The sport of cycling has the amazing ability to bring people of all walks off life together. I’ve been fortunate to meet some of my best friends through the sport and look at each coffee ride as an opportunity to get to know someone in a slightly more intimate setting. Coffee, cycling, the outdoors. Individually they’re more than enough to spark up a conversation, but together they’re like the perfect combination of comfort and collusion to lower inhibitions and get the tall tales rolling.
This weeks coffee ride with Alan White was just what the doctor ordered. I’ve known Alan for a minute now, mostly through local bike races and group rides but never really had the chance to sit down and chat with him. What I did know about Alan prior to our coffee ride was that he was a leader and innovator in his industry and connoisseur of some of those fine gravel roads Oklahoma has to offer.
Before I get rolling here, I want to say THANK YOU to Alan for his ingenuity in creating us some super comfy pine cushion La-Z-Boys. It had rained the day before so having a dry place to sit was a fantastic idea I wish I could say was mine.
Now let’s get this party started! I spent a little time over the week hitting the Google and Wiki and LinkedIn AND I had a little help from Alan’s significant other, Jennifer White (aka Gravel commander at the Whites’ house) and was pretty stoked on the questions I had lined up.
Alan, what can you tell us about growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland?
”We grew up in a very working class area. It was very low income and at that time the troubles were going on. At the peak of the troubles, where like everyday there were shootings, bombings and like that was normal life. Like walking to school, bombs going off, and you don’t think twice about it. The IRA and the Ulster Volunteer Force were kind of the two terrorists groups then. It was common for them to go, shoot up the pub, and kill twelve people, and you know, that’s life. It’s weird to grow up in a place like, but that was normal for us. Then shortly after I left, things really settled down and tourism exploded. Game of Thrones was filmed there and there’s a lot of good things going on.”
The legal drinking age in Ireland is 18. Suppose we’re celebrating my 18th birthday, what would be the one pub we would have to hit and why?
”There’s a pub in Belfast called The Crown, and it’s been there forever, I think it was built in like 1492. There’s all kind of dark humor tied to it. So, it sits across the street from the most bombed hotel in the world. This little pub has just survived centuries and centuries of this crazy stuff. It’s just like this really old throwback to old taverns in movies and shows from like the 1800’s.”
In 2014, you were diagnosed with papillary thryroid cancer and then a year or so later diagnosed with basil cell carcinoma. How have those experiences helped prepare you for anything life throws your way?
”Anytime you’re told, hey, yeah, you’ve got cancer. You never really know how you’re going to handle it. But it’s like the biggest kick in the nuts ever. At first, it was just like being passed from doctor to doctor. And it was like this is what you’re going to do, or this is what you need to do. Then it just got to a point where I was like, whoa, whoa, there’s too many people making decisions for me without me really deciding what’s going on here. Then I was just like, where’s the best place in the world for treatment for this stuff. So, I went down to MD Anderson in Houston and it was such an eye opening experience. You see all these people that are way worse off than what I was and like how they approached life with such grace, humility and kindness. And that was a big lesson. It gives you that perspective. Maybe growing up in Belfast helped prep me for this. All the other problems going on, they’re really not that bad. As long as you wake up each morning, it’s like, hey, it’s a good day.”
Alan, as a champion on the bike and a two-time cancer survivor, when it’s time to celebrate what’s your go-to beverage when it’s time to pop the clutch
”Right now, today, it’s probably, I’ve been on this Stone Cloud, Neon Sunshine, kick lately. But when push comes to shove, it’s always a Guinness.”
The coffee we enjoyed: Clarity Coffee - Guatemala Manos de Mujer
Origin: Guatemala
Notes: Cherry, chocolate, chai
Brewing method: French Press
My thoughts: If I said, the OKC coffee community has been anxiously waiting for Steve Willingham and Clarity Coffee to get into the roasting game, it still would be a huge understatement. Steve has been a longtime friend of mine and I’m extremely proud of what he and his Clarity team have been able to accomplish. It’s no secret, the stoke level is high and knowing the level of excellence Steve strives for, his coffees are going to knock it out of the park. The first coffee in their lineup is the Guatemala Manos de Majer. For this coffee ride, I prepared the coffee using a Widesea Camping french press. It was my first time to use the press, and although the wind was a bit of a challenge, it worked great and I was really happy with my cup of coffee. I think the Guatemalan was an excellent first roast to roll out. It’s a coffee that’s delicious and hits the mark with a majority of coffee drinkers. It’s sweet and chocolatey and made for an excellent elixir to our coffee ride chat. My expectations are high and I’m looking forward to checking out all of their upcoming coffees.
Future Coffee Ride Guests:
4/22 - Heather Laufer