A long break from blogging makes for an awkward restarting, so to fully lean into it: We bought a house and I’m taking an extended hiatus from announcing
There is so much going on in this picture that emcompasses the words to follow
That felt more relieving than I thought to type. Then again, I already spent the last few months moping about it
I already wrote to the events I work with, but I also wanted to use this space to answer some quick questions I keep getting and to tell one final announcing story. Because, as anyone who’s attended my events has heard me say, we get to act out our own stories. I’ve loved telling everyone else’s story, but if this is the last time for who knows how long I take up the microphone, I want to place here my story, the first announcing story
Technically speaking the first full picture of me announcing. Technically correct, the best kind of correct
For the quick questions I keep getting:
Why this year? We bought a house and are preparing for a wedding, and the process has shown me that I can do many cool things at once and eventually I’ll feel a bit too bitter about being spread too thin doing as much as I would typically like. So, this is me working on less spreading
When will you resume announcing? I like being firm with planned timelines and dates and yet every time I try to pick one to resume announcing, I would keep pushing it further and further back. That’s why we’re sticking with, “when I feel like it”
What can be done to make it more appealing for me to keep the microphone on? At this point it would have to be literally more days in the race season and the year. People know my rates are very affordable; not even bringing my costs up to same price as others would help me balance everything else in my life
Are you quitting bikes? Probably the opposite, which reminds me I should finish writing that grant proposal for [redacted]. But this definitely means more time to race bikes
Is everything OK? Better than ever!
We really need announcing at the local bike races, can you help? You can check here for rental rates and I am growing a list of people I’ve taught how to set up and announce. You can always e-mail to ask for the system or any other questions for help
Can you at least estimate when you’ll be back? At this point it’s probably best if you plan for me to e-mail you offering announcing and event services. Usually do so 3-4 months in advance, but again, for now I would make other plans
This could have been an e-mail, why is this a blog post? OK, it’s story time
Do you have to? Look, I actually don’t know when I will get back to announcing, I promise I won’t write blog posts about future hiatuses/hiatii so for just this one I’m gonna. It’s my story and I get to act it out
Big Tijunga Canyon Strava Ride Here
In 2018 I flew out to LA for a work conference. I spent a week biking around SoCal, and then to the Staples Center to meet with my bosses and their bosses. We had just gone through a very stressful merger, and everyone not culled through the initial phase was relieved to resume some business as usual. This conference was the big one, and I got the nod to attend, presumably to learn and make industry connections
The week before I spent a lot of time calling and e-mailing friends amongst the local grassroots bike racing scene; word was that one of the favorite New England cyclocross races was going to quit. At the time, this mattered to me more than a work conference or enjoying sunny riding conditions. Enough that I, as a board member, tried to get my bike racing team to rally together to take charge of the race. But it was January and the race would be in September and with no firm news there was nothing to do about it. As the conference started, I was still agitated about the whole thing. To this day I’m not sure how much of that frustration was some perceived chip on the shoulder or misplaced fervor over grassroots sports advocacy
The night before the work conference my boss’ boss’ boss took us all out to the hotel rooftop bar, his treat. We stayed up until 3am drinking and laughing and listening to how management would make us titans of industry. There were business managers and bigshot sales and technical leads; everyone with edges to grind and prove that we were the best of the best. I was just a lowly desktop support help, and it was more than a little intimidating to be with the professionals about to collect literal first in class awards. I had to wonder why I was brought to this conference
Winners only allowed at the glow in the perpetual twilight that is Los Angeles. I was permitted to stand nearby
At 2am the top technical sales lead and my boss’ boss’ boss took turns chatting with me, asking if desktop support was all I really wanted to do with my life. Surely after two years I would rather move up from the angry customer phone calls and tight technical problem solving turnarounds and enjoy the pride and rewards that came with customer facing support and outside sales? It sounded very appealing, and I said no: this was my first adult job and it was way cooler than I thought it could be. Yes, I wasn’t the best and I had some problems with stress management, but promised I would get better. They both smiled and said they understood and four months later my boss let me go to hire someone that was cheaper and less stressed about the job. The whole experience was very impressionable upon me: if someone offers you an opportunity, next time ask to sleep on it
