My Week as a Bike Influencer
When my friend Kate Veronneau recommended me to Bicycling Magazine (part of the Hearst media business), I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of help they needed on “a video project.” But hey, bikes and video — that’s what I do, so sure, I took the call. As soon as I got on the Zoom with the Hearst team, it was clear this was an audition, which meant I was being looked at for an on camera role. Although I don’t do a lot of work in front of the camera, I’ve done enough of it, so I’m comfortable in that position. They called back the next day to book me on the project.
The video in question is an hour long program, How to Ride Strong at 50+, and well…that’s something I can speak to. Even if I don’t always “ride strong.” We did some planning — the Hearst team was coming out from the East Coast — and I organized locations that looked right and were also in proximity to each other. Having done decades of film production, I know that it’s critical to avoid company moves whenever possible. The team called and asked, “Could we get some shots of you riding an eMTB?” Fortunately, Specialized was nice enough to supply a Levo for me to ride on dirt.
After scouting locations on Super Bowl Sunday, we started our week long shoot. In my previous life as a TV commercial producer, I spent many years on film sets. So the whole experience felt familiar and fun, except I was in front of the camera rather than behind it. The team of four from Hearst — Josh Wolff, Pat Heine, Ken Kawada and David Monk — were prepared and professional. They were also very accommodating when I suggested ways to improve the script and phrase something differently.
We had a great time being resourceful and getting as much material as possible. There were pages of written script I had to recite on camera with the help of a teleprompter. And lots of b-roll riding footage. We shot from a drone, with Pat running alongside me on the MTB trail, from a minivan as I rode around Westlake, in my garage (I call it my “bike dojo”) from an eBike, and some gravel riding. We covered lots of ground in one week. We even shot me getting a bike fitting with my friend Nate Loyal at the Trek shop in Westlake.
The team also wanted to get me riding in a group, so my friends (and passionate cyclists) Jon Davis, Shari Stillman-Corbitt, Ken Vinson, Sean Scott and Allison Amon each donated a morning of their time to come out and shoot with us, even when it was pouring rain.
I really loved the experience, and I’d forgotten how much work it takes to not just be in front of the camera, but also to be on a production crew packing and unpacking equipment, getting in and out of cars, changing wardrobe, etc. It’s work! But fun work. And who knows — maybe there’s a future for me as a bikefluencer.
