Page 26 - The Peorian Vol 3 Issue 1 Winter

26 thePeorian.com
GETTING FIT!
Russell’s Cycling & Fitness
can fit your needs
By Paul Gordon
Specialty Retail: Outdoors
A ll of us dream of finding
a fountain of youth. Ask
Joe Russell where it is; in
fact, he sells it.
Russell, who has owned
Russell’s Cycling & Fitness in
Washington since he started it in
his parents’ garage as a teenager,
describes the equipment he sells
in that way. “I sell the fountain
of youth out there; just give it a
chance,” said the 54-year-old now
in his 37th year at the helm of one
of central Illinois’ top bike shops.
“There’s no magic pill coming.
You will feel better, more
youthful when you start riding
and unlock those old joints.
You want to move your needle?
I’ve got it out there,” he said,
grinning broadly while sitting in
a cramped office overlooking the
modern-looking showroom.
Russell, as upbeat and
optimistic as anyone you will
ever meet, practices what he
preaches. He is fit; he follows his
own fitness plan he calls his 20-20
plan: 20 times each month he
rides hard and fast for 20 minutes
or more. “It’s the best cardio
workout. Doing it 20 times a
month gives me a couple days off
each week, even though I really
can’t remember the last time I
took a day off. I like to empty the
tank (ride 25 to 30 miles) at least
four times a week. And when I’m
finished, I can hardly wait for my
next ride,” he said.
If that’s going to the “edge of
the envelope,” he added, then so
be it. He has the equipment with
which to do it.
“The edge of the envelope
in bicycles is out there on that
showroom floor. We sell Giant
bicycles for those who are serious
about it. The edge of the envelope
is not attainable for most people
in boats or airplanes. In bicycles,
it is, and we’ve got it out there,”
Russell said.
Giant, of Taiwan, is the largest
bicycle manufacturer in the
world, Russell said. He was given
the opportunity to tour their
factory in Taiwan last spring and
afterward it made him even more
proud to be a Giant dealer.
“I am also a very proud dealer
of Cannondale and Specialized
bicycles. Both are U.S. companies
and are major players in the
world. We sell the best,” he said.
“But we believe the brand
we really sell here at Russell’s
is Russell’s. I am on my third
generation of customers since
These are just some of the bicycles hanging
in the basement of Russell’s Cycle & Fitness in
Washington, ready for buyers.