The Strongest Rider Is the One Who Serves
My dad was a cyclist, a horseman, and more than anything, a man who believed in service. Not the type of service that’s written into a policy or stuck on a sign in a shop window — but the type that comes from the heart, from caring for others, from putting community before ego.
He taught me that on training rides the strongest rider in the group wasn’t the one who attacked off the front, but the one who made sure everyone else got home safely.
I saw him do it countless times on the bike: pushing the weakest rider up hills with one hand on their back, steadying their rhythm so they wouldn’t get dropped, so the group would stay together. It wasn’t a performance. It was instinct. He knew the ride was about more than the distance or the speed — it was about the people who made it to the finish.
That small gesture left a mark on me: strength, when used to lift others, multiplies.
More Than a Horse, More Than a Race
Cycling wasn’t his only stage. My dad was also deeply involved in the equestrian world, and one moment stands out as a perfect example of his quiet generosity.
He owned a thoroughbred horse that was Olympic calibre — a mount that most riders would guard fiercely. But when a young local pony club rider had her horse go lame the day before an important event, Dad did something extraordinary. He handed over his horse.
Think about that for a moment. Years of training, investment, and pride — placed into the hands of a teenager so she wouldn’t miss her chance to compete.
No fanfare. No strings attached. Just the simple belief that her dream was worth protecting, and that service sometimes means stepping back so someone else can shine.
That’s what service really is: putting someone else’s ride, someone else’s journey, ahead of your own.
Carrying the Legacy Forward
When I look at the work we’re building through Cafe Racer Alliance — from distributing Pure Mist, to designing wheels and frames with Unbound Velo, to driving community with events and growing one of the worlds best apparel brands — the common thread is service.
It’s easy in business to reduce people to numbers, leads, or transactions. But that was never my dad’s way, and it’s not ours either. We treat people as riders in our peloton. Sometimes we lead, sometimes we draft, and sometimes we push. But always, the goal is to keep the group together, to make sure no one’s left behind and further he would make it fun and erase that feeling of being the dead weight of the group.
Service, the way Dad lived it, means:
Care before sales push. Putting people at the heart of every deal and interaction.
Generosity without spotlight. Giving more than expected, even if nobody notices.
Strength as support. Using our resources, skills, and connections to lift others higher.
Why Compassion Builds Business
Some people think compassion is soft. I believe it’s one of the hardest, sharpest tools in the kit. It builds loyalty you can’t buy, trust you can’t fake, and relationships that last far longer than any transaction.
It’s also the best kind of lead generation. When people know you’ll look out for them, they talk. They share. They bring others into the fold. It’s how communities form, and it’s how businesses form longterm growth — not through algorithms or tricks, but through real care.
And in every part of Cafe Racer Alliance, from water and gin to carbon wheels, from apparel to events, we hold that standard. Because service isn’t an add-on. It’s the core.
Full Circle
When I ride today, not just on the bike, but in my dayd to day business life, I still hear my dad’s voice on the climbs. Not telling me to go harder or faster, but reminding me to look left and right. To notice who’s struggling. To use my strength not for myself, but for the group.
That’s the kind of service that lasts a lifetime. The kind of service that builds trust, builds businesses, and builds communities.
I have recently expanded my team, and well known Sydney cycling road and gravel racer Robbie Allen is cut from the same mould. He gives a shit about the people. He may often get you a little lost on one of his totally wild gravel adventures but he will always make sure that the entire group gets home, usiually to some froffing good times and tunes!
That’s the way my dad taught me. And that’s the way we’ll always run the Alliance.
Robbie and Laurie post Robbie Allen Epic - Home safely with smiles on dials!
Graham McVilly (DAD) and me.