About this time in early 2002, I pressed the “go” button to launch the web site you’re studying now… Again then I may by no means have imagined that 22 years and nearly 20,000 articles later PEZCycling would have grown right into a revered supply for highway biking information, information and leisure that so a lot of you have got loved, and be one of many final remaining correct highway biking media websites left in North America.
This month marks a reasonably special occasion right here at PEZ. It’s 22 years since I hit the “go” button on a protracted forgotten pc in a second bed room / my workplace in a small townhouse I had simply moved into with the then future Mrs. Pez. The precise launch date stays a thriller, however right here’s what I can nonetheless bear in mind…
It All Began…
Within the Fall of 2001, I used to be in transition between jobs, had been on the lookout for work for a number of months, and the one presents I’d acquired had been so horrible that I lastly figured that if I used to be going to receives a commission nothing to do one thing, then I ought to a minimum of do one thing I loved.
Precise PEZ display screen from Waybackmachine.com – c. Sep. 2002
I’d been to the Tour (’86 & ’90) and the ’94 Giro, and was upset that the biking media of the day simply didn’t cowl the fan expertise the way in which I’d truly “lived” it. It was a lot enjoyable to be there, however nobody was writing about this. So I dreamed up the concept to be the man who introduced that aspect of the world’s largest and finest races to followers. And PEZCyclingNews was born.
Again within the day… On the 2003 Tour de France driving over the Tourmalet. Protecting my first Tour when solely dial-up web was accessible in France… I took my outdated mtb, misplaced my sun shades on Alpe d’Huez, and reduce a gap within the high of that Saeco cap to battle the 40C+ heatwave that was sweeping Europe.
Issues in biking had been loads totally different again then. The entire biking trade was browsing a wave, and hundreds of thousands of sports activities followers found a cool bike race known as the Tour de France – carbon fiber molding was the brand new rising know-how, the web was nonetheless younger and sluggish, Google was simply one in every of a number of serps, and social media didn’t even exist. And biking manufacturers had been clamouring to help the few fledgling biking web sites of the day.
We joined the small however energetic fray, and PEZ pioneered “roadside reporting” as the primary website to cowl the very best stage professional bike racing from the followers perspective, and our model of story-telling resonated with readers far and huge.
The cartoon within the higher proper has been on my board for the reason that ’90’s, and was a degree of inspiration when launching PEZ. The picture is climbing the Passo Gavia on the 2006 Giro.
That first yr we had been granted credentials to the Vuelta – our now each day editor Alastair Hamilton paid his personal manner, and my solely task for him was to ship again photos of podium women (bear in mind these?). Then I used to be contacted by Charles Manantan who needed to cowl Tech (and paid his personal approach to Interbike), and Dr. Stephen Cheung who championed our Toolbox coaching part (the one free supply for cycling-relevant coaching articles vetted by a PhD within the subject). Later got here (to call only a few) nice storytellers like Leslie Reissner who single-handedly created a library of biking guide and movie critiques that Rotten Tomatoes would envy, Chuck Pena and his uniquely detailed but readable tech critiques, and extra just lately ex-pro racer Jordan Cheyne with a ability & ardour to jot down about highway biking that few from his youthful era possess.
Dropping A Good friend
One other nice storyteller and mad-for-cycling journo-wannabe reached out within the early days with a suggestion he may cowl the Tour of Britain – that’s how I met Ed Hood . Sadly although, it’s been a yr since we misplaced our expensive buddy and colleague to a extreme stroke. Ed was one of many irreplaceable unicorn’s who helped make PEZ such a enjoyable and entertaining place to go to. I want I had higher information about his restoration… Ed has moved right into a long run care facility and continues to work along with his care givers, and the help of his loving spouse and mates, however we don’t anticipate he’ll return to our little peloton.
My solely in individual assembly with the nice man Ed Hood, as I handed the PEZ baton to him throughout our protection of the 2010 Giro.
Final yr we began a GoFundMe web page to attraction to, and ask you readers an opportunity to help Ed with a small donation. Each greenback could be very a lot appreciated by Ed & his household, and can go a protracted approach to making his life little extra snug, and paying his care bills. We’ll proceed working tales from Ed’s enormous 2300+ catalog of labor, as a result of his tales are so timeless, and entertaining. If you happen to’ve ever loved one ofr Ed’s articles, please think about donating to his GoFundMe web page.
Through the years PEZ has been a platform for dozens of different entertaining and distinctive writers – Chris Selden, Gord Camshron, Matt Conn, Darrel Parks, and Jered Gruber – , and I think about my self fortunate to depend so many proficient story-tellers / photographers / biking followers as contributors. Many have moved on to profitable careers in biking media and different types of greatness, however I really feel a certain quantity of pleasure saying they helped construct PEZ into one in every of North America’s longest working and most revered biking media websites.
In immediately’s media panorama of youtubers, grammers, influencers, we’re one of many few remaining one-stop websites the place readers can discover protection of the total vary of highway biking subjects that nicely, we, a minimum of, suppose are price masking – and one thing new every single day.
Ah… good occasions.
And thru all of it I managed to work the negroni into some kind of related element of the PEZ ethos.
And Then The Challenges
However immediately I’m looking at a really totally different scene in biking and biking media, one which sadly appears very totally different from what our first decade regarded like. By now you already know the story – the biking enterprise on the whole is within the tank, because of a yr’s lengthy sequence of unlucky occasions and much more unlucky selections about find out how to deal with them.
Job cuts & rising residing prices have decreased shoppers’ urge for food and skill to purchase bike gear, even when when all the things is on sale. Too dangerous these sale costs imply that producers gained’t make any earnings till it’s all bought by – and all sources point out that’s gonna take one other yr.
Once I began PEZ, my marketing strategy was to fund this enterprise with sponsors’ promoting {dollars}. Permitting sponsors entry to a key viewers of useful prospects, as a trusted and credible voice within the highway biking market. And it labored for a very long time. I all the time ran a decent ship, watched prices and saved overhead low to permit us to outlive whereas most others have disappeared.
However because the web, and the biking enterprise grew and adjusted, a variety of challenges to this enterprise mannequin emerged. The expansion of Google and Fb eroded the promoting {dollars} that saved the media enterprise… a enterprise. Advertising managers started to decide on relationships with an algorithm over the precise individuals who’s work drove buyer help for the biking trade and helped shoppers select which merchandise to purchase. And all of our consideration spans grew shorter as our decisions of issues to have a look at on screens giant and small grew exponentially. It’s a tragic indisputable fact that the sponsor {dollars} wanted to run PEZ have been more durable and more durable to search out and all indicators level to 2024 being the leanest yr I’ve seen on this enterprise.
Wanting Forward
However there are some factors of sunshine twinkling within the darkness. I’m grateful that we’ve survived this lengthy, and that alongside the way in which I’ve been rewarded with a lifetime’s price of fantastic driving alternatives, and possibilities to get contained in the velvet rope at biking’s largest races and occasions. I’ve met, shared meals and beers with, and ridden with a few of the sports activities largest riders. I’ve developed lasting friendships with colleagues from world wide, and we’ve helped set up and construct up a few of biking’s finest manufacturers.
However in all probability the very best a part of this journey has been the response and connection we created with no person well-known, however in the end extra essential to the success of this enterprise – you readers – with out whom none of this could ever have occurred.
So I tip my hat to you readers, and thanks once more for supporting us all of those years. I do know your time and a focus are extra treasured now than ever, so any of it that you simply select to share with us is enormously appreciated.
Within the meantime – thanks for studying and being part of the PEZ group who’ve made us a memorable a part of highway biking tradition since 2002.
– Richard Pestes
Writer
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