Valmont Bike Park Is Ole-Fashioned, Grinnin' Fun

I have just two things to say about the newly opened Valmont Bike Park because you should really experience it yourself.

1. It's got something for everyone.
2. I was grinning the entire time I was there. 

Ride it yourself! http://bouldermountainbike.org/valmontbikepark

I almost bit it on this stupid little thing. Man, am I rusty!

Anatomy of a Publicity Stunt

It was a friend in college who introduced me to the concept that luck comes with hard work. He'd just beaten me at some game, on what I felt was a lucky shot. I told him so and he replied, "You make your own luck."

I've found it's double-edged sword to work in publicity. Rarely can a publicist claim full responsibility for some good press, yet it's often that a publicist can claim at least some of it. This week, some hard work paid off in the form of a lucky break, but it was a fan boy blogger and the quick-thinking, fastest pro cyclist in the world who deserve most of the credit.

In the 24 hours after Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in the first stage of the Tour of California last Sunday, a book I'm promoting got mentioned on ESPN.com (since updated), in the New York Times (since updated), the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle (since updated), the Sacramento Bee, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and two cycling websites. This is a mother lode of publicity, more than many small publishers could hope for in a few years!

Last winter, we acquired Mark Cavendish's autobiography, Boy Racer, which  from the original UK publisher as a late addition to our fall 2010 list. We planned to publish the book in June, a comfortable month before the start of the Tour de France. In February, we made some print-on-demand ARCs (advance reader copies) of the book. Book publishers make ARCs to send to taste makers to ask for their endorsement and to magazines to line up publicity during the months it takes most magazines to plan out, develop, and publish their editorial content.

In March, I shipped out 20 ARCs to the big cycling print magazines and in April, I shipped 10 more to cycling websites and bloggers. I didn't ask for an embargo (because I think publicity embargoes are cheesy, especially in a small market like cycling), but I asked the magazines to consider book reviews and excerpts for their pre-Tour guides and mentioned to the websites that I was hoping for publicity after the Tour of California start.

Cav won the stage, which meant he was expected to take questions from the cycling media during a press conference soon after the race. Velonation described the scene like this:

"Following the race, Cavendish was relaxed and confident, and answered the myriad of questions with aplomb, but in an almost whisper. When asked about the Tour de Romandie victory salute debacle and whether he was thinking about that as he crossed the line, Cavendish was blunt and didn't pass up on an opportunity to give a healthy nod to his recently released book.

"I honestly don't think about my celebrations too much. You should read my book, Boy Racer. It's out in America now. I'll be doing some book signings during and after the Tour of California. It's a good book. In the book, I talk about how I switch off my emotions during the race. As soon as I cross the line, it all comes out. Most things are pretty impromptu, it's just all that emotion built up inside. When I cross the line first, sometimes I'm a quick thinker and come up with something, but for the most part, it's pretty impromptu."

At this point, a journalist in the crowd pulled out a copy and handed it to Cavendish. He dutifully held the book up and flashed a big grin." 

It looked like this.

That journalist was Richard Masoner, the blogger behind the Cyclelicious website, to whom I had sent a Boy Racer ARC just a few weeks before the race. He had taken his ARC with him to the Tour of California, hoping to get Cav to autograph it so that he could give the signed book away to a reader.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat described the events with more snark:

"Sprinters in cycling are like sprinters in track. They strut. They like to call attention to themselves. They are divas, showmen, who blossom like a peacock in front of a camera. When Cavendish stepped in front of the camera Sunday in the post-race press conference, he couldn't resist. From the podium he motioned to a man in the audience, presumably, and embarrassingly, a journalist. The journalist rose from his seat and brought to Cavendish a book.

It was Cavendish's recently published autobiography. That alone speaks volumes. Cavendish is only 24 years old. Some NFL wide receivers could get tips from this guy on self-promotion – which would soon become readily apparent.

The Brit then propped up the book, its cover facing the audience, pointed to it and said, “It's a good book.”

He smiled and he didn't stop smiling and he kept the book propped up for the couldn't-be-ignored photo op. Yes, maybe he had to squelch a defiant urge when he crossed the finish line but Cavendish couldn't be rung up for self-promotion."

