An Aussie won the women's race, a German the men's.
But Auburn resident Jim Felt is claiming a little gold for himself and his 18-year-old company – Felt Bicycles – following this week's triathlon events in Beijing, China.
Both women's champ Emma Snowsill and the men's winner, Jan Frodeno, used Felt bikes in their respective Olympic contests, which included swimming, running and cycling.
"Two gold medals! I've got to tell you, it doesn't get any better than that," says Felt, who lives here but moved his business to Irvine in 2001 when he partnered with two other bike entrepreneurs, Bill Duehring and Michael Müllmann.
Felt, 53, says his staff is developing a marketing campaign to trumpet the two Olympics victories and promote sales for a global company that's already a big player in the high-end cycling business. Felt bikes, sold in 35 countries, range from $500 to $10,000 apiece.
Felt Bicycles, which also sponsored the Garmin-Chipotle U.S. racing team in this year's Tour de France, had one previous Olympics claim to fame – a silver medal for one of its bike racers in the 2000 Sydney Games. It scored no medals in 2004.
This time, in Beijing, Felt sponsored 12 riders, including several Americans. The U.S. racers didn't fare so well. But that was no disappointment for Felt.
"I'm all pro-American," he says of his sports team rooting. But when it comes to cycling, he's all pro-Felt.
"We don't care if they're Russian or Chinese or American," he says. "We just back the best (riders) in the world."
Where's the beef? A Fleming's Prime Steakhouse isn't coming to downtown Sacramento, after all.
The Newport Beach-based company has canceled its lease to occupy part of a new restaurant complex at 16th and L streets, inside the former Firestone tires building.
But the retail project's developers seem just as happy with Fleming's replacement: a "teppenyaki" eatery called Sapporo Grill.
In the current economy, steakhouses "aren't doing that well," says developer Ken Fahn.
Sapporo, run by local sushi restaurateur Damond Lee, will be more moderately priced than Fleming's, "kid-friendly" and entertaining, with chefs cooking meals on four big iron grills in the main dining area, Fahn says.
He and development partner Mark Cordano say the Firestone project is still on schedule, with openings later this year of DeVere's Irish Pub and an upstairs lounge, called MIX Downtown, operated by Sacramento's Wong family. Sapporo Grill and a California Pizza Kitchen are expected to open in early 2009.
But it won't be only cuisine dished up in the corner complex. Also joining the project is a "high-end" AT&T store, Cordano says.
Wind-wind proposition: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to put wind turbines atop some of his city's fabled bridges and skyscrapers.
The head of a Folsom startup company wants to help.
Paul Misso, CEO of Marquiss Wind Power, dispatched an e-mail to Bloomberg Friday morning offering to donate one of his firm's big, boxy, 19-foot-high rooftop wind turbines – and install it for free.
Misso says he offered one of his company's $30,000-and-up turbines after Bloomberg called for widespread use of wind power throughout the city. With images of windmills spinning atop the Empire State Building, Bloomberg was quickly mocked by New York media.
The Folsom executive jumped to the mayor's defense. "I want to show that the technology does exist and there's a very viable product" on the market, says Misso, whose company is increasing its turbine production at a south Sac plant.
The response from Bloomberg? An official in the mayor's office told us the offer was received and "is appreciated." The follow-up paperwork – from what we're calling the Big Green Apple – is en route to California.
Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit.