Irony of ironies, I never really did sleep that week
Jobless and also needing to move out (landlord decided to sell the apartment), I was at a loss for what to do. I applied for work and kept bike racing and since I didn’t have much to do but to keep telling the unemployment office that yes I still hadn’t found a job . With all of that extra time I kept helping out at the bike races. Grassroots bike racing was still riding the popularity wave that came from Lance Balless’ victories and everyone was still in denial about the sports slow decline from the aftermath of his doping convictions. There was an air of unease about the sport, and any drop in racers or events would deepen the gloom amongst the core community of regulars and promoters. Which is why I kept helping out at races, and when someone asked online if anyone would like to help out with announcing, I agreed. Completely oblivious that this was agreeing to do a job that was very similar to the outside sales job offer I declined earlier that year. But a lot of those fears I was willing to put aside if it was to help out bike racing
I miss this era of bike racing but maybe not this era of bike vlogging. Thank you, Ryan, for showing me the ropes to announcing
Real ones remember that this was the beginning of the BEN FREDERICK comeback and he forever remains my favorite “People’s Champion” in literally every bike race ever. After this, he would go on to compete (and win) in US Pro tour races, local casual races, UCI World Cups, and SSCX. Fitting that he won the most perfect one-hit-wonder in New England Bike Racing
I got to co-announce the Massachusetts Crit Championships and solo announced the one hit wonder Shoe City Circuit and the long-running New England Crit Championships. I also got a job offer and a new apartment. Everything was coming up roses and bikes. But it was August and the favorite New England cyclocross race finally declared they would not promote next month and I thought about how after this long year I had one more matter to put to bed. I had another two weeks before the new job started; I asked online if anyone wanted to put on a bike race with me with no promise of money on an impossible turnaround. I got one yes, and that was enough to create a very successful first co directed substitute bike race with record turnouts
Thank you, Jim, for taking a chance on me to make Gatewayhills CX happen
If that whole bit sounds exhausting and you’re wondering what does this have to do with announcing then I can quickly condense the rest: I would do a similar year of shenanigans in 2019, survived a year of social distancing and swore to return in 2021, did that on top of many more new things, repeated it all again in 2022, even brought back the famous New England Cyclocross race, and the idea of repeating that for another year was enough to think that maybe it’s time for something else
The Day Before Jim and I Put on a Bike Race with literally Five Weeks To Go
After the last racer left. The UHaul Rental continues to be my signature move in all things bikes and otherwise
And here we are. Five years later. Same job, even survived another merger. That’s about par for professionals ten years my senior and longer than the average American. Guess it’s not that bad that a side job lasted nearly as long, or that I didn’t try those skills for that sales job offer. I’m grateful I tried a side bike job, and it’s a bit relieving to know that if I accepted the technical sales job at least would have kept up for a little . My only regret is I didn’t hire a personal photographer to document every race I announced
Another reason why I’m telling this story is people repeatedly tell me they appreciate what I do and would either like to do something similar or helpful to contribute to the local grassroots sports community. I don’t know if people think I had this impressive resume or training or references: I just kept at it. Now you know the story, and it’s a good time as any if you want to chip in any way you can. New England needs passionate people, and there’s an opening for one with a microphone
Before the monsoons happened at the New England Crit Championships
To the ones that did take pictures, and the ones that let me try, and everyone else along that joined the story; thank you. Thank you, thank you. I’ve got many more stories to tell but this is the last big one for a long while
Oh, and if anyone wants to promote a certain famous New England cyclocross race, reach out to me and I’ll do my best to set you up. Only pros should leave doing that nonsense last minute
One last, last bit that I want to share. By many measures, I was a bumbling amateur at announcing (a thousand thank you, events that still let me come announce!) but by a few key ones I was a consummate professional. One in particular that let me be successful in New England was doing my prep and sharing stories from bike racing during events; the racers and tales from before, the events currently unfolding, and where some racers would hope to go next. This post has gone on long enough to go into it more, but for the next ones that wish to contribute to a great grassroots scene, that is my one unique suggestion to having a fulfilling time doing what you love: do proper preparation
Oh and either say yes to opportunities or ask to sleep on it
Thank you for reading my story. Announcing has ended (for me, for now), let us go in peace
Was currently dreaming of a nap at this point. Never did get it
