[CR]Hmmmm, I thinking... what a cool bike... never heard of it?!

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Avocet)

To: CR RENDEZVOUS <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:33:00 -0700
Subject: [CR]Hmmmm, I thinking... what a cool bike... never heard of it?!

Life changing moment seldom caught on film... http://www.velo-retro.com/confente76.jpg

Here's the exact moment that pretty much changed my life at 31 years of age.

Summer 1976, Griffith Park road race, Los Angeles California... my wife Sherry is taking a picture of our six year old daughter Christa as the three of us spectate the race. I've been riding half a year, lost around 25 pounds, wearing a cotton Cool Gear jersey and matching hat (no helmet, nobody owned a helmet), nylon Kucharik Helanca shorts, nylon Adidas Super Eddy Merckx shoes and riding a mink blue '74 Raleigh Pro Mk. something or other with full Campy that I'm pretty proud of.

I'm glancing over at a white and yellow bike with a name I've never heard of and the thing takes my breath away! The closer I look, the more amazing details there are to see! I literally can't take my eyes off the thing! The decal says "Confente" and the guy bending over to clean the gravel out of his cleats is a guy I've never even heard of before, Mario Confente.

Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA USA