The Cyclist Interviews: Installment I

Jack Brown is a school choir director and an avid cyclist. Though he lives in Seoul, South Korea, Jack spends his summers cycling around the US and playing music. Just passing through Champaign to visit relatives, a few days ago he came in to get his Pinarello carbon bike shipped and we had a chance to talk a little about his story.  Jack grew up in Gulf Port, Mississippi, outside of New Orleans, where he learned French.  Last summer he put his linguistic skills to good use while spending his vacation biking all over France. He looks forward to going back to see the Tour de France, which he missed out on when he was there.A teacher for 27 years, Jack says of his profession, "I love directing choirs, hanging around young folks and teaching them music." Though he started biking only a little after he started teaching, he seriously got into biking 12 years ago, after riding the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. In addition to biking, he's an avid cross-country skier and is lucky enough to have easy access to Japan's pristine (and free!) skiing.Jack's noticed some differences between cycling in South Korea and in the US. Though he notes that cycling as a sport is relatively new to South Korea, its infrastructure is already well developed, "Every river I have seen has a paved bike path next to it. You can bike all over the country, next to rivers. And it’s safe - I like that."“Some people do yoga. I’ve done yoga and it does nothing for me. But road cycling does. It’s great for meditation; it’s spiritual and quiet. I love to bike to work in the morning. I get to work and it’s like I’ve had a cup of coffee. It’s great.”Thanks for talking with us, Jack.  Happy riding!