It was Cav pimping his book after his win that caught the attention of the New York Times, ESPN, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and Velonation.

I learned about all this on Monday morning when I checked Google Reader and noticed the New York Times headline about Cav winning the stage. My jaw hit the floor when I saw how the book was mentioned, and then I raised my arms in victory!

It looked like this.

As any good publicist would, I printed the page to pdf and hit Google to search for more. I soon stumbled onto the ESPN and LA Times versions. (Quick aside: I noticed a lack of AdWords ads in the search results, so I took a few minutes to set up a campaign for Boy Racer.)

Another victory salute and then, having recovered my wits, I publicized the victory to some coworkers and our book trade distributor.

Finally, I noticed an email from Richard Masoner in my inbox. It said:

"Hi Dave,

I had Cavendish's book with me at his stage win in Sacramento Sunday afternoon. He saw it, grabbed it from me, and held it up at the press conference telling everybody they should read it.

The LA Times and NY Times both mentioned Boy Racer in Sunday's story on his win.

He also autographed the book for me. Is it okay if I give this pre-publication copy away in a contest?

Richard

http://www.cyclelicio.us/ is yummy!"

Yummy indeed! If I get the chance to meet Richard, I owe him a round of beers. Perhaps more than one round!

Of course, there are few less-than-perfect circumstances. First, the book isn't actually available yet nor is Cav actually scheduled to sign books during the remainder of the race. The book was bound and shipped to our distributor's warehouse a few days ago, which means it's sitting at a truck stop somewhere instead of selling like hotcakes; cycling fans who are now assuredly scrambling into bookstores are pawing through the shelves and walking away confused, frustrated, and disappointed. Publicity pushed demand, but the supply wasn't ready, and that means lost sales. I can only hope that Amazon and other online retailers just saw a bump in pre-orders.

Second, the cover on the ARC isn't the final one, and it's not as good as the final one. This is a pretty minor quibble considering only Cyclelicious posted the photo of Cav with his book.

Third, the book mentions have since been taken out of the ESPN and New York Times articles (which is why it's so important to print to pdf!). That afternoon, I emailed the book press release, cover image, and photo of Cav with book to all the reporters who mentioned the Cav-ARC incident to offer them a finished copy when they arrive next week. I hope this isn't what prompted ESPN and the Times to remove the mentions (both reporters were interested in receiving a copy). Should this happen again, maybe I'll wait a few days before thanking the reporter.


So if it's true that you make your own luck, then I'm happy to have placed an ARC in the right hands, even if it was those hands that put it in Cav's.

UPDATE: A coworker managed to catch Cav at the team bus today and got the final book into his hands!

It looked like this.

Photo of Cav with ARC used with written permission of Richard Masoner/Cyclelicious.
Photo of Dave with ARC and Cyclelicious website showing photo of Cav with ARC taken by Renee.
Photo of Cav with the final book used with permission of Ben Pryhoda.

GoLite Semi-Annual Warehouse Clearance Sale December 4-6

It's a Good Thing Flu Season Is Off Season: Exercise and Immunity

The New York Times Well blog, in its ever-snarked, contrarian way, asked recently "Does Exercise Boost Immunity?". The answer: moderate exercise boosts the immune system and intense exercise hampers it.

This answer requires some explanation. What do moderate and intense mean and just how much boosting and hampering are we talking about?

According to this article, moderate exercise is compared to a leisurely jog or walk. For endurance athletes, a leisurely jog is a warm-up. Intense exercise is described as "a workout or race of an hour or more during which your heart rate and respiration soar and you feel as if you are working hard". For endurance athletes, this is 2 out of every 3 workouts.

The endurance athlete's "neck check" needs some refinement. The traditional guideline for endurance athletes is to go ahead with a workout if your illness is a head cold -- above the neck. If you're sick below the neck -- with a cough or something intestinal (or a fever) -- ditch the workout to avoid getting worse. 

