{"id":1584,"date":"2014-04-26T16:17:54","date_gmt":"2014-04-26T20:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carlinosmarket.com\/blog\/?p=1584"},"modified":"2014-04-26T16:17:54","modified_gmt":"2014-04-26T20:17:54","slug":"carlinos-customer-spotlight-the-veteran-cyclist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carlinosmarket.com\/blog\/carlinos-customer-spotlight-the-veteran-cyclist\/","title":{"rendered":"Carlino’s Customer Spotlight: The Veteran Cyclist"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever visited Carlino\u2019s West Chester location in April and noticed a tandem bike parked in front with a sizable American flag and pair of boots planted where the second seat should be, don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s rider is customer and Berwyn resident Lew Meyer. He\u2019s been riding this unique bicycle during this month for the last five years and admits the bike does draw attention, but for very good reasons.<\/p>\n

Around this time of year, Meyer is in strict training mode, and can be found cycling along the roads of the Main Line 3-5 days out of the week. He\u2019s focused, and motorists along his route notice. \u201cAt least once a mile, I get a honk or thumbs up\u201d says Meyer. \u201c[One time] a person held their hands out of the window and clapped\u2026 such an inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meyer\u2019s month of hard training is in preparation for this weekend, when he will travel 110 miles over a two day period from the Pentagon to the historic battlegrounds of Gettysburg. This amazing feat is all part of the Face of America ride<\/a>, an event organized by World T.E.A.M. Sports<\/a> for over a decade that honors service men and women who have been wounded or injured. This year, nearly 600 veterans are expected to ride, including 150 injured veterans. Many active and retired military, disabled veterans, and able-bodied citizens join in the event. Meyer is a retired veteran, having served nearly a quarter century in the Navy. Having participated in the ride for the last six years, he says \u201cI ride for those that didn\u2019t come back.\u201d\u00a0 One such proof of Meyer\u2019s commitment to ride lies in the black combat boots fastened to the back seat of his twin bike.<\/p>\n

The boots did not belong to Meyer during his time of service, but to World War II veteran Seamus Garrahy, who lived in Gettysburg and strongly supported the Face of America riders. \u201cA pair of 155mm guns [were set up] and cyclists would ride underneath\u201d recalls Meyer. \u201cThe Gettysburg fire department had a 15 foot ladder truck, and at the top of the ladder was [what seemed] the largest flag you\u2019ve ever seen. Along the road people were cheering and you could hear bagpipes\u2026\u201d Meyer coughs, mentioning he gets all choked up at the thought. He came to admire the World War II veteran and got to know him, mentioning that Garrahy did much by way of military camaraderie. \u201cHe claims to have been a corporal, but in my book he\u2019s a general. He had a great command of the men around him in building camaraderie.\u201d During their friendship, Meyer was honored to receive Garrahy\u2019s boots. They are now displayed faced backwards in honor of Seamus Garrahy, who passed away two years ago, as well as those fallen in battle.<\/p>\n

In past events, Meyer has savored small moments that also inspire him to return to the Face of America ride every year. \u201cSome of the guys don\u2019t have legs or are missing an arm\u2026 The guys without legs use hand cycles. They handle levels (ground) and down hills okay, but some don\u2019t have the shoulders (strength) for it yet, so we hook up broomsticks to the back of their bike. One year, there was a larger guy (good shape, mostly muscle) who didn\u2019t have use of his legs. As he went up a hill, one guy grabbed a broomstick to help him but it was more than he could handle. Then a second guy came with a hand on his back, and a third came to help. There were three of them helping this one guy and they started singing the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and Air Force Hymns\u201d says Meyer, coughing again, \u201cit was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meyer has been a regular customer for nearly 10 years. \u201cI really enjoy Carlino\u2019s\u201d he notes, \u201cIt seems every time I visit the store things are moved and shifted around. I like it. It makes things fresh.\u201d Meyer frequents the West Chester market where he \u201cbonded with [Executive Cheesemonger]Patty [Church]\u201d. Having attended Michigan State University where he received \u201ca degree in milk, butter, and ice cream,\u201d and took a heavy interest in cheesemaking, he enjoys discussing cheeses (like parmigiano) with a kindred soul, and says \u201cI\u2019m amazed in Patty\u2019s skills and expertise. It\u2019s delightful to know her.\u201d<\/p>\n

After this weekend, you won\u2019t see Meyer\u2019s unique cycle, which is borrowed from a friend. \u201cI only ride the bike during my month of training,\u201d says Meyer, but he still regularly rides his own personal bike with a group of friends who frequent local shops and markets as well as Carlino\u2019s. However, Meyer enjoys this time of year and getting to see and hear people\u2019s reactions whenever riding, saying \u201cI\u2019m always impressed by the patriotism of citizens of the area.\u201d As Meyer preps for and rides in the race this weekend, he will offer something special to those that give him a honk or a wave, \u201cit\u2019s tradition to salute back when you\u2019re saluted, so I make sure to pop a salute back to people when I get a response.\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

\"LewMeyer\"<\/a><\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Please share this article in support of Lew Meyer, World T.E.A.M. Sports, Face of America, and the battle-damaged men and women who have proudly served our nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll blessings to you, Lew, as you ride!\u201d \u2013 The Carlino Family<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever visited Carlino\u2019s West Chester location in April and noticed a tandem bike parked in front with a sizable American flag and pair of boots planted where the second seat should be, don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s rider is customer and Berwyn resident Lew Meyer. He\u2019s been riding this unique bicycle during this month for the last five years and admits the bike does draw attention, but for very good reasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[21,28,43,55,56,64,72,104,123,142,162,186,194],"class_list":["post-1584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-customer-spotlight","tag-battle-damaged","tag-bike","tag-carlinos","tag-customer","tag-cyclist","tag-face-of-america","tag-gettysburg","tag-lew-meyer","tag-pentagon","tag-ride","tag-spotlight","tag-veterans","tag-world-t-e-a-m-sports"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCarlino's Customer Spotlight: The Veteran Cyclist - Carlino's Specialty Foods<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/carlinosmarket.com\/blog\/carlinos-customer-spotlight-the-veteran-cyclist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Carlino's Customer Spotlight: The Veteran Cyclist - Carlino's Specialty Foods\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019ve ever visited Carlino\u2019s West Chester location in April and noticed a tandem bike parked in front with a sizable American flag and pair of boots planted where the second seat should be, don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s rider is customer and Berwyn resident Lew Meyer. 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