There are some nights you go to sleep knowing that the next morning, the world will not be the way you left it. Your life will be turned upside down and nothing will be the same again. The things that were going through my head when I was out jogging will not be on my mind anymore. Deadlines, bike tests, heading to the races next weekend, none of that will matter come tomorrow because I will wake up on September 1, 2010, unemployed. My job as an Associate Editor for Cycle News weekly motorcycle newspaper will be over, and after over 40 years of publication Cycle News will close its doors.
That day of change is upon me – a day I’ve been dreading, but anticipating for some time now. That doesn’t mean I saw Cycle News folding – just that I’m well aware of the fact that no matter how good things get or how bad they get, they never last. I’ve been through some tough times (we all have) but I’ve been especially enjoying life in the last few years. That’s actually quite an understatement...
I feel so incredibly fortunate and thank God each and every day for the amazing life I have. Maybe it sounds like some trite rhetoric but I’ve learned to savor the good things, recognize a gift when I see one, and take advantage of the time I’m given. Each day this year that I woke up and found the world just as I left it, it felt like a gift.
Not for one second would I ever assume that I earned – or was even worthy of – the role I had at Cycle News. All the amazing opportunity that came with it came courtesy of all those who came before me. Over 40 years of hard work by dozens and dozens of journalists have made Cycle News what it was (probably at least half the journalists in our fair industry have had some role in Cycle News over the years). Like a mountain that kept on growing, Cycle News kept rising, and earning respect of the industry. Then I came along four-and-a-half years ago, and through sheer luck (and some good friends), I stepped into the role of Associate Editor. At the time I hardly knew what I had become a part of, but I soon realized that I was standing on top of the mountain, and had been given the esteemed privilege that comes with being the voice of Cycle News.
It was more than a dream job. It was the job I never even knew existed! Kit Palmer and Paul Carruthers spoiled me rotten. I worked my ass off, but it hardly ever felt like work. Even things like pulling an all-nighter after a national and heading straight to the office from the airport for a 10 hour day of shipping don’t suck when you love what you do and love the people you work with. These last few years have been a bit rocky, but it when the going got rough, we had each others’ backs. We kept each other laughing and kept putting our best foot forward because we all believed in what we were doing.
At a time like this, plenty of people will say, “You’ll move on to bigger and better things.” Now I’m not a pessimist, but I find that hard to believe. It’s probably like winning a championship; there’s nowhere to go but down after you’ve reached the top. I was lucky enough to land a spot like this once, and it’s hard to believe that lightning will strike twice... as much as I’d like it to.
Before I go to sleep tonight and wake up to find the world not as I left it, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who made my job possible, and everyone who made it fun. Most of all, I want to thank everyone who came before me at Cycle News and built this mountain that I got to stand on top of for a while. It’s been a great privilege and a hell of a ride.