One expert interviewed said that "Moderate exercise...may prop up your immune response and lessen the duration and severity of a mild infection....It is okay to exercise if you have a simple head cold or congestion — in fact, it may improve the way you feel. I would avoid heavy, prolonged exercise with a head cold, though.". 

So endurance athletes fighting a cold (or fighting to stay healthy in a germ-ridden workplace) should adjust their workout intensity. Skip the intervals and stick with easy, aerobic workouts like a zone 1-2 ride or base run for intervals.

Heck, isn't that what the off season is for?

VeloSwap, the Cycling Flea Market, Is This Saturday

Here's an obligatory plug for VeloSwap, the consumer cycling show that is part of the my employer's corporate "family".

Okay, so VeloSwap is usually mobbed by 12,000 to 20,000 bargain-starved, two-wheel fanatics.

And, alright, it's got that BMX stunt team making noise every few minutes.

Sure, sure, it's located in Denver's most miserable venue, the National Western Complex (home of our Pro Rodeo and right across the street from the Purina factory).

BUT, VeloSwap is also a great way to rub elbows with people who, like you, are really passionate about riding (and getting a great deal).

Check out the 'Swap and see if you can score that sweet Serotta road frame you've been looking for or a lightly used wheelset fer yer fixie or a new mountain fork. At VeloSwap, you really never know what--or who--you're going to run into.

It's All About Performance

Cyclists know it's all about performance. Trackies and hipsters take a hike!

A Pro Deal for All Americans

In the outdoor and fitness industries, a "pro deal" is a discount given to employees of outdoor and fitness industry companies. This discount is usually at least 20% off retail, and the best discount I know about is 30% off the wholesale price. The only consumer equivalent would be a warehouse sale, but pro deals are usually in effect all year long. There are even websites set up exclusively to sell discounted merch to industry pros.

The rationale behind the pro deal system has several points. The first reason is promotional, and this is where the pro deal system got its start. Manufacturers want influential people to wear their brands. Who is more influential than those whose job it is to introduce consumers to a new activity? For example, a ski instructor might teach lessons to hundreds of skiers each year. If his eager pupils are impressed with him and his sexy $500 Spyder jacket, they might very well pony up full retail for apparel from Spyder in the future, though the instructor paid far less. This pro deal offers the manufacturer a powerful branding opportunity.

The second reason is charitable. In some industries, the average employee doesn't earn enough to be a customer of that industry. The cycling industry is a great example. Since the average bike shop's profit margin might be as low as 35%, the typical shop rat can't possibly be paid enough to afford a $5,000 bike. Bike shops usually offer an employee purchase program, but many manufacturers of high margin items graciously extend pro deals to their own kind.

The third reasoning is simple gear lust and stinginess. Most people who participate in a gear-intensive activity love them some sexy gear. Most people like paying less than full price. So employees in an industry will offer reciprocal pro deals to other companies just so they don't have to pay full price. In this way, the outdoor and fitness industries are a complicated network of pro deals.

Pro deals have rules. You can only order for yourself. No purchasing for friends or family. Some pro deals have an annual dollar maximum. Most pro deals will only ship to your work address. The most stringent deals require proof of your employment in the industry, like a pay stub, business card, and current catalog. Some pro deals are on a limited selection of products. Most pro deals expire at the end of each calendar year, which causes a flurry of pro deal paperwork early each spring. Industry tradeshows like Interbike and Outdoor Retailer are a flurry of pro deal trading; some companies actually send reps to each booth with the next year's pro deal form or unique login.

There is a certain sense of backalley shame in the pro deal system; people tend to lower their voices when discussing the pro deals available to them. "Pro forms", the special order forms that employees use to fax in or email pro deals, are secured in the back of filing cabinets and passed around surreptitiously. No one wants to risk losing their special pro deal by sharing it with someone who might blow it for them by abusing the deal or ordering too much. If you have a sweet pro deal, you only offer access to those you trust.

But what if everyone had a pro deal?

The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2009 promises just that. The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association offers a breakdown of what the "PHIT Bill" might mean. Basically, the PHIT Act would extend the Flexible Spending Account tax break to include some purchases of equipment used in physical activity.

