Captured on an overcast day in the centre of Sydney cycling - Centennial Park. Meet Larnelle Fynn & Edwin Britts, two riders and now co-workers, Sydney CBD Store Manager and Marrickville mechanic respectively, connected through CCACHE. Both with different paths to cycling and at varying stages in their journey on the bike, yet still two recognisable faces whether between the shelves or on road.
For Larnelle, his introduction started with a gifted Allez Sprint five years ago, a year later purchased his first pair of bibs and the rest is history.
Larnelle finds time off the bike to work on his enduring passion for design “When I have a minute, I’ve always done illustration so I’m usually drawing in my free time”, between all this maintaining a balance between work and Dad life.
“I spent my formative years in a country town, so I was that guy that always had a beat-down project car, hung out at skateparks, yeah, bogan shit.”
Constant challenge is what keeps him coming back, seeking comfort in the things we know as we get older is an easy trap to fall into “Cycling is great because it’s so far removed from anything” Larnelle revels an omnipresent struggle that comes with cycling and growing as a rider, with bonking in unfamiliar places contributing to some of his most memorable moments on-bike.
Larnelle on working at CCACHE, “You can see the role it plays in the community. The ability to walk in and build a bike that is truly representative of your riding style and personal preference is what makes it a unique store.”
Edwin shares this belief, “There’s definitely a 'CCACHE aesthetic' in the community, usually the latest kit with a completely custom tricked-out bike. It might seem unnecessary or over the top but it shows that some people put a lot of time and effort into how they want to spend their time doing their hobby."
“A place to get the nice gear. But having worked there for so many years now I really see it as a hub for community. Likeminded people that care for and appreciate their all-encompassing hobby.”
Edwin’s story almost feels like the opposite of this, coming from a spate of running he picked up cycling after a family holiday. Coming back straight into a fixed gear, followed by his Dad’s bike then his first race in 2019 which has now snowballed into a career in and around riding, racing and wrenching, all under the CCACHE banner.
Motivation comes easy when you don’t take it too seriously, a change in monotony is the basis of Edwin's take on riding, “One day I might just want to get coffee with a mate the next I might want to hit a segment and go for a KOM or I might just want to ride down a road I haven’t been down before. I always want to keep things fresh, sometimes riding can be a grind but It doesn’t have to be."
Going into things full gas is how Edwin operates, from racing in some of Australia’s biggest races, under various teams - He’s taken a minor step back and a step up this year with a team management role in his former Ccache x Par Küp UCI Continental team.
“I enjoyed the way running would 'put you in the box' and found that cycling could do much the same thing.”
Pivotal points in life come in varying degrees on-bike, Edwin's pursuit of this came in the final stage of the tour down under in 2022. Being in the breakaway at the biggest race of his life with all the eyes in Australia on us, TV motorbikes and helicopters following us was a totally surreal experience, to say the least, “I felt like I shouldn’t really be there but at the same time I felt like I had finally earned my place in cycling."
On the horizon, Edwin plans to focus more on his riding and maintaining existing sponsors. “Last year felt like too delicate of a balancing act while trying to ride and work on the team all at the same time. So it’s nice to dial it back somewhat.”
Words by Levi Stubbs / Photos by Arjun Sohal