South Salem Cycleworks

Cyclist Wins Tour de Secret

Salem man's family, friends conspire to get custom bicycle

by CAROL MCALICE CURRIE and ALAN GUSTAFSON of the
Statesman Journal - September 18, 2005

Ted Reutlinger never has complained about being the breadwinner in his family.

He has been grateful to earn enough as a senior deputy legislative counsel at the Capitol to let his wife, Catherine Strong, stay at home and teach their 15-year-old daughter, Anna, who has autism, and to care for Anna and her twin brother, Owen.

"It's a good salary, but we don't have extra money for a top-of-the-line bike. It's just out of reach for us," Strong said.

So Reutlinger, an avid cyclist who savors riding in the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge for the lift of both mind and body, has been content to just "drool" over the expensive bikes at his favorite bike shop, South Salem Cycleworks, Strong said.

If he daydreamed aloud about buying a high-end bike, Strong said, she brought him back to reality with firm reminders about a computer as old as her children and the children's final orthodontist payments.

On Saturday, though, as Reutlinger approached his 50th birthday, his family and friends gave him the custom-built bike of his dreams as a thank-you for his decades of sacrifice.

To their delight, Reutlinger was blown away by the gift.

"I'm just stunned by the generosity of this," he said party at his Salem home. "It's amazing to me. I've never seen such a secret kept."

The idea for the surprise started almost a year ago when Reutlinger's childhood chum, Dave Ristig began sharing plans for his new custom-built bike with Reutlinger.

Ristig has known Reutlinger since they were in junior high school together (almost 40 years ago.) The pair get together annually for a bike ride, either in Oregon or California, and share stories about getting up in the wee hours of the morning to watch live telecasts of the Tour de France .

Ristig, who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., discussed bikes with Reutlinger via e-mail for months, and it was those conversations that cinched the gift idea for Ristig.

Strong said Ristig conspired to keep the gift a surprise and enlisted her help as well as that of Reutlinger's parents, Ray and Helen Reutlinger. Strong's mother, Julie Strong, also played a role because it was through Julie's e-mail that Catherine Strong communicated with Ristig.

"Ted's so snoopy, I knew I never could do it on the computer at home," Catherine Strong said.

Containing the secret was a labor of love for the Strongs, the Reutlingers and Ristig.

With the help of South Salem Cycleworks owner Michael Wolfe, the family and friends covertly set about trying to decide what bike Ted would like most.

"There's no one more deserving of this than Ted," Wolfe said. "He comes in here regularly and admires the bikes, but always remembers his kids and moves on. So when they approached me, I started asking Ted on occasion what color bike he would buy if he could have one, what gear-shifting system he'd want, etc. Over the months, I came to know what he really wanted and I worked it out with his family and friend."

Serendipity enabled the conspirators to get around the custom-built part of the equation.

Normally, the bike, built by world-renown designer Antonio Mondonico, who is retiring this year and who was at South Salem Cycleworks on Thursday, is fitted to the owner.

Of course, having Reutlinger measured for the hand-crafted Futura Leggero would have spoiled the surprise. Wolfe looked for, and found, a way to do it without the numbers.

"When he brought his personal bike in for a tune-up, I took all the measurements then. It was as close to having him measured as possible," Wolfe said.

Catherine Strong used part of her own birthday present to help pay a portion of the birthday bike's $3,000-plus price tag.

"A friend gave me $20 for my birthday and took me to the casino at the coast," Catherine Strong said. "I'd never been in a casino, and my friend told me what button to push, but I accidentally pushed the one to raise the stakes and I won. I figured it had to be a sign the money was meant for Ted."

Reutlinger, who rides another bike to work, also had his Futura Leggero autographed by its maker without his knowledge.

Wolfe asked an unwitting Reutlinger to help have it signed as a favor when Mondonico was touring the state earlier this week. Reutlinger agreed but left the shop pretty disappointed, Wolfe said.

"It was so funny. Little did he know he was actually having his own bike signed. He had gone to a lot of trouble to learn the Italian words "put your signature here for me," and I think he left here a little depressed," Wolfe said.

Saturday afternoon, the final act in the elaborate ruse unfolded without a hitch.

Champagne, cake and laughter ensued as the conspirators rehashed their scheme for Reutlinger.

"It is a pretty cool story," he said.

Catherine Strong said that she was relieved after months of secrecy that left her "a nervous wreck." She described the gift as a loving tribute.

"Ted is such a good man. He has made so many sacrifices for us," she said.

Fifteen-year-old Owen clearly savored the success of the mission.

"We lied so many times," he said. "We thought you knew this morning. We were nervous."

Wolfe told Reutlinger that the gift came with two rules: don't fall down and don't give it back.

Ristig remembered many bicycling trips already taken with his friend between San Francisco and Mexico. Glasses raised, he offered a toast to the many miles yet to be ridden.

Looking beyond his son's 50th birthday, Ray Reutlinger told him, "You hit 100, we'll get you another one."

"I think this will last me for the rest of my life," Ted Reutlinger said.

ccurrie@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6747 agustafs@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-670