Depending on your tax bracket, that could mean 20-40% off your next TREK bicycle, gym membership, Gregory backpack, gym class or ski lesson, or Garmin GPS-enabled fitness watch. That, my friends, is a pro deal every American should support (though I certainly wouldn't want to have the job of approving or denying purchases or, for that matter, making up the tax revenue shortfall).

The bill's sponsors offer these justifications:

• 20% of Americans aged 2-19 are overweight or obese.
• 8 of the 9 most expensive illnesses are more common in overweight people.
• Between 1981 and 2001, per capita healthcare costs rose 27% because of the increase in the number of overweight Americans.
• The WHO estimates that, in the U.S., a $1 investment in physical activity would reduce medical expenses by $3.20.

So score yourself a pro deal: ask your representative in the House to sponsor the PHIT bill.

Boulder Warehouse Sale Season Nearly Over!

With VeloGear and GoLite's warehouse sales already behind us and the REI Anniversary Sale in full swing, it's time to cast a farther glance to find deals.

I've never heard of Neve Designs, so I can't vouch for this sale, but there sure are some great brands on this promo email. If you go, let me know what you think.

Triathlon Aid Stations Should Supplement, Not Supply

A friend of mine finished yesterday's Ochsner Ironman 70.3 in New Orleans (race coverage). She said the afternoon temperature rose into the 80s.

An Ironman 70.3, or half-Ironman, takes its name from the total distance raced: 1.2 mile swim + 56-mile bike + 13.1 mile run = 70.3 miles.

Is it possible that anyone would be crazy enough not to bring any water?

"There were a number of athletes who came into transition (between the swim and the bike) with no water bottles on their bikes, " race director Bill Burke said. "How athletes come into 70-mile races without any of their own fluids is absolutely amazing."

A Times-Picayune blog post, "Thirsty-somethings: High temperatures leave some unprepared competitors desperate for a drink", discusses the race's dire water situation.

"Those stations are supposed to be supplemental fluids. We went through about 6,500-7,000 bottles of water on the bike alone, " Burke said. "We went through about 7,500 cups of water on the run and 5,000 pounds of ice at the finish and 2,000 pounds of ice in transition. I've never seen it this bad, where hundreds of athletes brought nothing to the race."

Sound familiar? 2007 Chicago Marathon?
Aid stations in any sport are intended to aid, not fully supply, the athlete. If you underestimate your caloric or hydration needs, the aid stations are there to bail you out so you can finish, if not race. No matter what distance you're racing, hydration and nutrition are your responsibility. In fact, so are your core temperature, your ability to recover from a tire puncture or broken chain, etc. Unless your race registration says otherwise, you shouldn't expect that race day will be like a day sightseeing at Disney World or a day of skiing at Beaver Creek (where, I hear, attendants give you warm cookies and tissues).

There are many ways to carry your own water during a triathlon.

On the swim: uh, don't drink the water. Especially Lake Pontchartrain. Grody.

On the bike:

• Use your water bottle carriers. Most people accustomed to rides over an hour will have to water bottle cages mounted inside their frame.
• Add a seat-mounted bottle carrier, like this one at TriSports.com:

• Put a water bottle between your aero bars, like this one from Profile Design:

• Fill a CamelBak with cold water to help keep you cool or wear a CamelBak RaceBak:

On the run:

• Wear a Fuel Belt:

• Carry a bottle in hand, like this Hammer Flask:

Few sane people would embark on a half-Ironman without first having gained valuable experience and fitness at the sprint and Olympic distances. Since this was New Orleans's first Ironman-branded triathlon, I'm guessing that the "hundreds of athletes" who raced without water were less experienced triathletes. Were they trying to save a little weight on the bike leg?

Dope Legally: Caffeine Is an Athlete's Best Friend

My favorite, over-cited news source, The New York Times, seems a little "behind the times" on this story, It’s Time to Make a Coffee Run.

"Starting as long ago as 1978, researchers have been publishing caffeine studies. And in study after study, they concluded that caffeine actually does improve performance. In fact, some experts, like Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of McMaster University in Canada, are just incredulous that anyone could even ask if caffeine has a performance effect.“There is so much data on this that it’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s just unequivocal that caffeine improves performance. It’s been shown in well-respected labs in multiple places around the world."

