Adam’s Story
A while back, I found myself on a phone call that would end up changing my life. After two back surgeries in my early thirties stemming from catastrophic injuries sustained while playing college sports, I became convinced I would simply never be active or fit, much less competitive in anything, again. A hard pill to swallow after having had the privilege of competing at the very highest levels of my sport.
At the time, my older brother was racing bicycles in Southern California. We grew up in an era when kids were on their bikes if they weren’t sleeping or at school. Once we got cars, though, we forgot all about bikes. But my brother started riding mountain bikes when he moved to California, and eventually made the transition to road bikes. Chatting with him one day, he said something that just sent an electric shock through my soul. He said, “Riding my bike today gives me that same feeling we got when we were kids: TOTAL FREEDOM.”
After that conversation, I couldn’t shake what he said. I hadn’t been regularly active in years because of my injuries. Anything involving impact was (and still continues to be) impossible. But riding a bike… could it be that simple? I soon found myself browsing BikesDirect, and before I knew it, I had a $400 Windsor Bristol in pieces on my living room floor. From there, I quickly became (re)obsessed with riding bikes, reading about bikes, watching bike races and documentaries, talking about bikes, and eventually working on bikes. That old childhood feeling had been rekindled in my heart. Never mind that like many people, I can drive thousands of miles to faraway lands. There’s something about pedaling 70 or 80 miles that makes you feel like you have the ability to visit other worlds. Total Freedom.
Fast forward through nearly fifteen years of cycling bliss, and the pandemic suddenly changed us all. For the six years leading up to 2020, I had become fascinated with riding track bikes on the road. In my opinion, it’s the purest form of a bicycle. The only problem is that you can’t really ride in a group and ensure everyone around you feels safe – so every ride is solo. The pandemic really felt isolating to a lot of us in a lot of ways, but for me, it put a spotlight on my cycling journey and how I’d inadvertently established my own isolation for years being on the fixie. So, in November of 2020, I sold my vicious, 5.4kg Felt TK2 and bought my first carbon road bike.
Within weeks, I made it out to my first group ride in nearly ten years: the legendary Stuesday Ride. I was immediately welcomed by strangers. I suddenly felt like I’d known these people my whole life. Their hospitality and kindness had an immediate and permanent effect on me. On that first ride, I found myself dangling onto the wheels of some really strong riders as we made our way up and over 17th Street and then north up A1A. The more we pushed, the more we dropped riders. By the time we had flown past Park Tower, I was left with one other insanely strong guy who looked like he still hadn’t broken a sweat, despite the fact that we’d been pulling at about 32mph since Sunrise Blvd. He yelled something at me that I didn’t quite catch, and then started to pull away. I locked onto his wheel for a few hundred meters, and at about 36mph, he swung hard off to the left. I’d seen this countless times in the countless races I’d watched… he was leading me out for a sprint! He pulled off and I just put the hammer down for about 200 meters until we crossed the line at the bike lane sign near the road/beach split, and then sat up. Glancing down at a speed of 42mph, I got the feeling like I’d just lived in the skin of Mark Cavendish for a few seconds. Total Freedom.
We stopped a few blocks up to wait for the crew to regroup. Catching my breath, the guy who led me out, casually rolled over and introduced himself. “I’m Kei. What’s your name?” That was it. Kei wouldn’t like me saying this, but the way he believes in people, the way he brings people together, the way he creates community by making people feel like they belong, the way he (even if he denies it) always sees the best in people, would soon change my life. Again.
A few weeks later, I bumped into Kei on the Critical Mass ride, and he invited me to the Thursday ride. One night with this crew and I was hooked on Team RS|TLS. Training and training and training, and racing and training and training and racing. Getting by butt handed to me over and over again. But all with the kindest, most generous and happy people I’d ever encountered on a bike. Total Freedom.
I genuinely believe that finding community is one of the most important parts of the human experience. And when you find a community of caring and selfless people who come from all different walks of life, forged together by a common passion, it is a rare and special thing. When you find it, hold onto it. By the way, if you haven’t found it, and you’re reading this, I have something to say to you: YOU’VE FOUND IT! Stick with us! You belong here!
As the race team/club was evolving, we developed a tradition of ‘Wrench Nights’ at my house. During the lockdown, I’d created a fully-functioning bike shop in our garage (that even got featured on GCN’s YouTube channel.) Once Kei got a look at it, he wondered how amazing it would be to bring the club over on a regular basis to fix our bikes, teach people how to fix their bikes, have beverages, watch cycling (and the occasional Sumo match – thanks Hermes), and hang out. The opportunity to host this community at our home is one of the things I love most about being part of it.
When we made the transition from race team/club to separate entities, a core group met in the garage to establish what we now affectionately call the RSTLS WRNCH, the Restless Wrench. We wanted to pay homage to the former title sponsors of the race team, both of whom gave so generously to support us over many years, which is where RS and TLS come from. The garage became known as the Wrench – a reference to our now regular ‘Wrench Nights’. Put them together and presto: the RSTLS WRNCH was born.
Now approaching our first birthday in January 2026, we are so excited for the future. With huge credit to our incoming President Tony, we’ve spent 2025 establishing regular club rides and an increasing presence at existing weekly group rides around South Florida. We have our beautiful Club Team Kit, available for anyone and everyone to order right HERE through our 24/7/365 print-on-demand store. No need to wait for a group order. If you want something, order it any day, anytime!
In 2026, we will see further development, with official club membership including benefits, club merch, and more group rides for a wider range of riders. Our mantra from the beginning in the RSTLS WRNCH has been Connection | Education | Recreation. We hope that we get to promote these values throughout the larger cycling community in South Florida for years to come. If you’re not already a WRNCH, we can’t wait for you to join us, and get to taste that which we are all undeniably seeking in this life: Total Freedom!