VS: How did you get introduced to Verge Sport and the people behind the business?
RS: I was the bicycle sponsor of a team that was wearing Verge (The brand was called Vitesse at the time) in 1996. It may have been a year earlier or later, the eras escape me. All of us were happy with the clothing range, the fits, and the service. I still am!
VS: How do you feel your relationship with Verge Sport has impacted your career in racing and building your business?
RS: I am a racer who makes bicycles rather than a bicycle maker who happens to race. Yeah. A lot of time has passed since I first pinned on a number, but I like the synergy between my brand and Verge’s. Mike (Magur) and his staff come from the racing community. They’re not from fashion. Or the textile industry. We all share common roots. You can’t change that simple truth. My relationship with Verge is strengthened by – heck, it’s built upon – one detail: we all know what it’s like to bleed for our sport.
VS: Why do you keep coming back to Verge Sport year after year?
RS: At its core, the company is like me, it’s the apparel version of what I do at the workbench. Create a standard, work towards improving it with each season, and see it done. Let nothing get in the way, be it a trend, perception from the outside, or a dip in the market, or a landscape that includes others who want to take your business. Don’t look around. Stay focused. Mike, Kurt, and the factory stay focused.
VS: What is the most important reason to have an apparel partnership like Verge Sport?
RS: Loyalty – loyalty on every level. It’s been what – nearly 20 years? I haven’t so much as looked at or considered another supplier since the mid-1990s.
VS: What do think has been done best during your lengthy relationship with Verge Sport?
RS: We have a personal connection. A history. After all these years, I believe Richard Sachs Cycles (and the CX team I manage) and Verge America has a marriage. The commitment is there. The relationship endures.
This interview originally appeared on the Verge Sport blog.