Cycling With Mike Costner

For the last few years, cycling has slowly crept into American mainstream sports thanks to Lance Armstrong’s seven wins in the Tour de France. But for cyclists like Mike Costner with Bicycle Sport in Vero Beach, cycling is more than a passing fad.

Standing behind the counter in his store, Costner enthusiastically chats with customers about his weekly rides, which in summer he takes as early as 5 a.m. to beat the heat. In the background, a television displays images of Armstrong and his winner’s yellow jersey as he pedals past rows of people lining the French countryside. Above a rack of bikes, a signs reads: “Our job description: 1) Ride bikes. 2) Talk to you about riding bikes. How cool is that?”

“For the people who do it, it’s a very addictive sport,” says Costner. “In Europe cycling is a way of life, whereas here we bow down to the SUV.”

Read the entire article in the November 2005 issue