Tour de force
By Andrea Estrada
South Coast Beacon

When Lance Armstrong rode across the finish line Sunday to win his fifth consecutive Tour de France, one fan in Santa Barbara recalled the sweet smell of cycling victory.

Three years ago, Dave Lettieri, the owner of FasTrack Bicycles at 118 W. Canon Perdido St., experienced the thrill of the Tour first-hand when he served as Armstrong’s mechanic and kept the cyclist’s six Trek bicycles in top shape for the 2000 race.

Prior to that, however, Lettieri had his own share of cycling wins. During the course of his riding career he has won gold at the Pan American Games, picked up eight national gold medals and taken a spot on the 1988 Olympic team and in the Goodwill Games.

“In 1997 Lance came to Santa Barbara to train,” Lettieri said, recalling how he happened to join Armstrong for the Tour de France. “We started riding together and kept in touch. In 2000, he said, ’You’re coming to the Tour to be my mechanic, right?’ ”

With next to no hesitation, Lettieri closed up shop and headed off to France.

“A month is a long time to be away and summer is my busiest time,” he acknowledged, “but you don’t get opportunities like that every day.”

Armstrong’s gratitude is expressed on the bright yellow winner’s jersey displayed in a glass shadow box on the wall above the FasTrack’s big-screen television. “For FasTrack–,” the sentiment reads, “Thanks for dropping everything to spend 3 long weeks in France! I can’t thank you enough! Lance Armstrong.”

Packed with bicycle frames in all shapes, sizes and construction, complete bicycles and riding gear such as shoes, gloves helmets and apparel, FasTrack suits road bike riders of all levels. Bicycles range in price from $600 to $6,000 depending on the make, model and material, and Lettieri’s customers vary from advanced cyclists who spend almost entire weekends on the road to novices who finish after a couple of hours.

“My niche is road bikes,” he said. “I don’t do much with mountain bikes.” His inventory of parts, as well as his tools, are geared more toward the former than the latter.

Lettieri gets a lot of repeat business from customers who buy bicycles from him and then return for service and upgrades. He sells one road bike a day and fittings, adjustments and other minor repairs are included in the purchase price, he said.

Lettieri opened FasTrack six years ago as an entrepreneur wanting to make his home in Santa Barbara. He had been managing the Chevrolet-L.A. Sheriff professional team in Los Angeles when his wife came to UCSB to complete a Master’s degree program. During his four-year tenure as manager, the team won several events, including the Professional National Road and Track Championships and the team competition of the Tour DuPont.

“I made my own job to stay here,” Lettieri said of FasTrack. “I’ve gone from racing to the Olympics to management and now I’m learning the retail end.”

He first entered the world of cycling as a youngster in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, when he completed a 100-mile tour at the age of 12. He moved on to track racing at the famous Velodrome, and, after “doing well right away” he went on to become national champion at the intermediate, junior and senior levels.

“As with any sport, when you’re good at it you keep doing it,” Lettieri said.

Working on his own bicycles over the years, he became a master of repair and in doing so prepared himself for his current line of work. Like any successful entrepreneur, Lettieri follows the credo of doing what he loves. He continues to rides competitively, which affords him the opportunity to test the latest and greatest in cycling technology. In turn, he benefits his customers through first-hand knowledge of both the industry and the sport.