Run With It
Photographs by Dan Watkins
Matt Stein, 31, was born to bike. His father cycled a marathon’s distance every day, and his brother, Ken, is a hobbyist bike-builder in Las Vegas. So when he moved to Boston from North Carolina seven years ago, he naturally wanted to keep things rolling. “I had to get a whole new set of gear,” says Stein, an “extreme cyclist.” “The only weather I won’t ride in is 33 and raining, so I had to adapt to conditions.” The trick to cycling, he says, is making adjustments, not excuses. “After my open heart surgery, I was told that competing wasn’t an option for me anymore. But it’s like every other aspect of training around here: You find ways to go out there and do it. If you can make an excuse, you’re just not that into it.”
This being New England, weather is always a factor. “My second winter in Boston was when I first officially considered myself a cyclist. I think anyone who has ridden in Boston and is willing to go out again after their first winter here, you must consider them a cyclist.”
Patch kit, $4
Back Bay Bicycles | 366 Comm. Ave., Boston | 617-247-2336 | backbaybicycles.com
Giro “Hex” helmet, $85
Back Bay Bicycles | 366 Comm. Ave., Boston | 617-247-2336 | backbaybicycles.com
CamelBak “Blowfish” hydration pack, $79
REI | 401 Park Drive, Boston | 617-236-0746 | rei.com
Mavic Ksyrium Elite Wheels, $645
Back Bay Bicycles, 366 Comm. Ave., Boston | 617-247-2336 | backbaybicycles.com
Genuine Innovations CO2 cartridge tire inflator, $2
Back Bay Bicycles | 366 Comm. Ave., Boston | 617-247-2336 | backbaybicycles.com
Continental Gatorskins, $45
Back Bay Bicycles | 366 Comm. Ave., Boston | 617-247-2336 | backbaybicycles.com
Giordana “Laser” bib shorts, $150
Quad Cycles | 1043 Mass. Ave., Arlington | 781-648-5222 | quadcycles.com
