Best of Luck......

Cam has asked his bros to comment on his blog (HERE) if we think he is or is not ‘the man’ that Specialized is looking for to be a part of an interesting sounding gig; the Specialized trail Crew. I thought I’d comment on my blog and try to let Specialized know that indeed, Cam is above and beyond what they are looking for.

I first met Cameron Chambers when he was working at the Trek Bicycle Store here in Kansas City. I have to admit that I have never had any luck getting any good feedback or information form the Trek Store employees in the past. I had all but given up hope on this shop until the day I met Cam. I was inquiring about local trails and some specific information on building up a single speed mountain bike. Cam was the absolute most helpful guy I had ever met. He casually guided me through beta on the local trails and on some good parts and information to get my single speed build off on the right track. He did so in a calm and very uplifting manner, never once acting like he was better than me, never once with any elitist attitude, never once talking my ideas down; purely an individual psyched to be helping out a fellow rider. I was instantly hooked on this ‘kid’, and his kindness and help put a blindfold over my eyes as to the bad experience I had with the shop in the past, and I would come into the shop and visit Cam each week with more questions and stories of epic rides.

I did not learn that Cam had in the past been a National Champion or a sponsored athlete for some time. He never brought it up; I heard it from some locals. He gave no clue as to his history of, how you say… being a bad ass on two wheels. I had to pry this info from him on our first ride together, which was at one of our local hot spots; Landahl. On the drive to Landahl, Cam told me stories of his riding history and I told him stories of my climbing. It was a fun ride and he made me feel like I was one of the team, for sure. He seemd to be in a sense moving towards a more grass roots cycling lifestyle and glad to be a bit out of the spotlight, more down to earth, and able to get back to a more normal life with friends and family. A fair amount of time has passed since our initial meeting. I no longer see him as the bike shop kid, but as a great guy in general. Cam has moved into different rolls in his career, now working at BikeSource but still being ‘the man’ to talk to at the shop. His calm and cool demeanor and vast experience and knowledge about riding has helped me and at least a handful of our friends become better, faster and more competent riders. Cam can sell a bike, fix a bike, fit you on your bike, lead a group ride, race a bike, build some sick trail and toss back a brew with the best of them. He is also a great writer; his blog is full of colorful and adventurous tales of his riding exploits which always paint a picture in my mind and make me smile. If I had the opportunity to hand pick the crew for Specialized, Cam would be my first choice, and I feel that I speak for a majority of the Kansas City area avid biking crew. Cam IS indeed the man and would be the ultimate advocate for a company like Specialized, period. Who else can tear-it-up on a cyclocross, fixed gear mtn bike, single speed mtn bike, gear mtn bike and road bike and have such a good rap with the community? Specialized, don't let this guy slip from your grasp! Best of luck to you Cameron, you deserve it! See you this weekend at the KC Cup! -Your pal, Burnsey