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Ride for Independents: People and Coffee HousesBob Johnson’s Ride for Independent Coffee Houses (www.rideforindependents.com)
on a Tour Easy from EZ Racers The ride will end in either Bob’s wife Cathy
is supporting the ride with their Phoenix Cruiser motor home, and his brother Paul
supplied some important motivation. They
have a model 2551 that is perfect for a couple with a dog (Ruby).
Several years ago Bob and Cathy rode from Ruby, their standard Schnauzer joins them on all trips.
The standard Schnauzer is a combination of the German Poodle and the “The ride has a couple of purposes, both business and
personal. The first is to visit
independently owned coffee houses along the route to highlight their success and
to find some of the ways that local coffee houses compete successfully with the
giant chains. Independents are a
major reason for the success of specialty coffee.
The owners enthusiasm and determination have spread ‘gourmet’ coffee
far and wide”, said Bob Our Sponsor, a coffee roasting company selling to
independent coffee houses and cafes, I started in 1991 using the trade name
Coffee Time. Kaffe Magnum Opus was
incorporated in 1996 and now sells to hundreds of coffee houses around the
country. “I’m very fortunate to
have a great staff and super leadership. So there is a natural connection between the sponsor and
the Ride for Independent Coffee Houses. Bob
said “I hope that other coffee independents will join me along the way’. The ride also supplies an ideal opportunity to get in
shape. Bob is 61 and ‘getting
ready for final third of my life”, he says.
“I decided to use the ride as a vehicle to get healthier and it is
working”. He continued very
proudly “two belt notches in the first five weeks”.
Starting in the Catskills was a bit tough going and the daily mileage was
low. But on the flats of the Eastern
Shore of Virginia the mileage is increasing to 40 and 50 miles per day.
“This isn’t a race and I’m not a 90 mile a day person” said Bob. “I need time to relax here and there and to enjoy the
company and coffee from the independent coffee stores”.
“I also love to tell the KMO story and mine.
Sitting with Bob is riding a Tour Easy one of models in the EZ Racer
line of recumbent bikes. This bike
is outfitted with thin tires as the entire ride will be on well maintained
roads. He is using the ERRC small
under-seat bags for water and spare clothing, but he sleeps each night in the
motor home. Bob and his wife Cathy
have owned Tour Easy bikes for four years. “The under seat bags are a big help is maintaining
stability on the road. They keep the
weight low and the low center of gravity is good to have when roaring downhill
at 35 miles per hour. The same is
true for tight or rapid turns, especially when you don’t expect them.
I have both sizes, the smaller ones I’m using on this trip and I have
the large ones for self contained rides. I
use them in the winder to carry gear and to put warmer clothing as I
“un-layer”, continued Bob. Bob’s brother Paul played an important role in my life
and he wanted to include him on this ride. “Perhaps we can figure out how to
do it in Paul’s story is unique.
He was born with a congenital condition yet to be diagnosed, so he does
not fit a stereotype. And his life
is anything but ‘run of the mill”. There
are no joints in his frame that behave as we expect, so moving about has
required some ingenuity. For
example, lifting and positioning his wheelchair in the car without muscles,
essentially just tendons, is quite a feat. Paul
has always lived on his own and has devised ways to do every day chores without
assistance, although “I’ll take a little help from my friends any time”,
he says. “I thought about a ‘Bob’ trailer or a people trailer
but neither was particularly appropriate for Paul”.
Paul is 55 and an accomplished independent person.
“If there is a side car or similar fitting, that might work”, say
Paul and Bob. Both say ideas and
options are welcome. Bob has two children. Jennifer
is a Supervising Producer on the CBS show Cold Case.
His son Paul expresses his creativity through construction of ponds,
waterfalls, pool decks and the like. Cathy
and Bob love their five grand children. Ingrid
is Jennifer’s daughter, and Maggie, Jacob, Marli and Luke are Paul’s. For more information: Bob Johnson 856 825 8213 or bob@kmocoffee.com Please be kind enough to send a copy of the published article to Bob Johnson, 4860 Covered Bridge Road, Millville, NJ 08332 Please use these or any picture on the site with restricions.
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This site is sponsored by Kaffe Magnum Opus, the coffee roaster. To contact Bob please call his cell 609-247-9683 or e-mail bob@gtc3.com or bob@kmocoffee.com. Or call the office at 800-652-5282 and the folks there will find me. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |