Virginia-based Conte's Bicycle Group, LLC is pleased to announce that Chris Duffy has joined the Company as National Road Product Manager and National Director of Fitting Services. Chris will work out of the Company's Virginia Beach headquarters and travel extensively to the Company's Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Florida stores.
Chris has an extensive history in the cycling industry. His passion for the sport brought him to Europe where he raced for teams Tre Colli U23 (Italy), Brico Iberico Fib U23 (Spain) and Café-Max Marin (Spain). However, he found his calling in sales while working the floor of some of Southern California's most renown bicycle retailers. During college, cycling informed the direction of his educational pursuits; at the University of Southern California Chris authored senior theses in both cycling performance ('The Effect of crank-length on pedaling dynamics, power production, and oxygen consumption in trained cyclists") and retail culture ("Selling Gender: Bike Shop Culture and the Performance of Masculinity"). He holds an MS in Kinesiology from USC as well as an MA in Anthropology from Brandeis University. Chris also holds the distinction of being just one of twenty-five Retul Certified Fitters (formerly Retul Certified Master Fitter) in the United States.
Most recently, Chris served as the Road Product Manager and Director of Fitting Services for a multi-store bicycle retailer in the Boston area. In those roles, he relied on his passion for riding, his affinity for great product design and componentry, and thoughtful data analysis to make buying decisions that fostered road segment profitability. As the Director of Fitting Services, he developed and integrated innovative, evidence-based, and data-driven fit protocols into the sales process to provide not only excellent fit outcomes but also build client loyalty and drive high dollar sales. While in Boston, Chris also had a hand in building the company's rental program, developing an annual"Science of Cycling" winter seminar series where invited experts in performance cardiology, physical therapy, nutrition, and bicycle design gave lectures in their areas of expertise, teaching an annual Training with Power 101 winter class, founding / coaching the company's Gran Fondo Club, and leading a weekly all-levels group ride.
In his spare time, Chris privately coaches cyclists of all abilities and is a co-owner and tour leader at Cycling Umbria. Cycling Umbria provides cycling, language and cultural guide experiences throughout Italy to cyclists from all over the world.
"We are thrilled to have such a proven industry professional join us at Conte's. Chris' passion for cycling is contagious, and his decision to join our team illustrates our continuing commitment to excellence and best-in-class personnel and service", said David Conte, co-owner of Conte's Bike Shop.
