My first Group ride ever began here. Me on a new road bike, Dad following on his mountain bike and a group of 15 who were strangers then, but would eventually become some of my closest friends. On that first ride, I made it about 5km out of town before discovering that a road bike can't cruise through potholes like I was accustomed to. Jeff Hehn stayed with us while the group rode on, and guided me through the rest of the ride. Thanks Jeff.
Over years the Roastery remained a fixture in the cycling community and my cycling life. The first group rides of spring (always 10 am) with an air of excitement. Laid-back fall cyclocross rides when the leaves were changing and the coffee bookended each ride. Adam Coates wearing just knee warmers and a vest on a January MTB ride, the time he showed up early and leaned against the no-parking sign pole to wait.
I probably drank my first first coffee here - pure peer pressure, Watching older riders congregating around the dark mystery beverage. It was the original hipster hangout more than a decade before the term had been coined. Over the years trendier shops have opened, expectations changed and the spot doesn't hold the same cache.
Meeting at the Roastery turned me on to a part of cycling beyond the training and equipment. Now a ride without coffee is unthinkable. In Calgary we have Cadence Coffee, which is surprisingly similar: modestly hip, proximity to riding options, bike stacking potential
and unspoken acceptance of our Lycra. Our sport is as much about community as individual performance. Now many years later, when will I be buying coffee for a bright eyed and eager new racer?
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