It all comes from the union of two words: Watts & Coffee.
The word Coffee is often related to energy," says William Vargas. Many times a good cup of coffee is enjoyed with the intention of being alert, to wake up or to have a "shot" of energy before starting a bike ride, very early in the morning. In the same way the word Watts is used to determine the energy that a cyclist generates when training. These two words together gave us the name of the brand and the link between coffee & cyclist".
That's right, with that simple union William Vargas culminated his project to establish a coffee lounge inside Alex's Bicycles Pro Shop, his friend Alex Lai's bike store in Weston, in the northern suburbs of Miami, Florida.
In this way William serves early coffees to the members of the groupetas that gather every Saturday to go out on their bikes. Having a coffee and tasting a banana cake before or after the ride, while tinkering with the bike, commenting on the route or checking the news on your cell phone.
Coffee culture in cycling
And, of course, emerging in a bike store, we can talk about the cyclists' coffeeCoffee can be seen as a common denominator in the world of cycling. The vast majority of cyclists enjoy a cup of coffee before or after a bike ride. Many times we can see groups of cyclists gathered with a cup of coffee in their hands, talking about their experiences, stories and anecdotes lived during the ride. Coffee as a beverage has caffeine, an ingredient frequently used as an energy supplement under sports nutrition".
All of this happens in the south of that tongue of land reclaimed from the sea that is Florida, a land touched by cycling, thanks to the bikers who get lost on its trails and the road and gravel cyclists who explore routes through the Florida Everglades.
Road cyclists are used to riding long, flat, hot routes through South Florida," William tells us. Going to and from Miami a Miami Beachfrom Davie to Weston. Sometimes all in one outing that usually culminates with a stop at one of South Florida's trendy cafes".
But if this area is blessed for anyone, it's for triathletes: "We have great weather for year-round training, with good access to beaches that make it easy to train for open water swims. Triathletes tend to meet on Saturdays and Sundays at places like Las Olas and Key Biscayne.
Coffee & Watts Outings
For William, cycling was a love affair that began seventeen years ago when he wore the MTB trails in the park Amelia EarhartPark, in MiamiHe already found it fun and worked hard to acquire a physical condition that gave him the opportunity to try triathlon. This passion has given him some sporting success, but above all the possibility to travel around most of the world. Latin America and the United Statesand the U.S., proving how big the world is on a bicycle.
Today he organizes three weekly outings from his café: "The Tuesdays and Thursdays we do 75 kilometers between Sunrise and Weston. The Saturdays we start at six o'clock to do a lap of 20 miles around Weston at an average of 42 kilometers per hour, and then at seven o'clock we start the Alex's Bicycles ride, in three groups, depending on the level of difficulty. Once a month, usually on Sundaya longer ride is organized, between 130 to 160 kilometers, reaching points such as Key Biscayne, Brickell, Wynwood or Delray Beach.”.
A couple of years ago you saw Gobik in the Instagram of Alberto ContadorAnd then came everything else: "I was really struck by how simple and clean their designs were. At the beginning of 2019 I bought my first garment from Gobik on a trip to Colombia. To be able to touch the material and try on the jersey was definitive proof that the quality perceived on the web is real".
"Since then I have added to my collection," he continues, "adding the CX ProCarrera, Second skins, vests and culottes. Absolute. It's a brand with a good image and quality, virtues that every cyclist wants when out on his bike: "Look good, Feel Good".
This is how William found in Gobik a good ally for the design of his equipment because "we took full advantage of the clean, simple and modern image of the brand. Gobik in our clothing, alluding to everything we do, from our coffee mugs to the website. When we design the cycling kits with GobikIn order to create the Watts & Coffee brand, we worked together to combine the small details that identify the brand with the identity and colors of Watts & Coffee, always from a minimalist concept. Like the small coffee beans that can be seen on the jerseys and culottes".
"For the same reason we have created the Cycling Collection by Gobik for Watts & Coffee and we are currently working with Gobik to become an authorized dealer for South Florida under the Alex's Bicycle Pro Shop umbrella," concludes William.
Text: JoanSeguidor's notebook
