhead at Green Oak Village Place Mall in Brighton
DISTANCE:  Approx. 10.5 miles (Blue Loop)
FOR MORE INFO:  Call 810-225-2441 or email events@myhometownbicycles.com

Hometown’ll be busy at this year’s Howell Melon Festival!

We’re leading off the family-friendly, 5-mile, Melonfest bike ride on Saturday, August 16th at 7am, which leaves from the Courthouse. It’s a “the-more-the-merrier” type event, so we want to see you there!

From 7am – 2pm, Hometown is providing complimentary Bike Valet service; we’ll watch your bicycle for you while you enjoy the Melonfest activities.

We’re on duty as bicycle SAG support throughout the ride but, whether your bike needs servicing or not, you’ll definitely want to stop by our tent for a chance to win Hometown bucks via our Bicycle Ring Toss Game.

And, of course, be sure to pick up raffle tickets for the chance to win a melon-colored cruiser bicycle, donated by us!
Melons and bicycles… UNITE!

The ice blue mega monster above is a true, blue, fat-tire, snow bike made by the geniuses at Surly… and it’s available NOW for pre-order.

Last year, our stock sold out in October. Don’t be the sad cyclist who gets stuck indoors this winter. Come in today to place your order and guarantee your very own winter-devouring Surly Ice Cream Truck!

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: bicycles, bike shop, Brighton, cycling, Detroit, Detroit A List, fat bike, fat tire bike, Green Gals, Hometown Bicycles, Howell Melon Festival, Ice Cream Truck, Jamis Bicycles, Melonfest, mountain biking, Ray Dangelmaier, Surly, Vote4theBest, women only cycling | Leave a comment »