The truth about caffeine:

1. It's a performance enhancer. Caffeine allows us to burn fat instead of carbs, resulting on longer-lasting energy. It masks fatigue.
2. If you're a regular "user", it doesn't dehydrate you.
3. You only need a half cup of coffee (or two Cokes) to caffeinate your performance
4. It's 100% legal in every sport.

VeloGear Warehouse Sale This Weekend

VeloGear is having its warehouse sale this weekend, and it's running a little differently than usual.

VeloGear was bought a few months ago and the new owners are pretty desperate to get rid of old merchandise so they can reduce their inventory cost. Since the new owners bought VeloGear at a pretty steep discount, they are planning to pass that discount on to warehouse sale shoppers.

They've set up a "progressive sale":

• Friday 9am-4pm 50% off retail
• Saturday 9am-4pm 70% off retail
• Saturday 2-4pm everything you can stuff in a VeloGear shopping bag is just $20 (and those bags are bigger than a paper grocery bag)

VeloGear has my old office stuffed about 3 feet deep with cycling jerseys, shorts, tri shirts and shorts, t-shirts, posters, and all sorts of random household stuff.

Depending on what you put in there, that $20 bag of stuff could easily be worth $1000 at full retail. Imagine stuffing a bag full of $80-$120 jerseys for just $20!

Stop by. Tell your friends.

VeloGear Progressive-Discount Warehouse Sale
1830 55th St.
Boulder, CO 80301

From Denver:
Go to Boulder on 36
Take Foothills north
Turn right on Arapahoe
Turn left on 55th
Take the 3rd or 4th right (look for signs)

Beer + Cycling = My New Favorite Beer Commercial

Any fan of cycling and the Tour de France has seen "The Drinkers" poster:Back in the good ole days, it was believed that drinking provided energy and fortitude and that smoking "opened the lungs".

Stella Artois is an excellent Belgian pilsner with roots dating back as far as 1366. The company is running an ad campaign based around its Francolingual roots and set during Victorian times. The company has posted all its tv spots on this microsite "La Publicite".

Plug in a legal drinking age and a slightly creepy, bearded old doorman in a top hat will open the doors of a slightly creepy Victorian silent movie theater. You'll get picked up by this slightly creepy lady (presumably Stella?), but you can skip this intro if you like.


Choose what video to see by spinning this menu.

Go for "The Race".


You'll watch a short video about a vintage bike race! Without giving anything away, I can tell you that this race is a little unconventional...

Cycling Industry Will Bounce Back in Q2/Q3 of 2009

During the summer of 2008, the bicycle industry was booming. High gas prices and nice weather across the U.S. inspired enthusiasts, fitness riders, and wannabe bicycle commuters to drive less and ride more. In July, QBP reported a surge in sales of 27 inch tires and tubes, a size once popular among bikes that today spend most of their time gathering dust in the garage or basement. People dusted them off, tuned them up, and began commuting by bike. Bike manufacturers adjusted by offering new models designed to get people around town.

As the economic situation worsened last fall, gas prices eased and consumers began snapping their wallets shut. Still, the word on the show floor at Interbike in late September was that the major bicycle manufacturers were scrambling to lock up the materials they needed to fulfill a large volume of 2009 pre-season backorders. Lance Armstrong had just announced that he would race again in 2009, and Lance is very, very good for business. The energy at the show was remarkable; it's rare to see bike shop owners in such a good mood.

Later last fall and early this winter, the general American retail situation has blackened. Holiday sales were down 2.2%, which doesn't sound like much until you consider that holiday sales usually grow and that they make up 25-40% of a retailer's sales for the year. Still, the bicycle industry is quite aware that it has an off season from November through March. Meanwhile, gas prices have fallen below $2 a gallon.

So it was interesting to read in the January 2009 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News that the bike industry is not, in fact, recession proof. Matt Wiebe's article "Wishful Thinking: Bike Sales Up in Recessions" cites industry data gathered by the Gluskin-Townley Group: "Every recession since the ’70s bike boom has cut into industry sales, in some cases substantially—bike sales dropped from 14.1 million units in 1974 to 7.3 million in 1975."

