From the Source

Posted on by turbocycling

A & E’s Intervention to Feature Former Pro Cyclist Tonight
6/16/08 – After a troubled childhood that sent him to juvenile hall for felony arson, Chad Gerlach’s father introduced him to cycling at age 15. Chad went pro and cycled on the same team as Lance Armstrong. But after getting kicked off the team for “personality conflicts,” Chad was crushed and turned to drugs. Now homeless, Chad spends his days panhandling, smoking crack, and drinking. His family’s many efforts to get him off the streets have failed. Their last hope is an intervention. Chad raced for Team Redlands in the mid-90’s and went on to race with such teams as US Postal and Sierra Nevada before quitting in 2002. TV Schedule: Monday, June 16 9:00pm EST and Tuesday, June 17 1:00am EST.

4 thoughts on “From the Source”

  2. This is amazing and does not surprise me. My family and I personally knew Chad in NorCal. He competed against my oldest brother, however Chad always showed that he had the greater strength.

    Hope the intervention works, sounds like he could use a good kick in the butt. Hopefully the drugs has not yet fried him completely.

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  3. It was a good show and I wish him all the best.
    For those that missed out, at the end it said he’s been clean since February, which is not a long time, and that he is going to college and got a new race bike.
    I am a firm believer in the therapeutic benefits of cycling, but also that it is addictive in it’s own right. Definitely a better choice than being a crack head on the street, but I think we all know people for whom the need to train and/or win overwhelmes the rest of their life. Anyway, I guess that’s a bit off topic/tangent-y. I just hope the guy can keep his head on straight.

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  4. Soon after Lance Armstrong punched Chad in the face for saying that Lance rode,”like a Cat 4 beginner” it all went down hill (this happened during pre-cancer days). He could not land on a team that gave him the “Love” that he needed to keep focused. I have not seen the episode yet, hopefully A&E will load up the show soon. I really knew this guy and his family and wish them the best. Cross your fingers!

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