Lance Armstrong is set to open "Mellow Johnny's" this Saturday, May 10th, in Austin, Texas. The festivities will get underway at noon local time, with the seven time Tour de France winner on hand of course. Joining him will be Michael Ward, lead guitarist for Ben Harper who has written a children's book entitled Mike and the Bike", endurance coach and long time friend, Chris Carmichael and mountain biking legend Gary Fisher.
Mellow Johnny's derives it's name from Mailot Jaune, the French term for the Yellow Jersey that is worn by the overall leader of the Tour, something that Armstrong is quite familiar with. The shop will carry a large assortment of bikes and gear of course, but will also feature showers and lockers for bike commuters to use on their rides to and from work, free bike lockers to store your ride during the day, a service center, and a coffee house.
Lance has been quoted as saying that he want to create "the coolest bike shop in the world" and that he's hoping to develop a bike culture in Austin that is like the one in Portland, Oregon. He wants to encourage more people to ride their bikes to and from work, which not only provides great exercise, but also is great for the environment. You can learn more about Lance's new shop in this article.
Living in Austin, I can't wait to check out Lance's store. There is already a great bike culture here really, but this could give it more of a focal point and cool destination for bikers to gather at. If I get the opportunity, I'd like to swing by the store tomorrow and check out the festivities, but I have a feeling that it'll be crowded beyond belief. If I can't make it, I'll plan a visit in the near future and report back on what I find. I'm sure the store will do quite well here however, and I'll bet Lance has some great things planned. By the way, the official website is: MellowJohnnys.com, but there isn't a whole lot in place there yet. Hopefully it'll open soon as well.
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