A quick scan of keywords "bike", "industry", and "economy" on bicycleretailer.com shows a conflicted story. One story as far back as June shows that 150 bike shops closed between 2006 and 2007, leaving 4,451. This decline continued a trend: "Between January 2001 and January 2008, the number of specialty bike retailers fell from 6,259 to 4,394, which equals an average attrition of 266 storefronts per year." Gluskin-Townley speculates that 3,800 shops will survive into 2010. Anecdotally, I've been told by industry old-timers that the shop count is falling as the bike industry consolidates. To improve their margins, shops are aligning with frame manufacturers, selling only Trek or Specialized. Consolidation is common in business these days, as it pays to be big. So a decline in the number of shops doesn't necessarily reflect poor sales, just part of a larger business trend.

Yet I'm optimistic that cycling will rebound in mid-2009, at least as an activity. Though gas prices are expected to remain low for 2009, many commuters will stick with it for environmental and budget reasons. People more recently effected by the recession may try to reduce their monthly expenses by selling off cars and dusting off old bikes. Neither of these effects will inspire bike sales, though shops and book publishers may see an uptick for bike maintenence.

The reason cycling will recovery in 2009 is that the race scene will be so compelling. Take a look at the Tour of California, taking place now. Take a look at the roster: all the big names are back, either out of retirement or off doping suspensions. The list of racers who could win the Tour de France is longer and more varied than in years:

• Lance Armstrong (out of retirement)
  
• Levi Leipheimer
• Ivan Basso (off doping suspension)
  
• Floyd Landis (off doping suspension)
  
• Alberto Contador
• Christian Vande Velde
• Tom Danielson
• Oscar Friere
• Cyril Dessel
• Carlos Sastre
• Tyler Hamilton
• Alejandro Valverde (not racing ToCA)
  

The list of racers who could win stages is much longer, with these highlights: Boonen, Zabriskie, Horner, Popovych, the Schleck bros., Cancellara, Voigt, J.J. Haedo, O'Grady, Hincapie, Cavendish, Kirchen, Rogers, Kloden, Farrar, Hushovd, Pena, Sevilla, Rodriguez, Mancebo.

This year's Tour is going to be 100% nuts. Excitement is already building as the Tour of California begins to reveal team dynamics and each rider's motivation and fitness. Fans will perk up as the weather warms and they get back on the bike. Those who still have jobs will tire of not spending and, caught up in pre-Tour mania and anticipation of Lance in France, they will return to their cycle of spending habits.

How to Schwag

An author of mine emailed me recently to ask if there was time and budget available to prepare some schwag to promote his book at an upcoming event. His question was a perfectly reasonable one to ask, and I certainly appreciate his sensitivity to both lead time and budget. Some of his schwag suggestions, however, were a little off target:

• "I'd LOVE black t-shirts with the cover art."
• "Or cycling caps with text from the cover."
• "Or headbands."
  

This author should not be expected to know that the unit cost on these items is at least $8 a piece. And to be completely fair, the headband was my idea back during pre-publication brainstorming. But his request and the budget we have to work with for this book got me thinking about how and when to schwag.

The idea behind schwag is simple: you give something to potential customers in exchange for a moment of their attention. During that moment, good schwag will explain the benefit of your product and this will hopefully compel the customer to buy it (a product focus). Alternatively, you can simply try to buy their love and loyalty (a company focus, aka "branding").

Marketers must match the schwag to both to their product and their customer. If the product is low volume and low margin (as it is for a small book publisher), the marketer must keep schwag for end consumers as cheap as possible. In this market, the marketer is likely better suited to buy the cheapest schwag there is: advertising. It's cheap schwag because it offers nothing to the end consumer, yet it reaches vast numbers of them. The marketer can consider more costly schwag for the B2B channel because those buyers (like a bookstore chain buyer) or influencers (like a triathlon coach) represent underlying sales.

