The Roanoker July/August 2022 - 116

Cyclists line up before setting off
on a morning commute ride, part
of Cardinal Bicycle's Bike to Work
Day event.
C
ommuters mingle at the bar over
Breadcraft pastries. There's a
list of latte specials scrawled on
a mini countertop chalkboard.
Nearby, an espresso machine
whirs to life. But this is not
your average coffee shop-it's
Cardinal Bicycle & Café in
Grandin Village.
Once they're caffeinated and
satiated, the helmet-clad commuters
pose for a group photo
under a moody May sky before setting off on
their ride. It's part of Bike to Work Day, one
of Cardinal Bicycle's in-store events celebrating
National Bike Month, which kicked off
with a breakfast social and wrapped with a
happy hour and prizes. Hosting events such
as these is one way Cardinal Bicycle seeks to
connect Roanoke's cycling community. But
it's also building community by banking on
another powerful connection point-sharing
food. Cardinal Bicycle's café concept offers a
stellar menu of rice bowls, sandwiches, salads
and pizzas, ideal for refueling after one of their
food-themed rides (like Pedal, Pies & Pints)
116 JULY/AUGUST 2022
or grabbing lunch with a friend.
Cardinal Bicycle's building on Winborne
Street SW has food roots stretching back
decades. Previously, it housed the grocery store
Mick-or-Mack, which included a lunch counter
and an in-house butchery program. Today,
another local butchery business, Yard Bull
Meats, is a featured purveyor. Incorporating
Yard Bull Meats onto the café menu, along
with select Crystal Spring Grocery snacks, is
also a natural synergy for Cardinal Bicycle's
owners Whit and Lauren Ellerman. The
Ellermans are also involved with River &
Rail and Crystal Spring Grocery and are part
owners of Yard Bull Meats (with chef Tyler
Thomas), which will open as a brick-andmortar
butcher shop this summer in South
Roanoke.
Whit, an avid cyclist, has long had a vision
for developing the Roanoke cycling community
by opening a ride center style shop. And
because of their hospitality background, the
Ellermans wanted the space to incorporate a
café and bar area, too.
" When the Mick-or-Mack building came
available, we saw an opportunity to create a
new kind of bike shop in Grandin Village. The
vision was to create a space that went beyond
traditional retail, a community hub that was
first and foremost welcoming to all, " says Whit,
who also serves as Cardinal Bicycle's CEO.
" The center also needed to cater to all of a
rider's needs, from new bikes and safety equipment
to parts and service, to bike fitting, to a
café with fresh food, coffee and craft beers. "
P
art of Cardinal Bicycle's function
as a community hub
involves offering free weekly
ride events led by staff and
shop ambassadors. The rides
span a variety of experience
levels, but almost all of them
have an accompanying food
component. Pedal, Pies &
Pints is a neighborhood greenway
ride ideal for beginners.
Besides making new friends
or meeting up with an accountability buddy,
pedaling for après pizza-with topping combinations
such as BBQ pulled pork or chicken
Parm-provides a serious motivation boost. On
TheRoanoker.com
LAYLA KHORY-HANOLD
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker July/August 2022

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