Dearly Departed: Me

After 5 years, I am officially no longer employed by City Bikes. I have taken a job outside the bicycle industry. After starting in a bike shop in May 1993, I am now a civilian.

I can't even believe where this industry has taken me. I have been SO lucky over the last 15 years. Ok, just one month short of 15 years but we'll round up.

I have made so many friends, ridden in so many cool places and learned so much about life from the seat of a bicycle. From my mtn bike roots through my commuting and on-road education, for-profit to non-profit and back to for-profit. Wrenching, sales, management, buying, running a shop, helping to bring an organization or two back from the brink... I really do owe my life to cycling. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop.

I met my wife through a 24hrs of Canaan teammate back in 1999. Emma was born while Susan worked for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and I worked for the League of American Bicyclists. Jeremy was born while I was at City Bikes and Susan at WABA. Susan and I worked in the same office when America Bikes! was in the League office on K St.

I helped push MORE into MD back when there was only one park that MORE worked with in MD. I was the Patapsco liaison for 8 years and met a bunch of great local people and fixed a lot of bad sections of trail. I still bore people to death whenever I'm out there... 'This trail used to be a mess until we moved it up onto the hillside there.' 'I pitched this rock section by hand one snowy April day.' Ugh.

Teaching safe cycling, traveling for bike-related conferences and vendor events, Santa Cruz, Tahoe, Salt Lake, Portland, Gainesville, Madison, Albuquerque, Amherst, Louisville, Santa Rosa... And now I'm a civilian.

I'm still going to race with my good friends on DCMTB.com. I have had some really great times with those guys/gals and will continue to represent for the shop at races. I'll still be pushing on MORE to keep moving forward, like a good Scud disciple.

It's official. I wish it was harder to leave but the bike industry ain't a lifetime gig for me. Almost though, eh?

Bye bye industry, hello life!