Here's a table showing how marketers for various margin and volume markets should schwag:


It's true that schwag often makes a stronger impression than advertising. Customers of any kind are more likely to remember the personal connection made when someone gives them something for free, especially if that schwag is personally meaningful to them. E.g. A t-shirt commemorating an experience (like "goodminton") will reinforce the positive memory. A keychain is just a keychain, a pen merely a pen.

Because schwag can make such a strong impression, marketers should reserve their best schwag for branding a high margin, low volume product. The high margin makes the schwag affordable, while the low sales volume makes it a more potent tool to capture market share.

Companies with low promo budgets should spend on cheap schwag or advertising and take a pass on creating a few hundred t-shirts. While advertising makes less of an impression on potential customers, it reaches thousands instead of hundreds. And an ad with the right message in the right place at the right time goes a long way.

Ultimately, I was able to sell my author on a new idea that will integrate inexpensive schwag and advertising on a social network. My thought is that the schwag and the advertising will reinforce each other and the social network will spread the message that's contained in both. More on this later!

VeloNews Seeking Candidates for Tech Editor Position

AVAILABLE: THE BEST JOB IN THE BIKE INDUSTRY

VeloNews tech editor position open to qualified candidate

Boulder, CO, USA - December 15, 2008 - Do you love working on bikes and know them inside and out? Do you appreciate staying on top of the latest tech trends? If you have the right stuff, VeloNews magazine has a career waiting for you.

VeloNews is growing its tech department, expanding on the huge body of work done by Lennard Zinn and Matt Pacocha, the most respected technical writers in cycling. VeloNews is seeking a tech editor to spearhead the department, producing their own work while collaborating with Zinn and Pacocha.

The position requires a thorough understanding of bicycle technology, management ability, professional writing and editing competency, and solid communication and interpersonal skills. The ideal candidate will have bike industry experience, preferably in a bike shop or R&D. Attention to detail, multi-tasking skills and the ability to work under tight deadlines are essential.

Interested candidates can send a résumé, cover letter and three writing samples to: Attn: HR, 1830 55th St., Boulder, CO 80301 or boulderjobs@competitorgroup.com. No phone calls, please.

More information on VeloNews magazine is available at VeloNews.com.

###

REI Wants You to "Bike Your Drive"

REI, which quietly sells a ton of bikes and cycling gear each year, wants drivers to start riding to work. To help them get started, REI offers this article, "Getting Into Biking". 

And you know what? It's really a pretty good article. I even enjoyed reading the "12 Cycling Myths", even though it didn't refute my two bike commuting pet peeves: "freezy face" and "helmet hair".

For the whole REI microsite, visit http://www.rei.com/bikeyourdrive.

Boulder earns highest bike-friendly ranking

Jeez, this took awhile.

You'd think the town that has better maintained bike paths than roads and its own bicycle "driving directions" service would have been top notch already.

Boulder's bike-friendly rank bumped to the highest tier

C'etait un rendez-vous

Have you seen it? If so, you know what I mean. If not, here it is. Make sure your speakers are on. The preface: this is an extremely illegal, high speed drive through the streets of Paris. For those of us more used to seeing two-wheeled speed through the streets of gay Paris, I submit to you, "C'etait un rendez-vous: full-speed in Manhattan".

Stuff White People Like

mediocre polymath is not a funny blog.

Stuff White People Like is a funny blog. I'm blown away by the number of comments "clander" gets for each post, and even more blown away by the fact that his first post appears to have been in January, 2008. How'd he build a readership so quickly? Amazing.

So, in honor of Colorado's upcoming spring, check out these things that white people like: Going Outside, Outdoor Performance Clothes, and Bicycles.

Eat More Cookies to Train Harder

It seems that willpower comes in limited supply. The New York Times reports that a person's willpower gets tired after use, i.e. restraining yourself from one activity may make another tedious activity more difficult. But it also works the other way: you can store up willpower.

There are practical applications. Maybe part of the reason that tapering workouts makes us faster on race day is all that extra willpower we've saved up from not having to force ourselves to work out during the taper.

Check out the NYT article and report back on your favorite willpower-related rationalization!