Wednesday, March 19, 2008

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!

4 Comments:

At 10:29 PM, Blogger Surly Rider said...

Besides being a boss, you were and are a great friend. No matter how far you get from bike shops, they somehow latch on and are always with us. Best of luck with the next chapter. Now that you are out of shops...will we see you more often?

 
At 2:40 PM, Blogger Big Daddy Mike said...

Thanks. I'll be around more on the weekend rides now it seems...

 
At 1:46 PM, Blogger gwadzilla said...

was Trail Head Cyclery your first bike shop?

 
At 1:15 PM, Blogger Big Daddy Mike said...

nope. a bike shop in ocean city, maryland was. Trail Head was my last shop in CA and my last shop before working for the League for five years.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home

Free Web Counter
Counter