Kadisco: Cycling, Marketing, Sponsorship, Social Media

Zipp drops the new 303

Posted on 18. Apr, 2009 by in Bike industry, Client News | No Comments

I work a lot with the good folks at Zipp but I don’t always get a chance to see the products up close, let alone ride them. Yesterday was an exception.

Zipp introduced a new version of the 303 wheelset to the assembled media at Sea Otter, with technical background from engineer Michael Hall and racing stories from marketing manager Andy Paskins. As you can see, the new 303 has a wider new shape that yields all sorts of benefits – strength, stiffness, comfort, and aerodynamics. After writing lots of copy and interviewing Thor Hushovd about the new releases, it was great to take them out for a spin with Andy, Michael, SRAM’s Michael Zellmann, and Road Bike Action’s Zap Espinoza.

Back in the day

Posted on 03. Apr, 2009 by in Bike Racing, Client News, Personal | No Comments

Packing up my office at the Allied Box Factory last week unearthed a trove of marketing collaterals from the 2005 and 2006 Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada teams: six-pack carriers, media kits, team cards, and more. Despite our meager budget, this stuff came out nicely and I think it compares favorably to most of what’s been generated by much bigger teams since then. The six-pack carriers never made it onto shelves, unfortunately.

Towards an urban cycling identity

Posted on 07. Mar, 2009 by in Bike industry, Client News, Trends | 1 Comment

… fashion’s attraction to bicycles is another signal that urban cycling has arrived as a distinct lifestyle. People in the communities that give birth to broader trends in fashion and culture have begun to see the bicycle as part of their self-identity. Essentially, it’s the idea that tastemakers (a word that I dislike) are now saying, “I am a bicyclist.”

ATOC wrap-up, part 1

Posted on 25. Feb, 2009 by in Bike Racing, Client News, Personal | 1 Comment

Physically and mentally, last week was probably the most challenging of my career, and I’m still processing all my impressions from the race. In the meantime, here are a few more images and an excerpt of my final report for the MASH x Incase blog. To see more of what I saw, you can check out my Flickr album and my photos and videos for Zipp (2/16-22), featuring interviews with Carlos Sastre and Thor Hushovd.

Solvang ‘n’ stuff

Posted on 21. Feb, 2009 by in Bike Racing, Client News, Personal | No Comments

Yesterday was amazing, with great access to three of the best teams in the world: Cervelo TestTeam, Astana, and Garmin-Slipstream. I got to interview Carlos Sastre inside the Cervelo bus, shoot close-ups of Jani Brajkovic warming up on Zipp’s aero crankset, and just wander through the Garmin-Slipstream area in the morning before bringing the MASH [...]

Some photos from the road

Posted on 19. Feb, 2009 by in Bike Racing, Client News, Personal | No Comments

Too tired to say much of anything, but here are some photos from the last few days with Zipp and MASH. All my photos from this trip are here on Flickr.

Kadisco at the Tour of California

Posted on 15. Feb, 2009 by in Bike Racing, Client News, Personal, Sponsors, Trends | 1 Comment

This is going to be a busy week for me with a several hats to juggle and lots of text, photo and video content to create. First, I’m on the road with MASH all week. We’re riding all the Tour of California courses from start to finish on track bikes. I’ll also be producing some web content for Zipp around their pro teams, Cervelo Test Team and Garmin-Slipstream. I’ll be talking to riders, directors, and mechanics about what wheels they’ll be riding on different stages, and what factors go into those choices.

Tour de France team budgets, 1989-2008

Posted on 05. Jan, 2009 by in Bike Racing, Client News, Sponsors, Sports Business | 1 Comment

The March 1989 issue of VeloNews – reproduced on page 18 of the January 2009 issue – estimated budgets for some of the era’s leading teams: Cafe de Colombia, PDM,  Panasonic, etc. In 2008 dollars, the average of the 9 teams on the list that contested the ‘89 Tour is $6.12 million. According to VeloNews’ [...]

New bike!

Posted on 10. Nov, 2008 by in Client News, Personal | 1 Comment

My new bike. More photos and a sensible choice of bars coming soon.
Thanks to Cinelli, BTI, MASH, Zipp, SRAM, ROAD, and Craigslist.